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PoliticsPA: 2020 Primary Results Thursday Playbook

As results continue to trickle in from around the state, today’s Playbook will include races that have since experienced a status change from Wednesday morning. The biggest update for many races is that the number of ballots reported in Philly is ticking upward. It appears that mail ballots are being counted

One outcome of the shift is, State Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) now leads his primary challenger (yesterday he trailed). And Rep. Isaacson (D-Phila)’s lead grew from 100 votes to 400. And in the Lehigh Valley, Rep. Peter Schweyer’s lead grew from 1% to 4%. 

For a rundown of races that were called prior to Wednesday morning, check out Tuesday’s Playbook for other final results. 

Winners

WINNER: PA1 GOP: Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) defeated Andrew Meehan, a pro-Trump Republican and financial advisor. The AP called the race for Fitzpatrick on Wednesday morning when Fitzpatrick held a 13 point lead. Fitzpatrick will face Christina Finello, an Ivyland Borough Councilwoman, in the fall for the suburban Philadelphia seat. 

WINNER: PA5 GOP: Dasha Pruett bested Rob Jordan in the GOP primary. The AP called the race for Pruett on Thursday morning when she held a double digit lead, with just over half of the precincts reporting. Pruett will face Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) in November. 

WINNER: PA7 GOP: Lisa Scheller, a former Lehigh County Commissioner and businesswoman who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, bested Dean Browning, also a former Lehigh County Commissioner and businessman, in the primary. The AP called the race for Scheller on Wednesday afternoon, while Scheller held a 4 point lead. She’ll face Rep. Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) for the Lehigh Valley district in November. 

WINNER: PA8 GOP: Jim Bognet, a former Trump administration appointee, won the six candidate primary for the Northeast PA district. He edged out Teddy Daniels, a former police officer and wounded combat Army veteran, and Earl Granville, a decorated war veteran and Veterans’ advocate who was endorsed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for the GOP nod. He will take on Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna) in the general election. 

WINNER: SD37 GOP: Devlin Robinson bested Jeff Neff in the GOP primary for one of the GOP’s top targets for 2020. Neff got into trouble by embracing the Reopen protests and almost lost his position as Sewickley Borough Council President. Robinson will attempt to unseat state Sen. Pam Iovino (D-Allegheny) in the fall. 

INCUMBENT LOSES: HD20 Dem: Another Pittsburgh political family falls to a progressive challenger. Emily Kinkead defeated incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl (D-Allegheny) for the Democratic Party nomination. Kinkead held a 10 point lead by the time the race was called on Wednesday afternoon. 

WINNER: HD28 GOP: Robert Mercuri won the three candidate GOP primary to succeed House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny). Mercuri bested Michael Heckmann and Libby Blackburn in the GOP primary and will take on Emily Skopov in the general election. 

WINNER: HD29 GOP: State Rep. Meghan Schroeder (R-Bucks) fends off a primary challenge from Greg Archetto. She will face Democrat Marlene Katz for the seat. 

WINNER: HD30 Dem: Lissa Geiger Shulman defeats Marco Attisano for the Democratic Party nod. The winner of the race will go head to head with state Rep. Lori Mizgorski (R-Allegheny) in the fall. 

WINNER: HD36 Dem: Progressive favorite Jessica Benham wins the four candidate Democratic primary over Ed Moeller, Heather Kass, and Mark Johnson in the race to succeed retiring state Rep. Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny). Benham will take on Republican A.J. Doyle for the seat in November. 

WINNER: HD38 Dem: Nick Pisciottano Jr. ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary to succeed retiring state Rep. Bill Kortz (D-Allegheny). He will run unopposed for the seat in November. 

WINNER: HD45 GOP: Danny DeVito, the Reopen protester who sued Gov. Tom Wolf over his COVID orders, defeated Malek Francis in the primary. DeVito will attempt to unseat state Rep. Anita Kulik (D-Allegheny) in the fall. 

WINNER: HD72 GOP: Howard Terndrup secured a comfortable victory in the primary over Gerald Carnicella. Terndrup will face state Rep. Frank Burns (D-Cambria) for the seat in November. 

WINNER: HD123 GOP: Tim Twardzik bested John Leshko in the primary to face Democrat Peter Symons Jr. in the general election. The seat is held by state Rep. Neal Goodman (D-Schuylkill), who is not seeking reelection in 2020. 

WINNER: HD131 GOP: Milou Mackenzie won the four candidate contest to succeed outgoing state Rep. Justin Simmons (R-Lehigh). Mackenzie will face Democrat Kevin Branco for the seat in the fall. 

WINNERS: HD152: Republican Karen Houck and Democrat Nancy Guenst both ran unopposed in the primary and will go head to head in November for the seat held by retiring state Rep. Tom Murt (R-Montgomery).

Waiting

Lamb and Ahmad Lead in Dem Auditor General Race: As more results trickle in, Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb holds a six point lead over former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Nina Ahmad in the six candidate primary. But his lead is shrinking. If Ahmad’s performance in outstanding eastern PA mail ballots matches her performance in those counties so far, she will probably have the numbers to win. 

LEADER: PA9 Dem: Laura Quick holds a slight lead over Gary Wegman to face Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Luzerne). 

LEADER: PA10 Dem: Some mail, all in-person. Eugene DePasquale, the state’s Auditor General, maintains a 9,700 vote lead over Tom Brier, an attorney and author. All votes including in-person are in for York County, DePasquale’s base where he netted 13K votes. Mail ballots are outstanding in Cumberland County (where they split) and Dauphin County (where Brier doubled Deep and netted 3,600 votes). It’s a long shot for Brier, but he has an outside shot to catch the DCCC’s favorite in the race and certainly exceeded expectations. The winner of this race will take on Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) in November in national Dems’ top PA target. 

LEADER: SD9 Dem: Some mail, some in-person. John Kane, business manager for Plumbers Union Local 690, holds an 8 point lead over Brett Burman, a former healthcare executive. The winner of this race will face state Sen. Tom Killion (R-Delaware), who ran unopposed in the GOP primary, in the fall in Dems’ top pickup opportunity. 

INCUMBENT TRAILS: SD17 Dem: Some mail, some in-person. Amanda Cappelletti, Vice-Chair of the East Norriton Board of Supervisors, holds a 20 point lead over embattled state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery). Delaware County has some in-person ballots and some mail; Montco has some in-person but no mail.  The winner of this race will take on Ellen Fisher in the general election.

LEADER: SD31 Dem: Some mail, all in-person: Shanna Danielson leads Rick Coplen and Josh Bosha in the Democratic primary. It is unclear how many of the mail-in votes still need to be counted. The winner of this race will take on state Sen. Mike Regan (R-York) in the fall.  

LEADER: SD49 Dem: No mail, all in-person. Julie Slomksi leads Andre Horton in the Democratic primary. The winner of this race will take on state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) in the fall. 

INCUMBENT GAINS: HD22 Dem: Some mail, all in-person. This is a nail biter. State Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) leads Enid Santiago by 178 votes in this majority Latino district, a 4% lead which grew from 1% yesterday, according to county website results. All of the in-person ballots have been counted, while it appears some mail-in ballots have been counted.

INCUMBENT TRAILS: HD39 GOP: Some mail, all in-person. State Rep. Michael Puskaric (R-Allegheny) is losing to challenger Tom Kirsch by just 111 votes. HOWEVER, the only outstanding votes are mail ballots from Washington Co. The in-person sliver of the county gave Puskaric 79% of the vote and a 640, so a comeback is more than possible for the incumbent. This is a grudge match for the old Saccone seat; the former State Rep. backed Kirsch. The winner of this race will go up against Democrat Sara-Summer Oliphant in the fall. 

LEADER: HD75 GOP: Mike Armanini holds a 3 point lead over Lisa Becker in the three candidate race to succeed state Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield). The winner will face Democrat Ryan Grimm in the fall for the GOP friendly district. 

LEADER: HD87 Dem: Some mail, all in-person. Nicole Miller leads the way in the primary over Sean Quinlan and Heather MacDonald. The winner of this race will attempt to unseat state Rep. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland) in the fall. 

LEADER: HD106 GOP: Some mail, all in-person. State Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) leads Chris Lupp and Mimi Legro in the primary. The winner of this race will face Democrat Lindsay Drew. 

LEADER: HD127 GOP: Vincent Gagliardo Jr. holds a slim lead over Branden Moyer in the primary. The winner of this race will face Democrat Manuel Guzman. The seat is held by state Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D-Berks), who is retiring at the end of his current term. 

LEADER: HD138 GOP: Ann Flood leads Tony Tarsi in the primary to succeed retiring state Rep. Marcia Hahn (R-Northampton). The winner of the primary will take on Democrat Tara Zrinski in the fall. 

LEADER: HD159 Dem: Some mail, some in-person. Incumbent state Rep. Brian Kirkland looks safe in this Delco district against challenger Angela Renee Prattis. The winner will face Republican Ruth Moton.

LEADER: HD160 Dem: Anton Andrew holds a narrow lead over Catherine Spahr in the Democratic primary. The winner of this matchup will face Republican Craig Williams, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. The race is to succeed retiring state Rep. Stephen Barrar (R-Delaware). 

LEADER: HD166 Dem: Some mail, some in-person. Rep. Greg Vitali leads challenger Jennifer Leith by 14 points. The Republican candidate is Christine Boyle. 

LEADER: HD168 Dem: Some mail, some in-person. Incumbent Rep. Christopher Quinn (R-Delco) kept his seat in 2018 in one of PA’s narrowest state House margins. This year it looks like he’ll face veteran and businesswoman Deb Ciamacca, who currently leads Brittany Forman. 

INCUMBENT GAINS: HD175 Dem: State Rep. Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia) quadrupled her lead to 418 votes over Vanessa McGrath, Jeff Dempsey, and Andre Del Valle in the four candidate primary among in-person votes. The mail-in ballots will determine the outcome. 

INCUMBENT GAINS LEAD: HD182 Dem: State Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) now leads challenger Marisa Shaaban by 8% with all of the in-person votes accounted for, while the mail-in votes are still coming in. Sims trailed Shaaban as of Tuesday morning. The GOP candidate in this safe Dem district is Drew Murray. 

INCUMBENT TRAILS: HD188 Dem: Rick Krajewski holds a 5 point lead over state Rep. James Roebuck Jr. (D-Philadelphia) in the four candidate primary. 

TOSSUP: HD198 Dem: Supreme Dow and Bernard Williams are locked at 26% each in the primary over Fareed Abdullah and Darisha Parker for the seat held by outgoing state Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Philadelphia). The margin between first and last place is also slim.

14 Responses

  1. Daylin Leach trailing by 20-points in Montco and 40-points (70%-30%) in Delco.

    Only 1/3 to 1/2 the votes counted… but he’s getting his ass kicked.

  2. Progressive women candidates sweep their races, again. I don’t think any of them lost statewide. They are more in touch with their constituents than their own Party structure, which is clinging on to a broken model. POLPA should do a story on this, good luck getting any quotes from establishment types.

    “You can blow out a candle, but you can’t blow out a fire…”
    -Peter Gabriel, Lyrics from BIKO

    1. So, you think progressive women are successful because they are in touch with their constituents? Hmmm. Let me let you in on a secret. Progressives vote for progressive women because of their genitalia. They promote an ideology with economic and social structures that are proven to lead to authoritarian dictatorships and big government oppression. They have no plans, except regurgitate the tired philosophies of their party.

      People vote for them because they are too stupid to know anything about what they stand for except their gender.

    2. How progressive is Sara Innamorato and Lindsey Williams sitting in a back room with Doyle Fitzgerald and Costa trying to force the Allegheny County Chair to resign?
      This “movement” you boast about is no better then Peduto who only used a progressive message to acquire power. They’re hypocrites.

  3. Tom Brier did outstandingly well this cycle and ran a stellar campaign against a better known, better funded, higher profile and media magnet opponent DePasquale. How Tom ran so well against an opponent who is a statewide office holder is amazing. DePasquale did very poorly considering he was continually in the media for years with great publicity. Tom Brier without question is the breakout star of this primary season. People genuinely were excited about his candidacy. DePasquale clearly failed to impress the voters. The only possible way DePasquale can win is to have Trump continue to politically stumble in his handling of matters. Hats off to Tom Brier for an amazing campaign. Fitzpatrick in Bucks County was as unimpressive as DePasquale. He did poorly. Fitz has the hapless Bucks County Democrats fumbling around to provide unintended assistance this Fall 2020.

  4. Trump and the GOP deserve to be blown out in November. This has been the most corrupt administration in American history.

      1. I am glad I got Biden at a 17-10 dog back in January at Bovadas casino. For every buck I bet on Biden I will get a buck and 1/2 back!!:EZ money!!

  5. agree on Depasquale. not a good look for him even if he moves forward. Farnese losing in Philly was stunning, too. He’s on the biggest loser list too.

  6. even if he pulls it out DePasquale is among the biggest losers. how did he get caught with his pants down? he was always known as having a good political operation. fascinating.

    1. I am sure if DePasquele win, Perry has all on the dirt on him and will end up winning in the General. I still hope that Tom wins – a fresh face who doesn’t lie to the public! I like the pun “with his pants down”

  7. Count all the votes. Very little change. The trend is clearing DOWN for GOP. With good reason. The Big Orange Menace is an anchor dragging down all GOP, but most of these sycophants deserve it.

    1. I think you have your finger on the pulse of the electorate here, gulag. No need to show up in November – the elections are in the bag.

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