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| Commonwealth of Susquehanna National Elections, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 2015 | ||||
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| Party | Republican | Democrat | ||
| Popular vote | 25,262 | 22,912 | ||
| Percentage | 43% | 39% | ||
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| Party | Libertarian | Unionist | ||
| Popular vote | 8,225 | 587 | ||
| Percentage | 14% | 1% | ||
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| Red: Republican Majority; Blue: Democratic Majority; Yellow: Libertarian Majority; Grey: Ineligible for Elections | ||||
Governor before election
Lou Barletta Republican
Elected Governor
Lou Barletta Republican | ||||
The 2015 elections in the Commonwealth of Susquehanna were held on June 2, 2015. There were elections for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Senators, and Representatives, as well as local elections in Montour, Sullivan, Luzerne, and Wyoming County.
It was the first year for Luzerne Territory to elect in representatives and senators, as well as Northumberland County which had joined one day before the elections, though the merger was planned for over two years prior. The territory was also upgraded to county status on June 1st. Also on the ballots is over whether to change the leadership title from Governor and Lieutenant Governor to President and Vice President.
There were 59,203 citizens participating, with 94.74% of the population voting, 55,679 votes, or 94.05%, of votes cast were for one of the three majority candidates and 911, or 1.54% of votes were cast for minority party candidates. The remaining 2,613 votes, or 4.41% of votes were cast for other or ineligible candidates, or were invalid or blank.
Primaries[]
The primaries occurred September 10th, 2014. All three major parties saw multiple individuals compete to see who would be the candidate for governor. Unlike prior to Doomsday, primary elections are all held the same day nationally.
Republican Primary[]
Lou Barletta was eligible for reelection and decided to run for a second term in office. Initially it was believed he would run unopposed, however on the last day of filing, Matthew Karchner submitted paperwork to primary Barletta.
The party had 25,116 registered members, and a turnout of 67.5%.
- Lou Barletta: Governor since 2010, former Senator for Columbia County from 2006 to 2010 and before that, representative for the county to the Provisional Pennsylvania in Susquehanna from 1994 to 2004.
- Matthew Karchner: County Commissioner for Columbia County since 2012, previously borough councilman on the Berwick borough council from 2010 to 2012 and before that, served in the military as a commander of one of the infantry companies from 2001 to 2009.
Results[]
Democratic Primary[]
The Democratic Party saw an improvement in results in 2010 however still lost the election. The party had two candidates, requiring a primary. There were 21,527 registered Democrats at the primaries, with a participation rate of 72.9%.
- Tim Holden: Schuylkill County Commissioner with a term that started in 2011 and former borough councilman in Shenandoah from 2006 to 2010.
- David Kovach: Columbia County Commissioner that started in 2013. He declared candidacy in February 2015.
During Holden’s victory speech he announced that his former opponent, David Kovach would be his running mate.
Results[]
| Candidate | Home County | Occupation | Votes | Percentage | Candidacy Filed | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Holden | Schuylkill | Schuylkill County Commissioner | 10,403 / 15,693 |
66.29% | January 28th, 2019 | |
| David Kovach | Columbia | Columbia County Commissioner | 5,219 / 15,693 |
33.26% | February 11th, 2015 | |
| Ineligible/Blank/Other | Various | N/A | 71 / 15,693 |
0.45% | N/A |
Libertarian Primaries[]
The Libertarian Party held primaries to decide the gubernatorial candidate.
candidate declared an intention to run, triggering a primary. There were 7,964 Libertarians registered at the primaries, with a participation rate of 75.1%.
- Nathan Gerance: Current Representative of Schyulkill County, former County Commissioner from Schuylkill County, and former Mayor of Ringtown. He declared candidacy in early June, 2019.
- Ryan McGlynn: A member of the borough council for Shickshinny. He declared candidacy in early December, 2018.
- Ronald Powlus: a former quarterback for Bloomsburg University (1996-2000) and the Danville Steelers (2011-2012). He declared his candidacy in early July, 2019, only a few months before the primaries.
Nathan Gerance won the three way race with over half the vote. He selected Robert Billhime, Wyoming County Commissioner, as his running mate.
Results[]
| Candidate | Home County | Occupation | Votes | Percentage | Candidacy Filed | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Gerance | Schuylkill | Schuylkill County Representative | 3,125 / 5,980 |
52.25% | June 8th, 2019 | |
| Ryan McGlynn | Luzerne | Shickshinny Borough Councilman | 2,363 / 5,980 |
39.51% | December 5th, 2018 | |
| Ronald Powlus | Federal District | Football Coach | 435 / 5,980 |
7.28% | July 3rd, 2019 | |
| Ineligible/Blank/Other | N/A | N/A | 57 / 5,980 |
0.96% | N/A |
Gubernatorial Election[]
The Republican Party re-elected Lou Barletta for governor, with his running mate, Tim Holden. He ran unopposed, and won the Republican ticket for the general election in the summer of 2015. They have candidates for Senate and Representatives in every county and territory as well. A poll done by the Press Enterprise shows them taking 40% of the votes, with a margin of error of +/- 3%.
The Democratic Party has selected a new candidate for the 2015 elections, choosing Michael Conahan for governor, and Tim Holden as his lieutenant governor. They have candidates for Senate and Representatives in every county and territory. A poll taken shows them at 35% of votes, with an estimated margin of error of +/- 3%.
The Libertarian Party voted and chose Ryan McGlynn as their governor and Ronald Powlus as lieutenant governor. They have candidates for Senate and Representatives in Montour, Columbia, Wyoming, and Schuylkill counties. Susquehanna's polls have them at 12% of total votes, +/- 3% error.
The Unionist Party announced their candidates in the elections. They have chosen George Hasay and Joe Souza are running for governor and lieutenant governor respectively. They have a candidate for Senate in Columbia County. Polls show them taking 1% of the votes in the elections.
The Commonwealth Party chose Matthew Karchner as the gubernatorial candidate, and Frank Bolick as the lieutenant governor candidate. There are no candidates for the General Assembly. They are estimated only taking 1% of the election votes in the commonwealth proper, but have campaigned heavily in Mahanoy Territory.
12% not known how they will vote due to them registering as independents, so they are not attached to any party.
Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election[]
There was some campaigning by the Lieutenant Governor candidates, but due to the fact that they are elected on the same ticket as the Governor, it was not followed as much by the media. Most of the candidates focused on small towns like Washingtonville, Ringtown, Colley Township, Nescopeck, and Millville, while the gubernatorial candidates focused on the larger communities.
Senate Election[]
In the elections for the Senate, the votes went similar to how was expected. Columbia County remained split with one Republican, and one Democrat. In Luzerne County, the Democrats saw a loss of one seat, and the Republicans picked one up. Montour County remained strongly Republican, with both Senators being Republican. Wyoming County saw no change, being controlled by the Democrats. In a surprising twist of events, the Libertarian Party swept Schuylkill County, retaining one seat, and capturing the other from the Republicans. In the two new counties, the elections were heavily contested with all parties attempting to gain a foothold in the new seats formed. The Republican Party swept both counties, taking all four seats, but the contest was close in Northumberland County between the Republicans and Libertarians, and in Sullivan County, one of the Republicans narrowly defeated a Unionist candidate.
Overall, the Senate saw a change of a net gain of one seat for the Libertarian Party, the loss of one for the Democratic Party, and a gain of two for the Republican Party. With the victory in the four newly created seats, the Republicans took the new seats, but lost one seat in Schuylkill County and another loss in Columbia County to a Democratic candidate. The Republican Party controls 8 seats, the Democratic Party has 4 seats, and the Libertarian Party obtained a pair of Senators.
Representatives Election[]
For the House of Representatives, the elections were fierce, with this election being the first after the end of Operation Retribution by the Defense Forces. Campaigning throughout the counties was strong, with candidates trying to gain support through their credentials and past history. With the outcome of the war and increased diplomatic relations with neighbors, the Republican Party campaigned that it knew how to effectively get the job done and could continue doing so. The Democratic Party's main points were increasing funding on restarting the power plant, reducing the budget of the defense forces, and providing more aid to rebuild Susquehanna's infrastructure.
In Columbia County the Republican Party managed to gain one seat. Meanwhile in Montour County, the Republicans kept their seats due to popular support for the candidates. In Bloomsburg, the Republicans lost their lone seat to the Democratic Party. This is due to the lack of major effect of the war on the town, while restarting electricity would greatly improve the conditions there. Luzerne County remained the same, as did Sullivan County, keeping Republicans in office. In Wyoming County the Republicans lost a seat to the Democrats but the Libertarians kept their pair of seats, while in Schuylkill County, the Republicans successfully defended their seat there, while the Libertarians kept theirs as well.
There were four new seats up for election in the Senate and the same number in the House of Representatives compared to the previous year. This brought the number from 10 Senate seats to 14, and from 29 House of Representatives to 33 seats.
The Unionists gained the sole seat representing Sullivan County, while the Libertarians gained a seat in Wyoming County, but lost one in Schuylkill County to the Republican Party. The Democrats gained two seats in Wyoming County from the Republican Party, and the Republicans cinched two seats, while the Democrats took one in Northumberland County.
Debates[]
There were a total of 4 debates planned for this year's elections, the first in Bloomsburg, then Danville, Berwick, and lastly Hazleton.
The Bloomsburg Debate was held at Bloomsburg University on January 24th, 2015 in the Kehr Ballroom. It was open to the public, but was not an open forum. Instead, a moderator from the Press Enterprise had a list of questions to ask candidates, then each was given time to answer accordingly. The primary focus of this debate was foreign policy and the armed forces. Reporters from the Press Enterprise and the Susquehanna Broadcasting Company were all on hand, recording every word the candidates said.
The Danville Debate took place at the Danville Middle School Auditorium on February 21st, 2015. This debate was open to the public as well, and had a question and answers portion at the end of the event. A Susquehanna Government teacher from Danville High School acted as moderator for the event. The primary focus of this debate was the economy and healthcare. Again, reporters were on hand from the newspaper and radio station.
The Berwick Debate was held at the Berwick borough council chambers on April 11th, 2015. It was an open forum with the public allowed to ask questions to the candidates. There was a wide variety of questions asked, ranging from education, to healthcare, to business. A major debate point was reopening the Montour Coal Fired Power Plant and possibly the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.
The final debate, held in Hazleton at Hazleton University, wrapped up the debates. It was held on May 17th, 2015 and was a Q and A session that was open to the public. Preselected question gathered by the Press Enterprise and the Standard-Speaker were asked by a moderator from the Standard-Speaker paper. Reporters from the two papers, WALZ, and the SBC were also there reporting live (for the radio stations). Most of the issues focused on security, water, and job creation.
Ballot Measures[]
There were a number of ballot measures for the 2015 elections, with most of them dealing with potentially unifying with other nations that had recently been discovered or contacted. They were primarily put on the ballot by the Republicans in an attempt to gain support from Unionists. All proposals were rejected by a large margin, with the most successful one being the proposal to unify with Reading, only 11.36% of the population supported unification.
The other ballot measures included a whether to convert to the Electoral College or continue using first past the post method for the elections. It was rejected with 52.83% against the measure. The only yes ballot measure was the proposal to begin building a new capital building, where 72.32% of voters supported it. This was due to public records released that showed that enlarging the buildings currently in use would cost almost three times what building a new structure would.
Election Results[]
Governor/Lieutenant Governor Election[]
| Party | Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 25,262 / 59,203 |
22,861 / 59,203 |
Lou Barletta Re-Elected to the position of Governor Tim Holden Re-Elected to the Position of Lieutenant Governor |
| Democratic Party | 22,912 / 59,203 |
21,728 / 59,203 |
Have not won the Governorship since 1994 |
| Libertarian Party | 8,225 / 59,203 |
10,937 / 59,203 |
First Election the Libertarian Party topped 10%, party hit 5% during the 2005 election cycle, and 7% during the 2010 election cycle |
| Unionist Party | 587 / 59,203 |
273 / 59,203 |
First Appearance on the Ballot |
| Commonwealth Party | 324 / 59,203 |
29 / 59,203 |
First Appearance on the Ballot |
| Other Candidate | 2,137 / 59,203 |
2,854 / 59,203 |
Various Write-In candidates, to be listed on ballot the candidate must be endorsed by a party |
| Ineligible/Blank | 476 / 59,203 |
521 / 59,203 |
Majority blank or not filled in |
Senate Elections[]
| Party | Senate Prior To Election | Senate After Election | Seat Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 5 / 10 |
8 / 14 |
3 / 4 |
| Democratic Party | 4 / 10 |
4 / 14 |
0 / 4 |
| Libertarian Party | 1 / 10 |
2 / 14 |
1 / 4 |
| Unionist Party | 0 / 10 |
0 / 14 |
0 / 4 |
| Commonwealth Party | 0 / 10 |
0 / 14 |
0 / 4 |
| Other Candidate | 0 / 10 |
0 / 14 |
0 / 4 |
House of Representatives Elections[]
| Party | House Prior To Election | House After Election | Seat Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 16 / 29 |
16 / 33 |
0 / 4 |
| Democratic Party | 11 / 29 |
13 / 33 |
2 / 4 |
| Libertarian Party | 2 / 29 |
3 / 33 |
1 / 4 |
| Unionist Party | 0 / 29 |
1 / 33 |
1 / 4 |
| Commonwealth Party | 0 / 29 |
0 / 33 |
0 / 4 |
| Other Candidate | 0 / 29 |
0 / 33 |
0 / 4 |