Party operatives and campaign staffers descended upon Harrisburg earlier today to hand in petitions and get their candidates on the ballot.
Petitions to get on the ballot in 2012 were due for state Senate and House candidates on Thursday, meaning the field is now closed in all elections throughout the county for this year.
After the historic PA Supreme Court decision back in late January that threw out the new state legislative district maps, candidates were forced to regroup as the maps from 2001 are back in use.
Most notably in Chester County, this meant that the new 45th district, moved in from western PA to represent areas along the Route 30 corridor like Downingtown, Thorndale, and Coatesville, no longer exists. It’s back in the Pittsburgh area, which means that candidates like Caln Commissioner Josh Young and Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell had to rethink their plans. Some, like Maxwell, chose to run in an old district, while others, like Young, chose to wait for another year.
Also affected was the impending 19th Senate district primary battle, where former state Rep. Tom Houghton was to challenge incumbent Andy Dinniman. The return to the old districts meant that Houghton was no longer in the 19th, and he chose to end any campaign ambitions this time around.
After the break, I’ll round up all of the area races, from President to the state Senate and House.
