Pennsylvania state elections, 2011
Encyclopedia
Pennsylvania
held statewide election
s on November 8, 2011, to fill judicial positions
and allow judicial retention votes. The necessary primary election
s were held on May 17, 2011.
. The seat being vacated is currently held by Robert A. Freedberg, who decided not to run in the election because he would face mandatory retirement due to his age in three years.
law firm, and Paula A. Patrick, a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
, faced off for the Republican nomination. Both candidates received a rating of "recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Stabile won the endorsement of the Republican State Committee. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
also endorsed Stabile for the Republican nomination. The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Patrick.
On the Democratic
side, David N. Wecht, currently a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, was the only candidate to file; therefore he ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election. He received a rating of "highly recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
The election was held on May 17, 2011. Stabile won the Republican primary, receiving 378,566 votes (65.3%) against Patrick's 200,856 (34.7%). Wecht received 605,665 votes (100.0%).
, which cited his "down-to-earth approach".
According to preliminary results with 99.2% of districts reporting, Wecht won the seat with 1,017,499 votes (54.6%) against Stabile's 847,667 (45.4%).
. The seat to be vacated is currently held by Johnny Butler, who decided not to run in the election.
Kathryn Boockvar, an attorney who most recently worked for the Advancement Project
, and Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, who has spent her career in private practice, competed for the Democratic nomination. Boockvar received a rating of "recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Ernsberger received a rating of "not recommended" because she did not participate in the bar association evaluation process. Boockvar won the endorsement of the Democratic State Committee. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also endorsed Boockvar for the Democratic nomination.
In the election on May 17, 2011, Covey received 406,764 votes (70.3%) and Panepinto received 171,996 (29.7%). The Democratic race was much closer: the initial results showed that Boockvar had received 311,624 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had received 309,508 (49.8%). Because the margin was less than half of a percent, these results triggered a recount
, mandatory unless waived by the trailing candidate. Ernsberger declined to waive her right to a recount. On June 8, 2011, the Secretary of the Commonwealth
announced that the recount had confirmed Boockvar's victory. The figures were nearly the same; in the final tally, Boockvar had 311,732 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had 309,680 (49.8%).
According to preliminary results with 99.2% of districts reporting, Covey won with 966,441 votes (52.4%) against Boockvar's 879,073 (47.6%).
The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended retention of all six judges.
Eakin actively campaigned for retention, raising $526,000—more than any of the four candidates contending for the open seats on the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court—and airing television advertisement
s.
In the general election on November 8, voters elected to retain all six judges. All the judges won their retention elections by a wide margin; each of them was favored for retention by over 70% of voters.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
held statewide election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s on November 8, 2011, to fill judicial positions
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania is the unified state court system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.-Minor courts:The commonwealth consists of 67 counties. In every county except for Philadelphia County, there are Magisterial District Courts. These courts are inferior courts of...
and allow judicial retention votes. The necessary primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s were held on May 17, 2011.
Judge of the Superior Court
There was one vacancy to fill on the Superior Court of PennsylvaniaSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts, the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Appeal to the Superior Court is generally of right from final decisions of the Court of Common Pleas...
. The seat being vacated is currently held by Robert A. Freedberg, who decided not to run in the election because he would face mandatory retirement due to his age in three years.
Primary campaign
Vic Stabile, a partner in a HarrisburgHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
law firm, and Paula A. Patrick, a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania .The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state....
, faced off for the Republican nomination. Both candidates received a rating of "recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Stabile won the endorsement of the Republican State Committee. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
also endorsed Stabile for the Republican nomination. The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Patrick.
On the Democratic
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Pennsylvania. The party has had strong support in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area for a long time, having controlled the mayoral office in Philadelphia since 1952, and the Pittsburgh...
side, David N. Wecht, currently a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, was the only candidate to file; therefore he ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election. He received a rating of "highly recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
The election was held on May 17, 2011. Stabile won the Republican primary, receiving 378,566 votes (65.3%) against Patrick's 200,856 (34.7%). Wecht received 605,665 votes (100.0%).
General election
Stabile and Wecht faced each other in the general election on November 8, 2011. Wecht was endorsed in the general election by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which both cited his judicial experience. Stabile was endorsed by The Patriot-NewsThe Patriot-News
The Patriot-News is the largest daily newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily/Sunday circulation in the United States...
, which cited his "down-to-earth approach".
According to preliminary results with 99.2% of districts reporting, Wecht won the seat with 1,017,499 votes (54.6%) against Stabile's 847,667 (45.4%).
Judge of the Commonwealth Court
There was one vacancy on the Commonwealth Court of PennsylvaniaCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the other intermediate appellate court in the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System...
. The seat to be vacated is currently held by Johnny Butler, who decided not to run in the election.
Primary campaign
Anne Covey, a private attorney, and Paul P. Panepinto, a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, contended for the Republican nomination. They received bar association ratings of "recommended" and "highly recommended", respectively. Covey won the endorsement of the Republican State Committee. Covey was also endorsed for the Republican nomination by both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Kathryn Boockvar, an attorney who most recently worked for the Advancement Project
Advancement Project
The Advancement Project is group with the stated goal of promoting civil rights. It was founded in 1999 by civil rights lawyers in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.. Board members include Constance L. Rice, who is also a co-director, former United States Assistant Attorney General Bill Lann Lee,...
, and Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, who has spent her career in private practice, competed for the Democratic nomination. Boockvar received a rating of "recommended" from the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Ernsberger received a rating of "not recommended" because she did not participate in the bar association evaluation process. Boockvar won the endorsement of the Democratic State Committee. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also endorsed Boockvar for the Democratic nomination.
In the election on May 17, 2011, Covey received 406,764 votes (70.3%) and Panepinto received 171,996 (29.7%). The Democratic race was much closer: the initial results showed that Boockvar had received 311,624 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had received 309,508 (49.8%). Because the margin was less than half of a percent, these results triggered a recount
Election recount
An election recount is essentially a repeat tabulation of votes that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place in the event that the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close....
, mandatory unless waived by the trailing candidate. Ernsberger declined to waive her right to a recount. On June 8, 2011, the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania administers the Pennsylvania Department of State of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
announced that the recount had confirmed Boockvar's victory. The figures were nearly the same; in the final tally, Boockvar had 311,732 votes (50.2%) and Ernsberger had 309,680 (49.8%).
General election
Covey and Boockvar faced each other in the general election on November 8, 2011. Covey was endorsed in the general election by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which noted her "quasi-judicial experience of having served on the state's labor relations board". Boockvar was endorsed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Patriot-News, which both praised her breadth of experience.According to preliminary results with 99.2% of districts reporting, Covey won with 966,441 votes (52.4%) against Boockvar's 879,073 (47.6%).
Retention elections
The following judges were up for retention in the 2011 general election:- Supreme CourtSupreme Court of PennsylvaniaThe Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
judge Michael Eakin - Superior Court judge John T. Bender
- Superior Court judge Mary Jane BowesMary Jane BowesMary Jane Bowes is a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. She was elected in 2001 and began her term in January 2002.-Education and legal career:...
- Commonwealth Court judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer
- Commonwealth Court judge Robert "Robin" Simpson
- Commonwealth Court judge Mary Hannah Leavitt
The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended retention of all six judges.
Eakin actively campaigned for retention, raising $526,000—more than any of the four candidates contending for the open seats on the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court—and airing television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s.
In the general election on November 8, voters elected to retain all six judges. All the judges won their retention elections by a wide margin; each of them was favored for retention by over 70% of voters.