The only statewide races on the ballot today are between judicial candidates seeking the Republican nominations for appellate court seats. Democrats currently hold an 8-6 advantage on Superior Court, and Republicans hold a 5-3 advantage on Commonwealth Court.
Superior Court hears most appeals from county courts, while Commonwealth Court presides in disputes involving state agencies.
Superior Court race
Maria Battista of Clarion County and Ann Marie Wheatcraft of Chester County are vying for the Republican nomination for Superior Court. Battista formerly worked as an assistant district attorney and as an attorney in the departments of Health and State.
Wheatcraft is president judge in Chester County.
Commonwealth Court race
Matt Wolford of Erie County and Joshua Prince of Berks County are seeking the Republican nomination for Commonwealth Court. Wolford is an attorney who formerly worked in the Office of Attorney General. Prince is an attorney who is most well- known for litigating gun rights issues and representing those challenging COVID restrictions.
Former state Rep. Brandon Neuman of Washington County and Stella Tsai of Philadelphia are running unopposed for the Democratic nominations for Superior Court and Commonwealth Court, respectively. Neuman and Tsai are both county judges.
Looming fight
Three sitting Supreme Court justices —– Kevin Dougherty, David Wecht and Christine Donohue — are up for retention votes in the November election. Democrats hold a 5-2 advantage and observers on both sides of the aisle have indicated Republicans will make a concerted effort to get those justices recalled. The Supreme Court has made several landmark decisions in recent years, including ruling in 2018 that congressional maps drawn by the Llegislature constituted illegal gerrymandering.
Retention votes rarely capture the public’s attention. The only justice to be ousted from the Supreme Court was Russell Nigro, who was voted out as part of public backlash to a 2005 pay raise for elected officials.