How Did Election 2013 Go For Us?

On November 5th you went out to the polls and voted. The results in Dauphin County show that we have a lot to be proud of.

Where did we win?

The party's biggest non-Harrisburg city wins were in Middletown and Susquehanna township. 

In Middletown our candidate for Mayor, James Curry III, defeated his Republican opponent with a margin of close to 300 votes. On council there three out of the four contested seats were won by Dems as well. Ben Kapenstein, Anne Einhorn and Victoria Malone won in the 2nd and 3rd wards, respectively. 

In the Susquehanna School District Democrats swept all four seats. Carol Karl, Helen Spence, Clifton Edwards, and Jesse Rawls Sr. were all winners. This means that there will be a governing majority of Democrats in the district.

The one contested seat for Susquehanna Township Commiser went to a Democrat as well. Justin Fleming bested his incumbent rival by 100 votes for the spot.

There were three contested spots for Swatara Township Supervisor. In Ward 2, Democrat Tom Connelly walked away as the winner. In the 4th ward candidate Megan Jones lost, but only by a narrow 25 vote margin. A similarly close margin for the Mayors races was lost as well.

On the Central Dauphin School board Democrat Eric Epstein defeated his republican incumbent opponent in region 2. 

In an open seat race for Derry Township supervisor, Democrat Matthew Weir was one of two winners. The Sun though has a one Republican on the record already seeing a blue future for Derry.

As one Republican leader put it, “Two years from now, a Ballard-Todd team could bring Democrats to control the Derry Township Supervisors.

Maria Marcinko was the highest vote-getter by nearly 200 in the race for Steelton borough council. 

It is great to know that we have strong Democratic bastions like the city of Harrisburg, where the party's candidate Eric Papenfuse won in his bid for mayor of our troubled capitol. 

I think it is more telling though that even outside of our county seat Democrats are winning elections. Not long ago the moment you left Harrisburg proper, you were in solidly red territory. Wins this week go to show that our influence is spreading and our candidates' hard work is paying off.

Where we lost. 

Democrat Anne Ginrich Cornick lost her bid for Judge of the County Court of Common pleas. She was defeated by a wide margin and this is an unfortunate loss for the county and the party. Currently the County's Court of Common pleas bench is made up of largely Republicans who live in the suburbs. Cornick is a Democrat who lives in the city itself. Kelly Summerford also lost his county-wide bid for prothonotary

What the loss clearly shows though is that a Democratic registration advantage does not mean anything if the opponent is better organized. The Young Dems, as I have said many times before, are working hard to change that old GOP organizational advantage to a Democratic ones. David Madsen, our President, was a driving force behind the parties big wins in Middletown. Brendan Murray also campaigned vigorously for Anne and the whole Democratic slate, as did many other YD's. 

This energy is what it takes to win elections, especially in off years. Let us enjoy our victories but as we turn to 2014, start thinking about how you can get out an help your local candidate.

One Democratic Vote, One Democratic Winner

Over the last three months (and counting), Harrisburg citizens witnessed constant alterations to the official ballot of candidates for the mayoral election in November. From day to day and week to week, formal candidate announcements and complimenting news reports repeatedly verified the standing list of candidates competing for the post to lead the City of Harrisburg.       
         

Two inseparable confirmations immediately followed the primary election on May 21, 2013.  The one-term mayor, Linda Thompson (D), was voted out of office and Eric Papenfuse (D) received the plurality of Democratic votes. 

Unanswerable confirmations prevailed for the four remaining mayoral hopefuls:  Dan Miller (D), a Republican write-in candidate,Lewis Butts (D), a Democratic write-in candidate, Nevin Mindlin (I), an Independent candidate, and Nate Curtis (I), a “Curtis for Mayor” candidate. 

To date, the only balloted candidates to compete against Eric Papenfuse is Dan Miller.  For the remaining candidates, Nevin Mindlin is battling a judicial ruling and Nate Curtis withdrew his candidacy following a different judicial ruling.

Nevertheless, Young Democrats are faced with an unprecedented decision in the general election.  Do you vote for Eric Papenfuse, the official Democratic nominee, Dan Miller, a Democrat who received the Republican write-in vote or Edwin Butts, a Democrat under a write-in campaign? 

A political conundrum exists for Young Democrats.  Consequently, Young Democrats need to weigh the importance of four decision criteria – party loyalty, political leadership, campaign promises and poll results – before electing the next leader of Harrisburg.

First, a party loyalist remains committed to the official recommendation of the Democratic Party.  The Dauphin County Democrats and Dauphin County Young Democrats advocate the election of Eric Papenfuse who won the Democratic ticket in May.  The importance of this criterion rests on the theme of unity, which strengthens activism and cohesion to establish a broader, synced voter base. 

Political party disunity is prevalent at the state and national levels, and overcoming this alarming phenomenon requires local semblance.  Consequently, Young Democrats need to “support” the official nominee who won the Democratic ticket in the primary election.  (The term “support” is blatantly ambiguous and implies monetary donations, volunteerism, grass roots mobilization and/or peer education.) 

Second, political leadership is undoubtedly a prominent criterion in any election.  In the City of Harrisburg, the looming multi-million dollar debt in conjunction with a dismantled city government needs fresh, novel leadership to drive jurisdictional improvements.  

Eric Papenfuse is a successful businessman who relishes smart management techniques to lead the city’s top office.  Voters need to understand the implications of strong political leadership since the Mayor carries a four-year term with successive terms determined by the electorate.  A candidate with the traits, skill set and integrity of proven leadership is necessary to address the known and unforeseeable challenges.

Third, voters need to acclimate themselves with the embodiment of a candidate’s campaign promises.  The value of campaign promises is weighted less than the two aforementioned criteria since outcomes are nonexistent until the elected candidate assumes office.  Nevertheless, the candidate’s campaign promises create a perceived, attainable future for the voter. 

Knowledge of the current crises facing Harrisburg include, but not limited to, the debt burden, economic disinvestment, budget-stricken schools, deficient infrastructure and isolated criminal activity.  Eric Papenfuse’s campaign provides well-rounded solutions to resolve these issues and more.

Finally, voters less accustomed to the issues and policy solutions tend to sway their opinions on the availability of poll results. Similar to the third criterion, the weight of poll results is less than party loyalist and political leadership.  However, poll results carry an empirical, evidence-based snapshot of current voter opinion. 

Until the November election, colleges/universities, media outlets and think tanks will question a sample of voters on their current choice for mayor.  The results will alter from poll to poll and time to time.  Differences arise from trending political campaign activities, successful and failed public policy acclamation (at the local, state or national levels) impacting societal behaviors and dissimilar social, political and/or economic values and beliefs of polled voters.  The essence of this criterion is to create a launching pad for further investigation on why a poll result favors a candidate over another. 

Altogether, the menu of decision criteria empowers Young Democrats with a profound awareness of how to make an informed decision for mayor.  The Dauphin County Young Democrats align with Eric Papenfuse who encompasses the right attitude, strategy and moral compass to steer Harrisburg into a profitable, peaceful and successful city.  

-This post was a contribution from a fellow DCYD member, if you wish to contribute to the blog feel free to email us at dauphincountyyoungdems@gmail.com