Three Physician Friendly, PAMPAC-Supported Candidates Win Election

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As the election results came in on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, it was clear the Democrats had a strong performance at the statewide level. The Democratic candidates swept the three Supreme Court races and will hold a majority on the seven-member court. David Wecht (D), who was PAMPAC endorsed, Christine Donohue (D), and Kevin Dougherty (D) will fill the three Supreme Court vacancies.

If you did not already think the Supreme Court race in Pennsylvania was important, it gained national prominence yesterday when both the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post published articles highlighting the race.

Voters also elected candidates to fill vacancies on the Superior and Commonwealth Courts. In the Superior Court race Alice Dubow (D) won, and for the Commonwealth Court PAMPAC-endorsed candidate Michael Wojcik (D) was victorious. Wojcik is married to an OB-GYN in Allegheny County who is a PAMED member and he has a deep appreciation for the challenges physicians face in their practices.

PAMPAC-supported candidate Guy Reschenthaler (R), a former district judge and Navy JAG officer, won the special election to replace former Sen. Matt Smith (D) in the 37th state senate seat. The 37th district includes parts of the southern and western suburbs of Allegheny County as well as Peters Twp. in Washington County. Reschenthaler met with PAMED physician leaders from southwest Pennsylvania during the campaign and his election is certainly good news for Pennsylvania’s physicians. With Reschenthaler’s election the Senate GOP caucus adds another seat to its majority, which now stands at 31-19. Reschenthaler is the third candidate PAMPAC supported in special elections this year and all three have been successfully elected.

State Legislators Elected to New Positions

Looking forward to next year the successful election of several state legislators in local races will create vacancies in the House and Senate in 2016:

  • Sen. Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) won his election to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
  • Rep. Tim Krieger (R-Westmoreland) narrowly won the third seat on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas
  • Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland (D-Chester) was successfully elected as Mayor of Chester
  • Rep. Cherelle Parker (D-Philadelphia) won a seat on the Philadelphia City Council