Ruth S. Damsker
Ruth S. Damsker was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 12 of the Pennsylvania State Senate.
This candidate ran in a "race to watch" in one of the 20 chambers identified by Ballotpedia as a battleground chamber.
The Pennsylvania Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of four seats, which amounts to 16 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when the 25 odd-numbered districts were up for election, a total of three districts were competitive, with a margin of victory of 5 percent or less.
Campaign themes
2014
Damsker's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[1]
- Excerpt: "Fighting for small businesses - the source of many jobs that will support working families."
- Excerpt: "Supporting community college programs to train workers for the jobs of the future."
- Excerpt: "Making Marcellus Shale gas companies pay their fair share, and passing regulations that keep our drinking water safe."
- Excerpt: "Cutting through legislative gridlock; overcoming partisanship; pressing for the timely passage of a fiscally responsible budget."
- Excerpt: "Pressing for the reduction of legislative staff; reducing the size of the legislature; imposing term limits for the elected officials just as we do for our president and governors."
2010
Damsker's campaign website listed four areas of focus:[2]
Economic and Business Development
- Excerpt: "Damsker’s focus will be on the creation of jobs in the traditional manufacturing sector as well as in the new green and technology areas."
Education Policy
- Excerpt: "By supporting pre-K programs as well as post-secondary assistance, Ruth believes the State must play a key leadership role in ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to a high quality education."
Environmental Policy
- Excerpt: "Protecting the water, air and land will create a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Jobs will be created through the Green Sector in areas such as wind and solar power."
Transportation and Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "By planning and investing strategically, the Pennsylvania State Government can address the immediate need to build safer roadways and bridges, while simultaneously improving the ability of businesses to move goods and the ability of families to travel more easily and safely."
Elections
2014
Elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in that election was March 11, 2014. Incumbent Stewart Greenleaf was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Ruth S. Damsker was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Greenleaf defeated Damsker in the general election.[3][4][5]
The Pennsylvania State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia had identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The Pennsylvania Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of four seats, which amounts to 16 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. District 12 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia and the Philadelphia City Paper as a battleground district that could determine control of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Incumbent Stewart Greenleaf (R) defeated Ruth S. Damsker (D) in the general election. The district had favored a generic Republican by 1 point.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Stewart Greenleaf Incumbent |
63.3% | 50,319 | |
| Democratic | Ruth Damsker | 36.7% | 29,123 | |
| Total Votes | 79,442 | |||
2010
Damskers was unopposed in the May 18 Democratic primary but lost to incumbent Republican Stewart Greenleaf in the November 2 general election.[7]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Stewart Greenleaf (R)
|
62,748 | |||
| Ruth S. Damsker (D) | 35,266 | |||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ruth + Damsker + Pennsylvania + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Pennsylvania State Senate
- Pennsylvania State Legislature
- Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2014
- Pennsylvania State Senate District 12
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vote Ruth, "Main page," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ Ruth Damsker campaign website, "On the Issues," accessed September 2, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official primary results for May 20, 2014," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 Official Candidate Listing," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 General Election," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ City Paper, "If Dems flip state Senate, it will be with these five seats," March 27, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 2, 2014
