November 01, 2018
Sources/Candidate campaigns
The U.S. House District 1 contest in Bucks County is one of the most watched races in the nation. Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick, left, once considered unbeatable, is behind in some recent polls to his challenger, Scott Wallace, right. Political pundits are saying a Fitzpatrick loss could be the sign of a big Blue Wave across the country.
Area voters will head to the polls on Tuesday for a midterm election that could see the balance of power shift toward the left in the U.S. Congress.
Pennsylvania, and specifically the suburbs of Philadelphia, will play an important role in the future makeup of the Congress, with several races key to the Democrats' effort to flip the U.S. House. Nationwide, Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to retake the majority.
Suburban women voters, who oppose President Donald Trump in large numbers according to polls, are considered the key voting bloc in the midterms.
One thing is for sure: Philly-area voters will be sending a congresswoman (from District 5) and perhaps a second and third as well (from Districts 4 and 6) to Washington to diversify the current all-male congressional delegation from Pennsylvania.
RELATED STORY: 2018 New Jersey general election: What you need to know
There are other big races in the state, including for governor, and a multitude of contested seats in the state legislature. In Philadelphia, a ballot question will ask voters to approve the borrowing of $181 million for capital improvements and projects.
Here's a rundown of what to expect, as well as a list of voter resources:
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat seeking his third term, is challenged by Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, who has received support from President Donald Trump. Also running are Libertarian Dale Kerns and Neal Gale of the Green party.
Casey, 58, a Scranton native who has held elective office since 1997, is the son of former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey Sr. He held two state offices – auditor general (1996, 2000) and state treasurer (2004) – before winning election to the U.S. Senate seat in 2006. He lost a bid for Pennsylvania governor in 2002. He supports a higher minimum wage for Pennsylvania workers and wants health care that covers more people and reduces costs.
Barletta, 62, the former mayor of his native Hazelton, represents the 11th District in the U.S. House of Representative, a seat he won in 2010 after two failed previous bids. He has stressed immigration issues, saying he would never support the right of a city to declare itself a “sanctuary city,” or openly refuse to comply with federal law and cooperate with federal law enforcement. As a state representative, he helped found the Schools and Homes in Education (SHINE) after-school program in Luzerne County to help working families and provide kids an alternative to getting in trouble.
Kerns, 34, a native of Delaware County, is a former member of the Eddystone Borough Council, appointed in 2013 following a failed electoral bid in 2011 as a Republican. He is the vice-chair of the Delaware County Libertarian Party and a former vice-chair of the PA GOP’s Liberty Caucus. A master electrician, he is a 2014 Widener University graduate and sits on the board of directors of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. One of his stated priorities is ending the war on drugs and treating addiction as a medical issue, not a criminal issue.
Gale, 66, is running a campaign with a focus on climate change and clean energy. He has served on the Energy Advisory Commission in Abington Township and has managed an energy-affordability program for low-income residents in New Jersey since 1996. He ran for judge of elections in Abington Township in 2017. Gale states he would work to transform infrastructure to 100 percent clean, renewable energy.
Pennsylvania is seen as vital to the Democrats' effort to retake control of the U.S. House. Here's a look at the special election in the Seventh Congressional District as well as the general election races in the redrawn congressional districts in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
A special election in the former Seventh Congressional District will replace Rep. Patrick Meehan, who resigned in April. The winner will serve out the remainder of the current session of Congress. (This election is being held concurrently with the general election in the new District 5 for the next session of Congress starting in January.)
Four candidates are running in the special election – Republican Pearl Kim, Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, Brianna Johnston of the Green Party and Libertarian Sandra Teresa Salas. (Only Kim and Scanlon are running in the District 5 general election.)
Kim, an attorney and Radnor resident, is a former senior deputy state attorney general. From 2007 to 2017, she was an assistant district attorney in Delaware County, heading the office’s Human Trafficking Unit. She served on the Delaware County Women’s Commission and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs. Kim, the daughter of immigrants from Korea, is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Villanova University School of Law. Among her priorities: ending political partisanship in Washington and protecting Social Security and Medicaid for seniors.
Scanlon, an attorney who lives in Swarthmore, was a longtime member of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board. She was national pro bono counsel at Ballard Spahr, a Philadelphia law firm, where she worked with former Gov. Ed Rendell. She also was an attorney or board member for many years with Support Center for Child Advocates. Scanlon is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Johnston, 36, a resident of St. Peters, owns a home-remodeling business in Elverson, Chester County. She ran to be a delegate for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
The redrawn First Congressional District encompasses Bucks County and a small part of Montgomery County, including Lansdale and Hatfield.
The whole of Bucks County now falls within U.S. House District 1 after a Pennsylvania court redrew the districts earlier this year. It also contains a small part of Montgomery County.
Some polls indicate the race has narrowed between the incumbent Republican Brian K. Fitzpatrick and Democratic Scott Wallace. Steve Scheetz, a Libertarian, is also on the ballot.
Fitzpatrick, 44, a Middletown Township resident, was elected in 2016 to the Eighth Congressional District (precursor to the newly drawn district), succeeding his brother Mike, who had held the seat from 2011-2016. Fitzpatrick was previously an FBI Supervisory Special Agent, focusing on public corruption, and was cited as an “Investigator of the Year” by the Bureau in 2009 for his work in New York City. Later, he was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. He holds degrees from La Salle University and Penn State University.
Wallace, 66, an attorney and Buckingham resident who was endorsed by the Bucks County Democratic Party organization, recently stepped down as co-chair of the Wallace Global Fund. A graduate of Haverford College and Villanova University Law School, he was counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee and Committee on Veteran Affairs. He also worked for non-profit organizations and ran projects for the U.S. Justice Department.
Scheetz, a Langhorne resident, has been active in Libertarian Party politics for more than a decade. He was the party’s 2016 candidate for Congress, and served as the state party’s chair from 2013 to 2015 and led the party’s chapter in Montgomery County, where he grew up, from 2008 to 2015. Scheetz is a coating-applications specialist and market researcher.
The redrawn Second Congressional District encompasses Northeast Philadelphia, the River Wards and parts of North Philadelphia.
In the new District 2, which encompasses Northeast Philadelphia, the River Wards and parts of North Philadelphia, east of Broad Street, Democratic incumbent Brendan F. Boyle is challenged by Republican David Torres.
Boyle, 41, of Somerton, is seeking a third term after his election to Congress in 2015. Previously, he represented the 170th District in Northeast Philadelphia from 2009 through 2014, and before that served on Ed Rendell’s 1995 mayoral campaign and Bob Casey’s 2002 gubernatorial bid. He is a graduate of Notre Dame University and Harvard University.
Torres, 59, a New York City native who lives in West Kensington, lost his son to opioids and has run programs for people with substance-abuse problems as well as the homeless. A graduate of Thomas A. Edison High School, he also was an HMO sales manager.
The redrawn Third Congressional District encompasses West Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia and Center City.
In the new District 3, which comprises West Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia and Center City, incumbent Democrat Dwight Evans is challenged by Republican Bryan Leib.
Evans, 63, is seeking his second full term in the Congress, after serving in the state House for 35 years and as the longtime chair of the House Appropriations Committee. A graduate of Philadelphia Community College and La Salle University, Evans was a teacher in Philadelphia public schools and worked for the Urban League before entering politics. Evans has said he would work to reduce poverty and bring well-paying jobs to the city.
Leib, 32, a resident of Center City, is treasurer of the Philadelphia Young Republicans. An automotive wholesaler, he is a member of the Young Friends Board of the National Museum of American Jewish History and has served on the board of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. He supports term limits in the U.S. House and says he would immediately sponsor legislation to make Pell Grants available for students in vocational schools and job training courses.
The redrawn Fourth Congressional District encompasses most of Montgomery County and a small part of Berks County, including Boyertown.
There is an open seat in District 4, which encompasses most of Montgomery County and a small part of Berks County, including Boyertown.
Republican Dan David and Democrat Madeleine Dean are seeking to fill the vacancy. A victorious Dean would become one of at least two women from the Philadelphia suburbs to break into state's all-male delegation in the House.
David, 49, of Towamencin Township, is a businessman with an equities-market research firm in Skippack. He was featured in a documentary about investment fraud, titled "The China Hustle." A native of Flint, Michigan, he attended Northern Michigan University and participated in an executive-education program at the Wharton School. One of David's stated goals is to address the opioid epidemic by targeting heroin and fentanyl supplies and funding better addiction education and rehabilitation programs.
Dean, a Jenkintown resident, is a former state representative. A graduate of Abington High School, La Salle University and Widener University Law School, her political career began at the age of 18 as a Glenside committeeperson. Dean has also practiced law and taught at La Salle. She has said that she will work for common sense legislation to prevent gun violence.
The redrawn Fifth Congressional District encompasses Delaware County, South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia and part of Montgomery County, including Bryn Mawr, Villanova and Ardmore.
In District 5, comprising Delaware County, South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia and parts of Montgomery County, including Bryn Mawr, Villanova and Ardmore, two candidates – Republican Pearl Kim and Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon – are running in the general election.
Kim, an attorney and Radnor resident, is a former senior deputy state attorney general. From 2007 to 2017, she was an assistant district attorney in Delaware County, heading the office’s Human Trafficking Unit. She served on the Delaware County Women’s Commission and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs. Kim, the daughter of immigrants from Korea, is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Villanova University School of Law. Among her priorities: ending political partisanship in Washington, and protecting Social Security and Medicaid for seniors.
Scanlon, an attorney who lives in Swarthmore, was a longtime member of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board. She was national pro bono counsel at Ballard Spahr, a Philadelphia law firm, where she worked with former Gov. Ed Rendell. She also was an attorney or board member for many years with Support Center for Child Advocates. Scanlon is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Her priorities include a quality public education for children, and sensible and responsible solutions to gun violence.
The redrawn Sixth Congressional District encompasses Chester County and part of Berks County, including Reading.
In District 6, which encompasses Chester County and part of Berks County, including Reading, Christina (Chrissy) Houlahan, a Democrat, is taking on Republican Gregory McCauley.
Houlahan is a former executive of a footwear company and nonprofit who has served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and as a chemistry teacher in a North Philadelphia charter school. A Devon resident, she is a graduate of Stanford University (on an ROTC scholarship) and MIT. A Navy brat who grew up in six states, Houlahan has lived in Chester County for more than 20 years. Among her priorities: working for quality, affordable health care, and fighting the opioid epidemic.
McCauley, 61, lives in Chadds Ford. An independent tax attorney and investor, he has owned and operated fast-food franchises with family members. A Pennsbury Township Zoning Board member, he is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University and Widener University Law School. Born in Delaware County, he grew up there and in Washington, D.C. Among his priorities: making health care affordable with mutually owned health insurance, and ending waste and fraud in Washington.
Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat seeking a second term, is challenged by Republican businessman Scott Wagner. Also running are Libertarian Ken Krawchuk and Paul Glover of the Green party.
Before his 2014 election as governor, Wolf served in state government under Democratic Governors Bob Casey (in economic development and urban schools) and Ed Rendell (secretary of revenue). Wolf, 69, has degrees from Dartmouth College, the University of London and MIT, and volunteered in the Peace Corps. He then went into his family’s building-products distribution business, which he sold in 2015. Wolf says he will continue to protect the constitutional right to free and fair elections in Pennsylvania.
Wagner, 62, a former state senator who stepped down from his York County seat after winning the GOP gubernatorial primary, owns waste-hauling and trucking firms in York County, where he has lived his entire life. He opened his first business two years after graduating from Dallastown Area High School in 1973. In 2014, he won a special election for a Senate seat as a write-in candidate and went on to chair the senate's Local Government Committee. Among his priorities: freeing business owners from burdensome state regulations to create more jobs and increase pay checks.
Krawchuk ran as the libertarian candidate for governor in 1998, 2002 and 2014, and for the state House in 1994 and 2012. He also sought the party’s 2000 nomination for vice president. A resident of Abington, Krawchuk is a graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School and St. Joseph’s University and an information-technology entrepreneur. One stated priority: ending the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania through drug purity testing and providing free social workers.
A Germantown resident, Glover, 71, is a longtime activist who has promoted ecology and social justice works as a consultant to promote green-job creation. He was the Green Party’s candidate for Pennsylvania governor in 2014. A former adjunct professor of urban studies at Temple University and ecological economics at Philadelphia University, he has written six books about grassroots political power. He has said he will work to establish the Green Labor Administration (GLAD) to create 500,000 jobs in Pennsylvania without raising taxes.
The race for lieutenant governor features Republican Jeff Bartos, Democrat John Fetterman, Kathleen Smith of the Libertarian party and Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick of the Green party.
Jeff Bartos, a Lower Merion contracting and real-estate executive, has aligned his candidacy with gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner. A native of Reading, Bartos is a 1994 graduate of Emory University and a 1997 graduate of University of Virginia Law School. He has served on the board of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and as a leader of the Philadelphia-area Jewish Federation. His priorities include support of economic policies that make home ownership, health care, education more affordable. He is in favor of bringing back capital punishment.
Fetterman, 49, mayor of Braddock, Pa., ran unsuccessfully in 2016 U.S. Senatorial primary. He moved to Braddock in 2001 to work for AmeriCorps, and was elected mayor by a single vote four years later. He won re-election in 2009 and 2013. He is a graduate of Albright College and holds a public policy degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Fetterman says he is running for every community and person in this state, especially those left out or left behind. He says reproductive rights and freedom are important to keep families healthy.
Bowser-Bostick, the chair of the Pennsylvania Green Party’s Delaware County chapter, worked for 24 years as a laboratory technician in New Jersey before she was laid off. She now works part-time as a pharmacy technician. A native of Philadelphia and a 1991 graduate of Temple University, she lives in Chester. She says she would work to reduce all forms of discrimination, poverty, mass incarceration and government corruption, and increase energy efficiency and our reliance on clean and renewable energy sources to 100 percent by 2050.
Smith, 66, is the manager of the Libertarian Party’s Washington County chapter and manages Business and Professional Women of Canonsburg, where she lives. A former inventory manager at Borders Books, Smith attended Duquesne University, where she studied special education. One of her priorities is to downsize and reduce the cost of government.
There are a number of contested races for local seats in the Pennsylvania Senate.
Democratic incumbent Christine Tartaglione is unopposed.
Democratic incumbent Arthur Haywood, who has represented District 4 in the state Senate since 2015, is challenged by Willow Grove accountant Ron Holt.
Haywood, who lives in Wyncote, is a former president of the Cheltenham Township commissioners. One of his stated priorities is to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania.
Holt is a former Montgomery County register of wills who has served on Abington Township’s Environmental Advisory Board and was an auditor for the state Department of Revenue. He is a graduate of Temple University.
Incumbent Republican Robert "Tommy" Tomlinson is challenged by Democrat Tina Davis in District 6.
Tomlinson, 72, has represented Bucks County in the state legislature for 27 years, first in the House (1991-94) and, since 1995, in the Senate. Previously, he was president of the Bensalem Township School Board. A Bensalem resident and funeral director by profession, he studied mortuary science at Miami-Dade College and graduated from West Chester State College (now University).
Davis, a candidate for election to the state Senate and reelection to the state House from her 141th District seat in Bucks County, is a former Bristol Township councilwoman. A Bristol resident, she owns a small trucking company with her husband. A graduate of La Salle University, she helped to found Emerge Pennsylvania, an organization that helps women run for public office. Among her priorities is adequate and permanent funding of state schools.
Democratic state Sen. Anthony Williams is unopposed in District 8.
Republican incumbent Marguerite C. Quinn is challenged by Democrat Steve Santarsiero in District 10.
Quinn, a Doylestown resident, has represented 143rd District in Bucks County as a state representative since 2007. A St. Joseph’s University graduate, Quinn worked for an international consulting firm. She also was a real estate agent and a volunteer teacher in American Samoa before entering politics. Among her priorities is more support for the state's education system.
Santarsiero, a Lower Makefield resident, was most recently the chief deputy attorney general for environmental protection in Pennsylvania. He represented Bucks County’s 31st District in the state House from 2009 to 2016 and was a supervisor in Lower Makefield from 2004 to 2008. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University and Holy Family University. Santarsiero has said his main priority will be rebuilding our economy by creating more, better-paying jobs.
Republican Stewart J. Greenleaf Jr. is running to succeed his father, who has held the 12th District seat since 1978, and challenged by Democrat Maria Collett.
Greenleaf, a Willow Grove resident, was Montgomery County controller from 2012 to 2015. A commercial litigator by profession, he is a graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law and the University of Maryland. He has said he would work for a new state budget process to produce on-time balanced budgets and end fiscal gimmicks that don’t address real problems.
Collett, a Lower Gwynedd resident, is an attorney and a registered nurse. A graduate of Drexel University School of Nursing and Rutgers University Law School, she is endorsed by the Montgomery County Democratic Party and Emerge Pennsylvania. If elected, she says she would work to provide affordable, quality healthcare for all Pennsylvanians.
Republican incumbent Bob Mensch is opposed by Democrat Linda Fields in District 24.
Mensch, who was first elected in a 2009 special election, chairs both the Senate’s Majority Caucus and the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. Previously he was a state representative and a supervisor in Marlborough Township, where he lives. He graduated from Valley Forge Military College, and worked in management for AT&T for 27 years before entering politics.
Fields, a Pottstown resident, has been an organizer for the healthcare workers union District 1199C for three decades, as well as an event planner and a motivational speaker. One of her priorities is working for universal healthcare for all Pennsylvanians.
Incumbent Republican Thomas McGarrigle Jr. is challenged by Democrat Tim Kearney in District 26.
Elected to the state Senate in 2014, McGarrigle previously chaired Delaware County Council and was a Springfield Township commissioner. He chairs the Urban Affairs & Housing Committee in the Senate. He helped found the Run for Heroes, an event to benefit the families of fallen first responders. He lives in Springfield.
Kearney, an architect, is in his second term as mayor of Swarthmore. A longtime resident of the borough, he was a member of the planning commission and zoning board. He is a principal in a design firm and is an adjunct professor at Drexel University. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Catholic University of America.
Incumbent Republican John Rafferty is challenged by Democrat Katie Muth in District 44.
Rafferty, 65, the district's representative since 2003, chairs the Transportation Committee. Previously, he served on the Montgomery County Board of Assessment Appeals, the Lower Providence Township Board of Supervisors and the Methacton School Board, and was a deputy state attorney general. He’s a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Beaver College and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
Muth, a resident of Royersford, is a founder and the chair of the Indivisible Mid Montco activist group. An athletic trainer by profession, she’s an adjunct professor at Philadelphia University. She is a graduate of Penn State University, A.T. Still University, and has interned on the training staffs of the Arizona State University football team and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There are a number of general election races for local seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Republican incumbent John Lawrence is opposed by Democrat Susannah Walker and Libertarian Dominic Pirocchi.
Lawrence, seeking his fifth term in the state House, is a resident of West Grove. He is a graduate of Penn State University and worked in the finance industry. He is a Sunday-school teacher at Sycamore Hill Church in Hockessin, Delaware.
Walker, 49, is a 14-year veteran of the Avon Grove Township School District, where she manages the high school library. She has taught reading remediation and served as president of the local MOMs club, an organization for stay-at-home mothers. A graduate of the College of New Jersey, she lives in Landenberg. One of her priorities is providing adequate educational resources for public schools.
Pirocchi, 53, is an infrastructure engineer who graduated from the University of Phoenix. A motorcycle enthusiast, he lives in Oxford.
In District 18, Republican incumbent Gene DiGirolamo is challenged by James John Lamb III.
DiGirolamo, 68, is seeking his 13th term in Harrisburg, with four of them as chair of the Human Services Committee. A lifelong resident of Bensalem, he was the township auditor and chaired its Board of Auditors before winning his House seat in 1994. He also managed his family’s farming business.
Lamb, 23, of Bensalem, is a student studying psychology and social sciences at Penn State University at Abington.
Republican incumbent Tim Hennessey is opposed by Democrat Pamela Hacker in District 26.
Hennessey, a North Coventry resident, has represented the District since 1993. He chairs the House’s Committee on Aging and Older Adult Service, and often focuses on senior issues. Previously, he served in the Chester County Public Defender’s Office and as a township solicitor. He’s a graduate of St. Joseph’s University and Villanova University School of Law.
Hacker, a construction electrician for more than three decades, has worked as a foreman and a steward, and was the first woman in her IBEW local’s history to be elected to its Examining and Executive boards. She lives in East Vincent Township. She supports raising the state's minimum wage.
Democrat Andrew Dixon and Republican Meghan Schroeder are running for the District 29 seat of outgoing Rep. Bernie O’Neill.
Andrew Dixon, who was elected to the Centennial School Board in 2017, stepped down earlier this year as chair of the Environmental Advisory Council in Warminster, where he lives. He is a graduate of Lafayette College and Temple University. He is an organizer with the American Federation of Teachers in New Jersey. Among his state priorities: environment protection and proper public school funding.
Schroeder, 32, of Buckingham, was a staffer in O’Neill’s Warminster office and is a GOP State committeeperson. She was vice-chair of the Bucks County Teenage and Young Republicans and district director for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Democratic incumbent Perry S. Warren Jr. is challenged by Republican Ryan W. Gallagher in District 31.
Warren, 53, a Newtown resident, is seeking his second term. An attorney who opened his own firm in 1998, he was on the Newtown Borough Council for seven years. He is a graduate of Colgate College and the University of North Carolina Law School.
Gallagher is running his second campaign to represent District 31 after losing to Warren by 75 votes two years ago. An attorney and a Realtor, he was a Newtown Township supervisor and chaired the board in 2015. Gallagher is a graduate of Evergreen State College and Widener University School of Law. He lives in Newtown Township.
The open seat in District 53 is sought by Democrat Steven Richard Malagari, Republican Andy Szekely and Libertarian John Waldenberger.
Malagari is a second-term Lansdale Borough Council member who also serves on the Montgomery County Transportation Authority. A sales professional, he is a graduate of Ursinus College. He lives in Lansdale.
Szekely, a chiropractor and mayor of Lansdale since 2008, stepped down in January after losing his reelection bid last November.He is active in the North Penn Rotary and a longtime board member of the North Penn Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of Lynchburg College and New York Chiropractic College.
John Waldenberger, a Telford resident, owns Waldens Books and Musical Gifts in the borough. One of his priorities is to continue promoting individual rights.
Republican incumbent Kate Harper is challenged by Democrat Liz Hanbidge in District 61.
Harper, first elected to represent the district in 2000, chairs the House’s Local Government Committee. An attorney, she was a Lower Gwynedd Township supervisor and a member of the Pennsylvania and Delaware Regional Water Committees. She is a graduate of LaSalle University and Villanova University School of Law. She lives in Lower Gwynedd. One of her stated priorities is proper funding for the environment.
Hanbidge, a Whitpain resident, practices family law in Fort Washington and provides pro-bono services as a court-appointed guardian for children with the Montgomery County Advocacy Project. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Oxford and Harvard universities, and the University of Wisconsin.
Democratic incumbent Matt Bradford is challenged by Republican Christopher Mundiath in District 70.
Bradford, 42, is seeking his sixth term in the House, where he’s the party chair of the State Government Committee. A graduate of Villanova University and Villanova Law, he was a lawyer until his appointment as municipal administrator of Norristown Borough in the wake of a corruption scandal. He lives in Worcester Township.
Mundiath, a Plymouth Meeting resident, attended La Salle College.
Republican Amber Little-Turner and Democrat Dan Williams are running for the District 29 seat of retiring Rep. Harry Lewis.
Little-Turner, 32, a former constituent-outreach specialist for Lewis, studied criminal justice at Delaware County Community College and the University of Phoenix. She has worked as a small-business and group benefits specialist for Legal Shield and in public service for former Chester County Magisterial District Judge Gwenn Knapp. She lives in Coatesville.
Williams, pastor of Coatesville’s New Life in Christ Fellowship since 1990, is the first African-American to sit on the Board of Trustees at the Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, where he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in divinity. He is also a professional bassist musician. He lives in Parkesburg.
Democratic incumbent John Galloway is unopposed.
Democratic incumbent Tina Davis is challenged by Republican Anthony Sposato in District 141.
Davis, a candidate for election to the state Senate and reelection to the state House from her 141th District seat, is a former Bristol Township councilwoman. A Bristol resident, she owns a small trucking company with her husband. A graduate of La Salle University, she helped to found Emerge Pennsylvania, an organization that helps women run for public office. Among her priorities is adequate and permanent funding of state schools.
Sposato, a Middletown resident, is a former member of the Neshaminy School Board who ran for the District 141 seat in 2012. He operates a small business and is a writer. Among his stated priorities: responsible spending of taxpayer dollars, job creation and less government.
Republican incumbent Frank Farry is opposed by Democrat Lauren Lareau in District 142.
Farry, an attorney, has represented the district since 2008. He is the House Republican Deputy Whip and chair of the House Firefighters and Emergency Services Caucus. He is the volunteer chief of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University.
Lareau, a Langhorne resident since 2011, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and operates a tutoring firm. Among her stated priorities is passage of an extraction tax on natural gas companies and protection of Medicaid.
Democrat Wendy Ullman and Republican Joe Flood are seeking the open seat in District 143.
Ullman, 65, a Plumstead resident, has taught English at Bucks and Montgomery County community colleges for 29 years, and has been active in the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers, serving on its negotiating team.
Flood is the lone Republican on the Doylestown Borough Council, and a Bucks County GOP committeeperson. Previously, he worked at several area small businesses. He has stated that proper funding for Pennsylvania schools, including special education and pre-K, are top priorities.
Democrat Meredith Buck and Republican Todd Polinchock are seeking the open seat in District 144.
Buck, 58, is a 20-year resident of Chalfont and an attorney focusing on family law and medical/legal consulting. She’s also a registered nurse, and in 2009 was awarded the Florence Nightingale Award by the Red Cross. She currently sits on the Central Bucks Emergency Medical Service’s Board of Directors. She favors an increase in the minimum wage to create fair and equitable pay for all.
Polinchock, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, retired as a commander after a 20-year career and is a past chair of the Warrington Township Veterans Affairs Committee. Currently a Realtor and a contractor, he studied at St. Joseph’s University. A state priority: real tax reform and tax relief.
Republican Tom Quigley is opposed by Democrat Joseph Ciresi in District 146.
Quigley has been the district's state representative off and on since 2005. A graduate of Philadelphia University, he worked in the insurance industry before his election to the Royersford Borough Council and then the mayor's office. He lives in Royersford.
Ciresi, a Limerick resident, is making his second bid in the district after losing to Quigley by some 700 votes in 2016. He is a former, 10-year member of the Spring-Ford School Board, and served three years as president. He is the director of marketing and sales at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of the University of Miami. Among his stated priorities: making sure the state pays it fair share for education and fighting for restoration of commuter rail service to the area.
Republican incumbent Marcy L. Toepel is challenged by Democrat Josh Camson.
Toepel, who has represented the district since winning a 2010 special election, was recently elected Majority Caucus chair. Previously, she was first deputy to both the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts and Recorder of Deeds, and a Boyertown Area School Board member. She worked as an executive assistant and office manager for locally owned businesses. She lives in Douglass Township.
Camson, a resident of Harleysville, is an attorney who runs a web-management firm. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he practiced in that city before returning to the Philadelphia area last year. Active in the PA Bar Association, Camson speaks at conferences and events across Pennsylvania about legal ethics, professional responsibility and criminal law. A state priority is the proper funding of education through a tax on Marcellus shale.
Democratic incumbent Mary Jo Daley is unopposed in District 148.
Democratic incumbent Tim Briggs is unopposed in District 149.
Republican incumbent Michael N. Corr is challenged by Democrat Joe Webster in District 150.
Corr, an Upper Providence resident, is seeking a second term. Before going to Harrisburg, he was a CPA, an attorney and a senior manager of a financial-services firm. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Widener and Villanova universities.
Currently a businessman involved in event management, Webster served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years, beginning with his appointment to the Air Force Academy in the mid-1970s. Rising to colonel, he served around the world and in the Pentagon and for a time served as a legislative liaison with Congress. He is a graduate of George Washington University. He lives in Lower Providence. Improvement of public education is a stated priority.
Republican incumbent Todd Stephens is opposed by Democrat Sara Johnson Rothman in District 151.
Stephens, a Horsham resident, has represented the 151th District since 2010. A graduate of Shippensburg University and the Widener University School of Law, he previously served as an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County and then, from 2004 until his election to the House, as a special assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia. He also served on the Horsham Planning Commission.
An attorney practicing education law, Rothman is a former Bucks County assistant district attorney who focused on abuse cases. She sits on the Upper Dublin School Board. A graduate of the University of Nebraska and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, she lives in Upper Dublin. One of her stated objectives is the improvement of public education by increasing funding, reducing standardized tests and eliminating Keystone Exams as graduation requirements.
Republican incumbent Thomas Murt is challenged by Democrat Daryl Boling in District 152.
An Iraq War veteran, Murt is a native of Hatboro. He worked at Penn State Abington’s Counseling and Advisory Center and served on the Upper Moreland Township Board of Supervisors before winning the seat in Harrisburg in 2006. He's a graduate of Penn State and La Salle. Among his stated priorities is enhanced standards for clean drinking water and prevention of violence and bullying in schools.
Boling, a Willow Grove resident, is operations manager of Pall Mall Art Advisors. Previously, he was a financial and operational administrator for arts organizations, including the Bucks County Playhouse and the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. One of his stated priorities is passage of common-sense regulations to end gun violence.
In the race for an open seat in District 153 are Democrat Ben Sanchez, Republican Douglas M. Beaver Jr. and Libertarian Marc Bozzacco.
Sanchez, a Jenkintown resident, is an Abington Township commissioner. An attorney and accountant, he has taught at Drexel University’s Erle Mack School of Law. He is a graduate of Villanova University and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
Beaver, a sales professional, directs business development for a Jenkintown-based fastener-manufacturing company. A graduate of Temple University, he lives in Abington. One of his stated priorities is crime prevention.
Bozzacco, an Abington resident, owns a plumbing and heating company in Glenside. He was the Libertarian candidate for Abington Township commissioner in 2017.
Democratic incumbent Steve McCarter is challenged by Republican Kathleen E. Bowers.
McCarter, 71, of Glenside, has represented the 154th District since 2013. Previously, he was a high school social studies teacher for more than 35 years and chaired the Cheltenham School District’s Local Tax Study Commission. He also taught education classes at the University of Pennsylvania and was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is graduate of Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. One of his stated priorities is to fight gerrymandering of state Senate and House districts.
Bowers, a Cheltenham resident, is a graduate of Lansdale School of Business. She works in the insurance industry and ran for the Cheltenham Township School Board in 2015.
Republican Rebecca Corbin is challenged by Democrat Danielle Otten in District 155.
Corbin, an East Brandywine resident, is seeking a fourth term. Before working in Harrisburg, she worked for 21 years as a legislative aide for two of her 155th predecessors. She also was a commissioner of the Brandywine Regional Police and an auditor in East Brandywine Township. She also has worked as a chemist. She is a graduate of Chatham College.
Otten, a co-founder of the Uwchlan Safety Coalition and the Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety, has a 20-year career in hospitality and marketing industries. An Exton resident, she’s sits on the Uwchlan Township Parks & Recreation Board. She is a graduate of West Chester University. One of her stated priorities is to work to find more ways to bring advocacy, outreach and activism together to ensure that citizens drive the legislative conversation.
Democratic incumbent Carolyn Comitta is opposed by Republican Nicholas Deminski in District 156.
Comitta is seeking her second term. Previously, she was a two-term mayor of West Chester – the first woman to hold the post – and a borough councilwoman. She is the VP/CFO of her husband’s planning and landscape-architecture firm. A graduate of West Chester University and Widener University, she previously taught in the Octorara School District. A stated priority is fair funding for education, from pre-K to college.
Deminski, 24, is an auditor in West Township. A marketing consultant and real-estate investor, he is a graduate from Villanova University in 2016. Previously, he was an analyst for state Rep. Harry Lewis Jr.
Republican incumbent Warren Kampf is challenged by Democrat Melissa Shusterman in District 157.
A Paoli resident and an attorney, Kampf is seeking a fifth term in the district. Previously, he was a Tredyffrin Township supervisor for seven years and was a prosecutor in York and Philadelphia counties. He’s a graduate of Yale University and Emory University School of Law. One of his stated priorities is an increase in state education funding to its highest level ever.
Shusterman, a Schuylkill Township resident, is making her first bid for public office. She owns a digital video-production company, which she founded after working for a number of national media companies. She is a graduate of Lafayette College and American University. A stated priority is to improve the public school system in Pennsylvania.
Republican incumbent Eric Roe is opposed by Democrat Christina Sappey in District 158.
Roe, 30, is seeking his second term. Previously, he worked for a security consulting firm and as an administrative analyst for Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline. He is a graduate of American University and University College, London. He lives in West Bradford Township. A stated priority is the creation of an independent, citizen-led redistricting commission.
Sappey, a West Bradford resident, served as chief of staff to state Reps. Barbara McIlvaine Smith and Carolyn Comitta, and as a staff member to state Sen. Andy Dinniman. In Chester County, Sappey helped found the non-profit, Marshallton Conservation Trust, and sits on its board.
Democratic incumbent Brian Kirkland is challenged by Republican Ruth Moton.
Kirkland, a Chester resident, is seeking his second term. Previously, he was special-projects coordinator for the City of Chester and director of constituent affairs for former state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, his uncle, who is the mayor of Chester. He attended East Stroudsburg University and is a deacon at his Baptist church, where he also runs a youth-mentoring program.
Moton, a Boothwyn resident, operates a photography and videography company in Upper Chichester. He has also worked in real estate, managed a weight-loss center and directed a vacation Bible school. She studied telecommunications and computer-systems networking at DeVry University.
Republican incumbent Stephen Barrar is challenged by Democrat Anton Andrew in District 160.
Barrar, a six-term state representative, lives in Upper Chichester Township. Previously, he was an Upper Chichester supervisor. Barrar served for two years in the U.S. Navy, and his interest in veteran affairs led to his appointment as chair of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Andrew, an attorney and resident of Kennett Square, was a senior adviser to two presidents of Cheyney University. Later, he became an instructor and the board chair at Open Connections, a Newtown Square educational-resource nonprofit. He has also sat on the board of the Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Hofstra University’s School of Law. A stated priority is common sense regulations to end gun violence.
Democratic incumbent Leanne Krueger-Braneky is opposed by Republican Patti Rodgers Morrisette in District 161.
Krueger-Braneky, a Swarthmore resident, is seeking a third term in Harrisburg. Previously, she was the first executive director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and Eastern University.
Rodgers Morrisette, a Realtor who lives in Ridley Township, ran for the seat in 2016 and lost by 600 votes. A former Republican committeewoman, she worked in finance and as an executive assistant to the CFO at Raytheon before beginning her career in real estate in 2002.
Democrat David Delloso and Republican Mary Hopper are facing off for the open seat in District 162.
Delloso, 52, of Morton, is president of Local 312 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Chester. A union official since 2002, he began his career as a truck driver. Previously, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and attended Mansfield University.
Among his stated priorities: increasing the minimum wage, ensuring corporations pay their fair share and proper funding for schools.
Hopper, the first female president of Ridley Park Borough Council, is a former Delaware County sheriff. One of her stated priorities is to strengthen communities.
Republican incumbent Jamie Santora is challenged by Democrat Mike Zabel in District 163.
Santora, a Drexel Hill resident, is seeking a third term in Harrisburg. He was previously a real estate broker and an at-large member of the Upper Darby Township Council. Santora, 46, also had leadership roles in several community organizations. One of his stated priorities is property tax reform.
Zabel, an attorney and resident of Drexel Hill, has worked in private practice and as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, Indiana University and the College of the Holy Cross. He also taught Latin and Greek for seven years.
Democratic incumbent Margo Davidson is challenged by Republican Inderjit Bains in District 164.
Davidson, an Upper Darby resident, has represented the district since 2011, when she became the first Democrat, the first woman and the first African-American to hold the seat. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House in the newly-drawn 5th District. Davidson was ordained as a minister in 1986, founded the African American Female Entrepreneurs’ Alliance in 1988 and the Drug and Alcohol Crusaders in 1989. A graduate of Temple University, she holds an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Bains, 35, of Upper Darby, is making his second bid for this seat, having run for it in 2016. He is a compliance consultant and treasurer of the Township’s Libraries Board. Among his stated priorities are increased funding for schools and frequent Town Hall meetings for constituents.
Republican incumbent Alexander Charlton is challenged by Democrat Jennifer O'Mara in District 165.
Charlton, a Springfield resident, has been a state representative since January 2017. Before winning his seat in Harrisburg, he was president of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and chief of staff to state Sen. Tom McGarrigle, a Delaware County Republican. He is a graduate of West Chester University. A stated priority is a fair funding formula – across the board – for education.
O'Mara, a Springfield resident who works in university stewardship at the University of Pennsylvania, is running under the auspices of Emerge Pennsylvania, an organization that helps women run for office. A graduate of West Chester University and Penn, she sits on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils. One of her stated priorities is fair and equitable funding of public education.
Democratic incumbent Greg Vitali is challenged by Republican Baltazar Edson Rubio in District 166.
Vitali, who has represented the district since 1993, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House in the May primary. An attorney, he is a graduate of Villanova University, where he has taught courses in state and local government. In Harrisburg, Vitali has focused on environmental issues, serving for 24 years on the House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee, four them as party chair.
Rubio, a Havertown resident, is a Delaware County assistant public defender in addition to his private practice. A former assistant city solicitor in Chester and a member of the Chester Upland School Board, he is a graduate of the the University of Southern California and Widener University School of Law. He has also worked as a general contractor. Rubio lost a leg in a 2012 motorcycle accident.
Republican incumbent Duane Milne is opposed by Democrat Kristine Howard in District 167.
Milne has represented the district since 2007. A captain in the Pennsylvania Army Reserve, he is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Delaware. Previously, he was a business consultant and a political-science professor at West Chester University. In the state House, he sits on the Finance, Commerce, and Appropriations committees. He lives in Willistown.
Howard, 56, a single mother of seven and a Democratic committeeperson in Malvern, is a Chester County caseworker, investigating child-abuse. She has also run a small legal and social-services organization in New Mexico and was an advocate for children in foster care in Philadelphia. She’s a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University-Camden Law School. One of her stated priorities is access to a quality, debt-free, gun-free public education – pre-school through college or equivalent vocational degree.
Republican incumbent Christopher Quinn is challenged by Democrat Kristin Seale in District 168.
Quinn, a Middletown Township resident, first won the seat in a July 2016 special election and was reelected months later. Previously, he was a Middletown Township councilman and vice-treasurer of the Delaware County Industrial Development Authority. He has worked for more than a decade in the electronics industry, then started an independent insurance agency. He is a University of South Florida graduate.
Seale, who was elected Rose Tree Media School Board of Director in November 2017, is running under the auspices of Emerge Pennsylvania, an organization that helps women run for office. Seale founded two nonprofit women's sports organizations and is currently director of operations of a Pennsylvania energy nonprofit. She is a graduate New Mexico State University and Villanova University. She lives in Media Borough. A stated priority: equal protections for all state residents under the law.
Democratic incumbent Kevin Boyle is unopposed in District 172.
Democrat Helen Tai and Republican Wendi Thomas are running for the open seat in District 178.
Tai is a resident of Solebury, where she is chair of the board of supervisors. She also runs a New Hope consulting firm. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Penn State University. She has also lived in China and the Philippines. One of her stated priorities is stopping the epidemic of gun violence by passing common-sense reforms already proposed in Harrisburg.
Thomas, 57, a Northampton resident, resigned from the Council Rock School Board to run for the House. Outside of politics, she has worked in the health care industry, rising from a sales position to senior vice-president. She is a graduate of Gettysburg College.
Democratic incumbent Maria P. Donatucci is unopposed in District 185.
Democratic incumbent Joanna E. McClinton is unopposed in District 191.
Democratic incumbent Pamela A. DeLissio is challenged by Republican Sean P. Stevens and Libertarian Matt Baltsar in District 194.
DeLissio, who has represented the district since 2011, was a founding member of the bipartisan (and bicameral) Government Reform Caucus. She also sits on the Health, State Government and Policy committees and is secretary of the Southeast Delegation. Previously, DeLissio had a 30-year career in long-term health-care administration. She is a Penn State University graduate. A stated priority is creation of an independent citizens commission for redistricting reform.
Stevens has worked in the public sector as an assistant city solicitor and an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, and as an arbitrator and judge pro-tempore for Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas. A resident of East Falls, he is now in private practice. He holds several degrees from Temple University. He ran for the seat in 2014 and 2016.
Baltsar, an IBM managing consultant, is a graduate of Penn State University.
The City of Philadelphia will ask for voter approval to borrow $181 million for capital improvements and projects.
Should the City of Philadelphia borrow ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY—ONE MILLION DOLLARS ($181,000,000.00) to be spent for and toward capital purposes as follows: Transit; Streets and Sanitation; Municipal Buildings; Parks, Recreation and Museums; and Economic and Community Development?
Plain English Statement (required by law): This ballot question, if approved by the voters, would authorize the City to borrow $181,000,000 for capital purposes, thereby increasing the City’s indebtedness by $181,000,000. Capital purposes means, generally, to make expenditures that will result in something of value with a useful life to the City of more than five years, for example, acquisitions of real estate, or construction of or improvements to buildings, property or streets.
The money to be borrowed would be used by the City for five identified purposes, namely, Transit; Streets and Sanitation; Municipal Buildings; Parks, Recreation and Museums; and Economic and Community Development, all in specific amounts identified in Bill No. 180552 (approved September 14, 2018). City Council would have authority, by ordinance, to change the intended allocation of these proceeds.
Polls in Pennsylvania are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Anybody in line by 8 p.m. must be allowed to vote.
You are not required to show photo ID to vote in Pennsylvania if you are voting at a poll where you have voted previously. In fact, poll workers are not permitted to ask about it.
If you are a first-time voter or voting at a new poll location for the first time, then you are required to show either photo or non-photo identification.
Approved forms of Photo ID include:
• Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card
• ID issued by any agency of the Commonwealth or U.S. Government
• U.S. passport
• U.S. Armed Forces ID
• Student ID
• Employee ID
Approved forms of non-photo identification must include your name and address:
• Voter registration card issued by the County Voter Registration Office
• Non-photo ID issued by any agency of the Commonwealth or U.S. Government
• Firearm permit
• Current utility bill
• Current bank statement
• Paycheck or government check
The Voter ID law as it pertains to absentee voting was not challenged legally and remains in effect.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Election Fraud Task Force is ready to respond to any issues voters may have. Call the hotline at 215–686–9641, 9643 and 9644.
In Philadelphia, voters can report issues or problems encountered at the polling place to the County Board of Elections at 215-686-1590.
You'll probably need to take an umbrella to your poll. The National Weather Service forecast calls for showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3 p.m., then showers likely. Some storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. High near 68. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.
