The Democrats have selected their nominee for the 114th House District and the committee vote wasn’t close. According to the Scranton Times-Tribune, Bridget Malloy Kosierowski received 63 of the 81 votes in a field of four Democrats seeking to represent the party for the upcoming special election.  

The special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, who died in October at the age of 62 from complications of open heart surgery, will be on March 12.

Kosierowski, 46, is a registered nurse born and raised in Clarks Summit and still resides in the same neighborhood today with her family.

Last week after accepting the nomination, she discussed her excitement towards the sprint of a campaign.

“This is fantastic,” Kosierowski said according to the Times-Tribune. “I’m ready to work. The campaign, eight weeks, not a lot of time. We’re going to have to work hard. The main goal, obviously, is to keep our seat Democrat.”

Property taxes appear to be at the center of the campaign on the Democratic side and between the Republican hopeful.

Kosierowski believes that “meaningful property tax solutions” for the families in the district and “especially seniors” is needed. The Democrat thinks the reforms should focus on exemptions for primary homesteads and farms, stressing that citizens should not be responsible to “should or share the tax burden of large corporations.”

The Times-Tribune reports that Kosierowski expects the campaign against the Republican to “focus on property tax reform, curbing opioid abuse, containing an expected state deficit and ensuring adequate healthcare coverage for everyone.”

All three Democrats she bested in the committee vote have pledged to support her campaign, according to the Times-Tribune.

The Times-Tribune also reports that the Republican committee narrowly selected Old Forge School Director and former state Senate candidate, Fran Scavo to be their nominee. The GOP county executive committee is expected to meet tonight to vote on adopting the recommendation.

The special election winner will serve the remainder of Kavulich’s term, which ends Nov. 30, 2020.

Kavulich represented the 114th district in Lackawanna County and served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2011. He was a Democratic member of the following committees: Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Finance, Gaming Oversight, Local Government, and Tourism & Recreational Development.