WEST CHESTER – Chester County Democrats say they are on the verge of a fifth consecutive year of historic wins as they gathered virtually Tuesday night to endorse their slate for the May 18 Primary. Superior Court Judge Maria McLaughlin accepted the first of 18 races on the docket, five of which were contested. Alita Ravito won the 65% endorsement threshold for Chester County Court of Common Pleas from a field of four candidates.
For the first time, more than 400 representatives from all corners of Chester County “packed” the virtual convention using digital voting instead of pen and paper ballots. Delegates were missing the typical campaign hoopla of buttons, stickers and meet ‘n greets as they arrived for the start of convention.
Chester County Democratic Committee (CCDC) Chair Dick Bingham noted at the start of the convention that the pandemic may have altered how we endorse our candidates but never why. “Once again Chester County is fortunate to have so many dedicated public servants, fierce advocates for justice and tireless fighters for workers.”
PA Dems previously endorsed candidates and CCDC nominated candidates generating 65% or more of ballots cast were:
PA Supreme Court Judge Maria McLaughlin*
PA Superior Court Judge Timika Lane
PA Commonwealth Court Judge David Spurgeon*
Chester County Treasurer (incumbent) Patricia Maisano
Chester County Controller (incumbent) Margaret Reif
Chester County Clerk of Courts (incumbent) Yolanda Van de Krol
Chester County Coroner Sophia Garcia-Jackson
Court of Common Pleas Alita Ravito
Magisterial District Judges
15-1-01 TBD as of 10pm Tuesday
15-1-02 Mackenzie Smith
15-1-03 Greg Hines
15-1-04 Marian Vito
15-2-07 Paige Simmons
15-4-01 Lauren Holt
15-4-02 no candidate
15-4-04 Bobbie Brown
*Endorsed earlier this month by the PA Dems
Chairman Bingham noted that exactly one year ago the difference between registered Chester County Republican voters versus registered Democratic voters was a slim 5,000 voter advantage. He could not have predicted the swiftness of change when months later, in May 2020, Chester County flipped to blue. Today everyone in the state of Pennsylvania — and in the country — knows that Chester County leans Democratic with registered voter numbers growing weekly.
Tuesday, May 18 is the Pennsylvania Primary. The last day for residents to register to vote for the primary is May 3. The last day to apply for a Mail-in ballot from Chester County Voter Services is May 11.
The General Election is Tuesday, November 2.
