Clinton Voter Turnout Light; Dush Claims GOP State Senate Nomination

RecordStaffJune 2, 2020Last Updated: June 2, 2020

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The first floor of the Piper Building was a beehive of activity after the polls closed at 8 p.m. as poll workers brought in the results.

LOCK HAVEN – Tuesday’s primary election was a unique one, the first primary with Clinton County’s new paper ballot system, the first with a mail-in ballot option, and one held during the coronavirus pandemic.

Given all that, the preliminary word from county officials was that the election went off smoothly. The countywide voter turnout was just under 23 percent. Republicans, with one of the few contested races, saw a 32 percent voter turnout, while on the Democratic side, it was 17 percent.

That contested race was for the GOP nomination for state senate for the 25th district. State Rep. Chris Dush from Jefferson County led all night over his two opponents, DuBois borough manager Herm Suplizio and Dr. Jim Brown from Jefferson County. Suplizio had been endorsed by retiring state Sen. Joe Scarnati from Brockway, but Dush ran well in Clinton County and more than held his own across the far-flung district.

With 237 of 239 precincts reporting across the 25th district, Dush had garnered 61 percent of the vote, Suplizio with 30 percent and Brown with nine percent. In Clinton County, with all 34 precincts reporting, Dush had 2,314 votes, Suplizio with 681 and Brown with 325.

Most of the race of the contests served only to formalize the line-up for November. Both President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden greatly were supported in their respective primaries by county voters.

Tuesday also served to make it official in the 76th state House district: incumbent Republican Stephanie Borowicz will face off in November against first-time candidate Joe Waltz, the Democratic nominee and a retired local teacher.

Unofficial election night results do not include mail-in and absentee ballots. That canvas will begin Wednesday at 9 a.m., delaying the final tally until later Wednesday or sometime Thursday. Voter registrar Maria Boileau Tuesday night said the total number of the mailed in ballots amounted to 2,849. Lock Haven’s five precincts produced the most, 533; West Keating Township, the least, zero. Woodward Township had 298 ballots mailed in and the two Pine Creek precincts had 286 ballots mailed in, followed by Lamar Township with 255 and Bald Eagle Township with 188.