Judicial candidates reflect on wins, losses

Democrats sweep; Walsh ‘shocked’ by outcome

COURTHOUSE » The two Democrats who swept the contest for two seats on the Montgomery County bench say they are “humbled” by their wins and eager to begin the next phases of their legal careers in January.

“I am humbled and honored to have been elected let alone with such huge margins,” Judge-elect Wendy G. Rothstein said on Wednesday. “I will be sad to leave my law firm that I worked for 34 years. However, I am so excited to take the bench and be a public servant.”

Rothstein, 61, of Plymouth Township, a partner in the Blue Bell office of Fox Rothschild LLP, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s balloting, capturing 154,616 votes, according to unofficial results with all 426 precincts reporting.

“I am very honored by this decision, and I was thrilled to get support from all over Montgomery County. I am looking forward to taking office and joining this distinguished court,” Judgeelect Jeffrey S. Saltz said.

Saltz, 64, of Lower Merion, who has run his own law firm in Philadelphia since 1998, came in second in Tuesday’s balloting, according to unofficial results, garnering 96,204 votes.

Rothstein and Saltz were elected to 10-year judicial terms and will take their oaths of office in January.

The Democrats defeated

lone Republican contender and current Judge Joseph P. Walsh, who captured 69,097 votes, according to unofficial but final returns. Walsh, 52, of Montgomery Township, has been on the county bench since September 2016, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy by Gov. Tom Wolf, and he was seeking to retain that seat.

“I was shocked by my defeat but I was surprised by the overall numbers,” Walsh reflected on the outcome. “I knew it would be challenging to win countywide as a Republican. However, the national scene made the challenge insurmountable.”

In Montgomery County, there are 262,829 registered Democrats and 206,682 Republicans, representing a Democratic edge of 56,147 registered voters, according to county officials.

“With all of my endorsements and the outreach of those organizations, I thought I might be able to redirect some votes into my column; however, the numbers were just too large to overcome,” said Walsh, who previously served on the North Penn School District Board of Directors from 2005 to 2009 and on the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors from 2010 to 2016.

Rothstein appeared to have an edge going into Tuesday’s election, having been the only candidate during the May primary contest to win both a Democratic and Republican spot on the general election ballot. That meant that the Democratic and GOP votes that Rothstein received on Tuesday were combined.

Rothstein, Saltz and Walsh each cross-filed during May’s primary election. On Tuesday, Saltz appeared on the Democratic ballot while Walsh appeared on the GOP ballot.

Walsh, who before joining the bench was a founding partner of the Lansdale law firm Walsh Pancio, where he served from 2007 to 2016, said he was “proud” of the campaign he ran and “very humbled” by the level of support he received from the police, the teachers, and the many unions who endorsed him.

“When I accepted the blessing of my appointment from Gov. Wolf I committed myself to make the most of the short time table of my commission. I did not just want to ‘mark my time’ on the bench. I accomplished all that I set out to do,” Walsh said. “I wish I had won the election so I could continue my work for another 10 years, but it was not meant to be.”

Some political pundits surmised that Democratic wins in some high-profile races nationwide on Tuesday were the result of dissatisfaction with Washington politics.

Montgomery County’s voter turnout was 31.6 percent on Tuesday, higher than usual for a similar election. In 2013, voter turnout during the general election was only 24.28 percent, and in 2009 turnout was 24.61 percent, according to county statistics.

“We made history on many levels with this election,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Marcel L. Groen. “Democrats in Montgomery County won both judge seats, picked up a number of township, borough, and school district offices to continue to solidify the strength of the party in the region.”

Groen said “history was made for Democrats in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” Powerball (Nov. 4): 12-14-26-48-51 Power Ball: 13 Power Play: 3 Mega Millions (Nov. 7): 1-54-60-68-69 Mega Ball: 11 Megaplier: 4 All numbers unofficial until validated. pointing out Delaware County Democrats were elected to countywide seats for the first time since home rule was enacted and Democrats in Chester County 2-5-9-19-25-41 Xtra: 4 Cash 4 Life (Nov. 6): 4-10-22-24-42 Cash Ball: 2

swept all four county row offices - treasurer, controller, clerk of courts, and coroner.

“Democratic voters came out in huge numbers across the county. The huge turnout countywide was a response to recent events and the prior election,” Rothstein said. “The voters definitely sent a message with their votes that they are going to be active and never take off an election again. I along with other candidates were very fortunate to ride that tidal wave.”

During the campaign, Rothstein touted her 34 years’ experience as a trial lawyer and said she was most proud of having been “a trailblazer for women in the legal profession,” explaining she “broke the glass ceiling” as the first female lawyer hired at Pearlstine Salkin, Associates, now known as Fox Rothschild, in 1982; appointed as a municipal solicitor in Montgomery County in 1988; appointed by the county judges to serve as a discovery master in 2001; and appointed by county judges to serve as a Chair of a Board of View in 2013.