Two state lawmakers won’t seek reelection

Two key Philadelphia-area Democrats in the state House are not running for reelection next fall, prompting questions about whether 2010 is shaping up as a strong Republican year for the state.

"If you see more of it, then that could be - for the Democrats - a harbinger of some tough times ahead next fall," said John J. Kennedy, associate professor of political science at West Chester University.

The retirement announcements put Democrats on the verge of having open-seat elections decide control of the House, where Democrats currently hold 104 seats to Republicans' 99.

State Rep. Kathy Manderino (D., Philadelphia and Montgomery) announced today in a statement she won't seek a 10th term.

Manderino, 51, is an attorney and chairs the House Committee on Ethics. She has held the 194th Legislative district since 1993. Last fall, she briefly sought the House's majority leader position, but withdrew her name before votes were cast.

Her father, James J. Manderino, represented Westmoreland County in the House for 22 years and was elected speaker in 1989, but died in office that year at 57, hours before he was to announce his retirement.

And two-term Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, 59, (D., Chester), announced Nov. 22 she also will not run again in the 156th district.

She had won reelection in 2008 with 53.2 percent of votes cast in a closely-split district, two years after winning the seat in a recount that gave Democrats control of the House.