Posted on Wed, Nov. 4, 2009
David W. Heckler, a former prosecutor and state legislator who gave up his judge's robe to run for Bucks County district attorney, was headed for a convincing victory yesterday.
The 62-year-old Doylestown Republican led what was shaping up as another GOP sweep of county row offices, despite dramatic voter-registration gains by Democrats.
With all but three of 307 districts counted, Heckler held a commanding lead over Democrat Chris Asplen, 45, of New Britain, in his bid to become the county's top law enforcement official and its most visible public servant.
"I am, of course, humbled," Heckler said last night. "It is a new and exciting responsibility that I can't wait to get started on. I'll do my best to live up to that responsibility."
Heckler also declared that the District Attorney's Office "cannot be bought," alluding to the large amounts of money spent by Asplen's supporters.
Asplen could not be reached for comment.
No Democrat has been elected district attorney in Bucks since the 1890s. Republicans have also maintained a stranglehold on county row offices in recent decades, and continued to do so yesterday.
Sheriff Edward "Duke" Donnelly, Prothonotary Patricia L. Bachtle, Recorder of Deeds Edward R. Gudknecht, and County Controller Raymond F. McHugh, all Republicans, were trouncing their Democratic challengers.
Claiming the most attention was the race to replace District Attorney Michelle Henry, who is stepping down after two years in office.
In Heckler and Asplen, voters were confronted with two uncommonly qualified, yet clearly distinct, candidates. One local newspaper effectively endorsed both, calling each an excellent choice.
Voters interviewed yesterday seemed similarly impressed, saying their decision hinged less on credentials than on agendas.
"It's an interesting contrast between two highly qualified candidates," said Paul Hayes, 57, of Doylestown. "It just comes down to whose approach you prefer."
Heckler pledged to forge closer relationships between county prosecutors and police investigators, and to better screen cases to weed out problems with witnesses or evidence. He also promised to improve the office by mentoring young assistants and developing more specialists among his staff.
Asplen promised to expand the use of DNA and other crime-fighting tools to help modernize the office. Like Heckler, he saw a need for more specialists in the office.
Both had worked in the office as young assistant prosecutors. Heckler went on to serve as a state representative, state senator, and County Court judge - including five years as Bucks County's president judge. Asplen became a federal prosecutor in Washington and developed an internationally recognized expertise in the uses of DNA technology.
But Republican muscle in county-level elections, led by Heckler's superior name recognition, carried the day yet again. The GOP sweep came despite a nearly 15,000 edge in registered voters built by Democrats since last year. Independents and third-party voters make up nearly 15 percent of the county's 430,000 voters.
More than two of every three voters typically stay home during off-year elections in Bucks. In the previous three municipal general elections, turnout ranged from 27 to 30 percent.
Traditionally, that has worked to the advantage of Republicans, whose base tends to be older and more likely to vote.
Contact staff writer Larry King at 215-345-0446 or lking@phillynews.com.
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