Election Stage Set for November
LOCK HAVEN – It was a new venue for counting the votes in Clinton County’s municipal primary on Tuesday, an election that basically made official the pairings for the Nov. 6, 2018 general election.
For the first time voting results from the county’s 34 precincts were transported to the county’s newly renovated Piper Building adjacent to the Piper Memorial Airport. Precinct workers arrived in front of the building, delivering the county voting machine hardware to county employees; then the precinct workers walked the results to the first floor of the building.
County officials said the new location worked well; results came in at a rapid clip, the first Lock Haven’s second ward not long after the polling places closed at 8 p.m. and the final results in before 10 p.m.
The voter turnout across the county was just over 19 percent, in line with previous primaries also featuring few contested races.
Republicans saw a three-way race for the GOP nomination to run for governor. State Sen. Scott Wagner carried Clinton County with 46 percent of the vote to 41 percent for Paul Mango and 12 percent for Laura Ellsworth. Wagner appeared on his way to victory statewide Tuesday night. The winner will oppose Democratic incumbent Tom Wolf in November.
John Fetterman of Braddock was favored by county Democrats in the race for that party’s lieutenant governor’s position. He led a five-candidate field with 32 percent, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack second with 24 percent.
Incumbent Tom Marino carried Clinton County in the GOP race for Congress from the new 12th district. He had 72 percent of the county vote to Bradford County commissioner Doug McLinko’s 28 percent. For the Democratic nomination, Marc Friedenberg carried the county with 66 percent to 34 percent for Judy Hershel, but Hershel was leading district-wide as results came in.
The election made official the November match-up to find a replacement for Mike Hanna Sr., the 14-term Democratic representative from State House district 76 representing all of Clinton County and much of northeastern Centre County. Hanna announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election. Running to replace him in November will be his son, Mike Hanna Jr., unopposed for the Democratic nomination, and Stephanie Borowicz, unopposed for the Republican nomination. The elder Hanna had defeated Borowicz in her first bid for political office in Nov. of 2016.
There was one ballot referendum within the county on Tuesday. Voters in Wayne Township overwhelmingly approved making their township “wet.” A referendum on the sale of liquor passed 146 to 69; a referendum on the sale of beer passed 150 to 65.
