The Democrats selected Bridget Malloy Kosierowski as their candidate. The Republicans turned to Frank Scavo.
Reporter Sarah Buynovsky and I did something a little different for yesterday's Newswatch 16 This Morning broadcast. We each took one of the candidates. I had Scavo, and Sarah covered Kosierowski. They both voted at the same time, and the locations were not close. Sarah went to Waverly and I hit Old Forge. We combined our material into one report at Newswatch 16 at Noon.
The outcome was evident early. Kosierowski captured 62 per cent of the vote and goes to Harrisburg.
She ran a good campaign, latching on to health care as her big issue. Kosierowski is a nurse and it makes sense, even though much of what she talked about is a national concern, not a state one. The campaign was safe and smart. Kosierowski stuck to the script. She came across as friendly and warm on television. She didn't make any mistakes.
Scavo repeated the themes of last year's unsuccessful state senate campaign-- elimination of property taxes, and that is a very solid base on which to build. His campaign got off the track when some old social media posts popped up, perceived as anti Muslim.
This race made you wonder on many levels. I've known Frank for a long time. I've known his wife and her family even longer. He's a smart guy. They are good people. The social media posts were astounding. He should have known better at the time of the posting. They should have been yanked long before the Scranton Times~Tribune went looking. At the time the Republican party selected Scavo, didn't anyone ask about anything potentially embarrassing in the past? While Scavo can get elected to the Old Forge School Board, his popularity outside the town is questionable. The Republicans could have made a bold move and opted for a fresh face, sans baggage. It went for the tried and true. As a result, the Democrats retain control of the 114th.
There was a school of thought the bashing Scavo took would energize the base and up the turnout. Yesterday's turnout was 25 per cent and a lot of people were surprised it was that high. I was at the polls from 7 am until noon, and turnout was severely anemic all morning.
So, what do we take from this election? The Democrats might have found a rising star in Bridget Malloy Kosierowski. It will be interesting to see what she does with her power, even though she is in the minority party in Harrisburg.
Frank Scavo says we haven't seen the last of him, and that's a good thing. As long as he stops doing silly things on social media, there is a place in the Republican party for Frank and his ideas. He participates. The system needs that.
There is one other major takeaway from yesterday's election. People really miss Sid. He was exceptionally popular and well liked. During my travels yesterday, people were talking about Sid as much as they discussed Scavo and Kosierowski.
I already know of two people strongly considering a run in the 114th in 2020. This could be one of our area's more interesting districts in the months to come.
Stay tuned.
