Browne concedes to Coleman
GOP challenger scores upset of longtime state senator in 16th District primary
HARRISBURG — In what amounts to a political earthquake in the Lehigh Valley, veteran state Sen. Pat Browne on Monday conceded his reelection bid to political newcomer Jarrett Coleman, signaling an end to Browne’s 28-year run in Harrisburg.
Browne and Coleman were locked in an extremely tight race almost as soon as the vote count for the May 17 primary began, and Coleman declared victory the following day.
On Monday — 20 days after the primary and the day acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman was expected to certify the results — Browne issued a statement conceding the race to Coleman.
The unofficial margin in the race was 17,041 votes for Chapman to 17,022 for Browne, or a 19-vote margin in the 16th District, which after redistricting, covers parts of
Bucks and Lehigh counties. Coleman, in a surprise, beat Browne in his home county by almost 1,100 votes.
Browne hadn’t faced a primary opponent in years, but the redistricting that took away a good chunk of Allentown and brought upper Bucks County and western Lehigh County into the district changed things.
“After a thorough review and careful consideration, we are confident that all votes cast in the Republican primary election for the 16th Senatorial District were counted properly. I want to congratulate Jarrett Coleman in securing the nomination and wish him the best of luck in the fall general election,” Browne wrote.
He continued, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of the 16th Senatorial District as their Senator for the past 17 years and the Commonwealth as a member of the General Assembly for 28 years. I look forward to finishing my service by delivering a budget for the commonwealth this year, in transition to a new administration, which places Pennsylvania in its strongest financial position in decades.”
Coleman, who before this year was virtually unknown in state politics, is a 32-year-old airline pilot who lives in Upper Macungie Township. He won election to the Parkland School Board in November, running on a platform of being