This story was compiled by GNPCC staff with permission from Northeast Times’ Tom Waring, whose story Nov. 9 provided most of the details.
Donald John Trump stunned the world against all odds Tuesday to become the nation’s 45th President. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey was reelected as Pennsylvania gave the President-elect the 20 electoral votes he needed to upset Hillary Clinton. Locally, State Reps. Martina White and John Taylor each earned another two-year term.
Philadelphians overwhelmingly backed Mrs. Clinton in the presidential election, but the state went red for the first time since 1988. Toomey defeated Democrat Katie McGinty, a Rhawnhurst native, who has now lost races for Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Senate.
In the biggest local contests, White defeated Democrat Matt Darragh, and Taylor, the city’s most powerful Republican leader and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, beat Democrat Joe Hohenstein.
Pennsylvanians chose candidates for four-year terms as attorney general, auditor general and state treasurer.
In the race for attorney general, Democrat Josh Shapiro, a Montgomery County commissioner, beat Republican State Sen. John Rafferty.
Democrat Eugene DePasquale, the incumbent auditor general won another four-year term against Republican John Brown, of Northampton County.
Democrat Joe Torsella, former president and CEO of the National Constitution Cen-ter and an unsuccessful candidate in the 2004 primary in the 13th Congressional District, was elected state treasurer against Republican Otto Voit, a Berks County businessman and former U.S. Army officer.
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In races for the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle was unopposed in the 13th Congressional District.
In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Bob Brady, the powerful chairman of Philadelphia’s Democratic Party, defeated Republican Debbie Williams with 81.54 percent of the vote. Republicans maintained control of the U.S. House.
In the 5th Senatorial District, Democratic Sen. John Sabatina Jr. defeated Republic-an Ross Feinberg with 66.92 percent of the vote.
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There are nine districts in the state House of Representatives that include parts of the Northeast.
State Reps. Mike Driscoll, Ed Neilson and Jason Dawkins were unopposed.
Also unopposed were Democrats Jared Solomon in the 202nd Legislative District and Isabella Fitzgerald in the 203rd Legislative District. Solomon defeated 42-year incum-bent Mark Cohen in the primary. Fitzgerald will replace fellow Democrat Dwight Evans, who won the 2nd Congressional District seat.
State Rep. Tom Murt defeated Democrat Al DerMovsesian with 64.01 percent of the vote.
State Rep. Kevin Boyle defeated Republican Jim Pio with 62.3 percent of the vote in a race that saw both candidates fight it out over sanctuary cities.
In the 170th District, State Rep. White beat Darragh in a battle that saw both candid-ates beat up on each other in newspaper and television ads and mailings. She won the 58th and 66th wards and finished with an unofficial 54.26 percent of the vote.
White celebrated at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5.
“I always had confidence we would be successful,” she said. “My team and I have worked hard. We’re very, very proud of all our accomplishments and the work we’ve been doing. I’m a bipartisan legislator.”
In the 177th District, State Rep. Taylor defeated Hohenstein with 55.15 percent of the vote. Taylor had strong support in the Bridesburg, Port Richmond and Mayfair areas. He had 55.15 percent of the vote.
Taylor and White will continue to serve in the majority in Harrisburg. He plans to work on issues such as education and transportation funding, lowering the wage tax and re-forming the building code to spur development.