HARRISBURG - Six years after a shake-up election amid a pay-raise controversy, races for legislative seats in Northeast Pennsylvania remain volatile as shown by Tuesday's primary results.
Reps. Kevin Murphy, D-113, Scranton, and Ken Smith, D-112, Dunmore, were defeated for renomination.
U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, the dean of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation, lost renomination to Scranton Democrat Matt Cartwright in a heavily redistricted 17th District seat. Capitol activist Gene Stilp scored a solid win for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District and faces Republican Lou Barletta in the fall.
Elsewhere, a trio of veteran state House lawmakers - Rick Geist, R-79, Altoona; Babette Josephs, D-182; Philadelphia; and Joseph Preston, D-24, Allegheny - went down to defeat. House Speaker Sam Smith, R-62, Punxsutawney, eked out a close win even though losing his home Jefferson County.
Other incumbent lawmakers had an easier time fending off strong challenges. Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, Chester, House Majority Whip Stan Saylor, R-94, York, and Sen. David Argall, R-29, Tamaqua, all won renominaton handily.
The sentencing Tuesday of one-time House Speaker Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, to 2 1/2 years to five years in state prison for using staff for campaign work at taxpayers' expense offered voters a fresh reminder of Harrisburg political corruption as they went to the polls. DeWeese is among a parade of former legislative leaders who have been convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption charges tied to misuse of taxpayer money for campaign purposes in recent months.
The upsets in Tuesday's races led Capitol activists to think the reform message of bringing more accountability to the legislative branch is alive and well.
"The primary results indicate that incumbents from both parties at all levels are vulnerable," said Eric Epstein, cofounder of Rock the Capital.
"I think the public has become more impatient to see things improve in Harrisburg," said Tim Potts, founder of Democracy Rising, which seeks a state constitutional convention. "People are a lot more aware of how dysfunctional government has become."
This kind of voter sentiment could have hurt the re-election bid of Ken Smith, who came to office by unseating veteran Scranton Democrat Fred Belardi in that tumultuous 2006 primary, added Potts.
Smith successfully asked a county judge to impound machines and other election materials used in his contest against unofficial winner Kevin Haggerty until the official count, which begins Friday. No other such requests were made, said Lackawanna County Director of Elections Marion Medalis.
But a political analyst said while there's clearly angst among voters, he doesn't see the deep-seated anger that led to the defeat of record numbers of state lawmakers in 2006.
Large numbers of incumbent lawmakers are either unopposed or easily turned back challengers, said Terry Madonna, PhD., pollster at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster.
The results indicate a level of voter discontent, said Stephen Miskin, Speaker Smith's spokesman. Lawmakers are in the middle of addressing those issues through bills to reduce the size of the Legislature and put spending documents online.
