election 2017

With Democrats stoking an anti-Trump furor, Pennsylvania's election brought good news for the party ahead of a big election in 2018 that will feature contests for governor and U.S. Senate.

Democrats scored big victories in county and municipal races across Philadelphia's suburbs, advancing a decadeslong shift in those one-time Republican bastions where President Donald Trump lost heavily last year. Just to the north, Democrats took control in Northampton County, won by Trump last year.

A Republican justice is keeping her seat on Pennsylvania's highest court, earning a 10-term after being appointed last year.

Justice Sallie Mundy held off Allegheny County Judge Dwayne Woodruff on Tuesday in what was the most closely watched race in the off-year election. Woodruff is a former Pittsburgh Steeler.

The result means the court's partisan balance remains five Democrats and two Republicans. Two other justices won up-or-down retention contests.

Two Allegheny County races were very tight on Tuesday night, while the other two were easy victories for incumbent candidates.

Mayor Bill Peduto will serve a second term for Pittsburgh after coasting to victory in an unopposed general election. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, he had taken 96 percent of the vote, with four percent going to write-in candidates.

It’s been less than a week since U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) announced he’s resigning from Congress, and already three Republican state lawmakers have declared they will run for his seat.

State Rep. Rick Saccone (R-Elizabeth) declared Sunday that he’s suspending his U.S. Senate campaign to jump into the race. He joined state Sens. Kim Ward (R-Hempfield) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-Jefferson Hills), who announced last week that they will run to replace Murphy.

Tuesday’s voter turn out of 17.2 percent in Allegheny County was slightly down from four years ago and about 6 percentage points down from eight years ago. 

Lancaster Councilwoman Danene Sorace won the city's Democratic nomination for mayor Tuesday, and will face Republican Cindy Stewart in the fall.

Urban areas tend to lean left. But the mayor's office in Lancaster has changed parties multiple times over the years.

So Sorace and her supporters say they have a legitimate contest ahead, despite an increase in Democratic voters and major improvements in Lancaster since outgoing Mayor Rick Gray took office. This also was Lancaster's first contested mayoral primary in at least 30 years and turnout was high.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto handily won the primary Tuesday night, after taking an early evening lead over opponents Darlene Harris and John Welch.

Sala Udin, Veronica Edwards and Terry Kennedy won seats on the Pittsburgh Public Schools boards Tuesday night, in the only contested board races.

Kennedy, the incumbent District 5 representative, garnered nearly twice as many votes as opponent Ghadah Makoshi.

In District 3, former city councilman Udin beat out opponent James Myers, a Schenley High School grad and outreach coordinator for the Pittsburgh Green Innovators.

And Edwards narrowly defeated incumbent Carolyn Klug for the District 9 seat.

Pennsylvania primary voters are picking candidates for open seats on the state's appeals courts Tuesday, the only statewide contests on the spring primary ballot.

Eighteen people are running for Superior Court and Commonwealth Court, while the two major parties each have a single candidate for an opening on the state Supreme Court.

Five Democrats and five Republicans are competing for four nominations to serve on Superior Court, a busy mid-level appeals court that takes criminal, civil and family court appeals from counties.

The 90.5 WESA newsroom will be offering continuously updating coverage from the polls and reporters in the field throughout the day.