Montco voters approve parties’ picks
Despite a long list of candidates who had cross-filed to run in both primaries, Montgomery County primary voters appeared to select the exact sets of Common Pleas Court judge candidates party bosses wanted.
Both the Democratic and Republican Common Pleas primaries resulted in 2-1 ratios, or better, for members of each party's endorsed slate of seven candidates over those in the rest of the field.
County Republican chairman Robert J. Kerns said his party's staunchest voters had made a good showing in the primary and put the endorsed slate well in front, just as leaders had asked.
"You always worry what happens after an overwhelming election like Obama in the fall," Kerns said, "but our voters came out."
Yesterday's vote set up the field for a fall election in which Democrats will try to win their first-ever county Common Pleas Court judgeship in a contested race.
Despite such a possibility and the number of heated municipal races on township ballots, yesterday's turnout was light compared with November's presidential election.
At the Montgomery County Human Services building yesterday, Norristown resident Jacqui Daley walked up to idle poll workers and laughed, saying, "This is nothing like November."
Daley, 58, and her husband, Theo, 60, say they are faithful voters - whatever the election.
"When I fought in Vietnam, I couldn't vote," Theo Daley said. "And I think about history, about the poll tax and when some people couldn't vote."
With no countywide referendums to be settled, the races for judgeships on Common Pleas and district courts were the most widely contested on the spring ballot. Indications are that the autumn election could play out similarly, since county commissioners this month signaled that a plan to put a $150 million road-building bond issue on the November ballot will be delayed because of the poor economic climate.
Though almost all the judges in the field had run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries, no one candidate landed in the top seven in both. This means the fall's election will be a fully contested battle for the record seven judgeships.
The seven endorsed Democratic candidates with substantial leads late last night were Cheryl Lynne Austin, Joel Bernbaum, Richard Haaz, Jeff Lindy, Lois Murphy, Michael C. Shields, and Ann Thornburg Weiss.
The seven endorsed and leading Republicans were Pat Coonahan, Gary Silow, Carolyn Carluccio, Wendy Demchick Alloy, Joanna Cruz, Kelly Wall, and Garrett Page.
Contact staff writer Derrick Nunnally at 610-313-8212 or dnunnally@phillynews.com.