Democrats swept major races in Philadelphia, the suburbs, statewide judicial contests, and in New Jersey in the first general election since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner defeated Republican challenger Pat Dugan by approximately 52 percentage points, easily securing a third term. Krasner captured 75.9% of the vote compared to Dugan’s 24%. For City Controller, Democratic incumbent Christy Brady defeated Republican challenger Ari Patrinos by more than 72 percentage points, winning 86.14% of the vote compared to Patrinos’ 13.79%.
Despite a well-funded campaign by conservative activists aligned with Trump to unseat three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, all three justices up for retention were chosen to remain by voters.
In other judicial contests, Democrat Brandon Neuman won the Pennsylvania Superior Court race against Republican Maria Battista and Liberal Party candidate Daniel Wassmer. Alice DeBow retained her seat as well. For the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Democrat Stella Tsai defeated Republican Matt Wolford, while Judge Michael Wojcik retained his seat.
Democrats also dominated in the suburbs. In Delaware County, Democrats maintained unanimous control of Delaware County Council. In Bucks County, Democrats swept all row offices, with Joe Khan elected as district attorney and Democrat Danny Ceisler ousting Republican Fred Harran in the sheriff’s race.
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the governor’s race, a contest that drew national attention as a possible prelude to next year’s midterms.
Voter turnout was notably high in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Philadelphia, 34% of registered voters cast ballots — the highest turnout for an off-year election in at least a decade, according to unofficial results posted by the City Commissioners office.
Polling and exit surveys indicated that President Trump was a major motivating factor behind Democratic victories across the region, statewide, and nationally, including the gubernatorial race in Virginia and the mayoral race in New York.
In New York, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic Socialist, defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent and was endorsed by Trump.
On Election Day, voters told the Tribune that dissatisfaction with the current state of government was a primary concern. As the Tribune reported, “While President Donald Trump was not on the ballot Tuesday, his policies and their effects were heavily on the minds of voters.”
Last Tuesday, Philadelphians joined voters nationwide in expressing opposition to Trump’s economic policies and the government shutdown, which polls indicate voters mainly blame on Trump and Republicans in Congress.
https://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/editorial-philly-voters-joined-national-rejection-of-trumps-gop/article_bda7e02d-fdaa-4e4f-9ebd-e67a67779936.html