2022: Historic election year in Pa.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House, Billboard debuted its Top 100 chart with Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” as the No. 1 hit record, and Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army. The year was 1958 and it was the last time voters in Pennsylvania saw a ballot with open seats for both U.S. Senator and governor.

Voters rendered a split decision that year: Democrat David Lawrence was elected governor, and Republican Hugh Scott was elected to the U.S. Senate. During that period of history governors of Pennsylvania were limited to serving just one term. It was not until the state constitution was revised in 1968 that governors were permitted to seek re-election, with Milton Shapp being the first to do so.

Governors of Pennsylvania are now limited to serving two terms, which means incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf’s tenure will end in January of 2023. Meanwhile, incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has announced he will not seek reelection next year creating an open seat.

Over the years, the occupation of these statewide positions has taken a number of twists and turns. Tom Ridge was re-elected governor in 1998 but resigned in October of 2001 to join the Bush Administration to aid in dealing with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Lt. Governor Mark Schweiker served the remainder of Ridge’s term but opted not to seek election in 2002, a race ultimately won by Democrat Ed Rendell.

Another gubernatorial anomaly was the eight-year cycle. Between 1968 and 2014 voters re-elected governors to second terms switching from Republican to Democrat every eight years. The cycle was broken in 2014 when Gov. Tom Corbett was defeated in his bid for re-election by Wolf.

Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats have also had their share of drama, and tragically so. Sen. John Heinz was killed in a plane crash in 1991. ThenGov. Robert P. Casey Sr. appointed Harris Wofford to the seat.

Wofford prevailed in a special election over former Gov. Dick Thornburgh but then lost in 1994 to Congressman Rick Santorum. Santorum himself went on to serve two terms before being ousted by Robert P. Casey Jr. in 2006.

Then there was the dramatic ending to the U.S. Senate career of Arlen Specter. Specter was a long-serving Republican, but had moved far to the left of the GOP and was facing certain primary defeat in 2010 at the hands of Pat Toomey. In a bid to hold onto power, Specter switched parties but lost the Democratic nomination to Congressman Joe Sestak. Sestak was ultimately defeated by Toomey.

This convoluted road from 1958 to 2022 presented many unique circumstances. But, for the first time in decades, Pennsylvania voters will fill both the governorship and a U.S. Senate seat with no incumbent occupying either office.

The race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022 likely will set a record for the most number of candidates. At present, more than a dozen candidates have announced or have formed exploratory committees. Meanwhile, Attorney General Josh Shapiro appears to have a clear path to the Democratic nomination.

Democrats’ attention in the primary will be focused on the U.S. Senate race where a battle between the party’s ultraleft wing and more moderate faction is shaping up. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who occupies the far left has tapped into nationwide fundraising streams and enters the year with a significant cash advantage. Congressman Conor Lamb is viewed — at least within the context of Democratic politics — as a centrist and is touted as the most electable of the two in the general election. Add in Montgomery County Commissioner Valerie Arkoosh along with several other minor candidates and Democrats appear to be in for a hotly contested primary.

The race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate also has drama. Trumpendorsed Sean Parnell has become embroiled in a messy divorce/child custody battle which has generated some nasty headlines. Meanwhile, out-of-staters including celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz are making noise about entering the race. Jeff Bartos, who was the GOP’s nominee for Lt. Governor in 2020; Kathy Barnette, a prominent conservative commentator; and Carla Sands, the former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark have also emerged as major candidates.

And so the stage is set for what promises to be one of the wildest and woolly election years in Pennsylvania history.