Wolf sets date for election to fill Murphy House seat
A special election will be held March 13 to replace former Congressman Tim Murphy, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Monday. That date will now drive the deliberations of party leaders to choose their champions for the 18th District, which comprises portions of Allegheny, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
By law, Mr. Wolf had 10 days after Mr. Murphy’s resignation
became effective at the end of last week to choose a date. The only restriction on Mr. Wolf was that he couldn’t choose a date less than 60 days in the future, and some observers expected the governor to schedule the special election so it coincided with next year’s May 15 primary.
Republicans were quick to question the timing.
“I think the governor should have set it for the primary,” said Mark Harris, a political consultant working for the campaign of Repubilcan Guy Reschenthaler. “I don’t know how much more money it will cost to hold a special, but that’s the date it is.”
Mr. Harris speculated that Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, timed the race to benefit his party, for whom winning the 18th District seat would be a major coup. “Wacky things can happen in a special, and if we look at special elections across the country, the party that is out of power tends to turn out at a higher rate.”
Democrats have come very close to winning even heavily Republican districts in special elections held for Congress this year. That’s especially true in Georgia’s 6th District, where Democrat Jon Ossoff nearly carried a heavily Republican portion of suburban Atlanta. “I think Democrats are going to make a real play here, so Republican voters are going to have to come out and take this seriously.”
State Rep. Jason Ortitay, a Republican who is seeking the seat, said that “my first thought was that the 14th is my birthday, so this could be an early present for me.” But he said scheduling the race to coincide with the primary “would be good for Republicans because the Republicans have the contested races” for Senate and governor, where GOP voters will pick champions to face Democratic incumbents.
State officials were not available late Monday to say how much the special election would cost. But in 2016, the Department of State estimated that holding a special election for a congressional seat in Philadelphia would cost $1.4 million. The state opted to hold that contest at the same time as the Nov. 8 presidential election instead.
Nancy Patton Mills, who chairs the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, said the date was “a good one.”
“We have a Senate race, a gubernatorial race, and all the congressional races next year, so this helps distinguish the special election.”
In a special election, there is no primary: Each party’s nominee will be chosen by party leaders instead.
Ms. Mills said Democratic leaders would gather some time next month to select their nominee. Ultimately, the choice lies with the party’s state committee, but she said state leaders generally defer to the choice of rank-and-file committeepeoplewithin the district. “They are the ones on the ground, and who will be meeting the candidates,” she said.
On the Republican side, the conferees who select the nominee are allocated among the four counties based on the Republican turnout for President Donald Trump last year. That gives Westmoreland 80 votes, Allegheny County 79, Washington County 50 and Greene County six. The rules for selecting conferees vary by county: Republican Committee of Allegheny County chairman D. Raja said Monday he was sharing responsibility for choosing a delegation with local party chairs.
Mr. Murphy resigned amid allegations involving an extramarital affair and mistreatment of his congressional staff. His resignation has attracted a slew of candidates on both sides of the ballot. Democrats seeking the office include: Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli, former Allegheny County councilor and teachers’ union official Mike Crossey; former Department of Veterans Affairs official Pam Iovino; former federal prosecutor Conor Lamb; and emergency physician Bob Solomon.
On the Republican side, candidates include two state senators, Mr. Reschenthaler of Allegheny County, and Kim Ward of Westmoreland, as well as state Rep. Ortitay of Bridgeville, and Rick Saccone of Elizabeth Township.