Pennsylvania Primary Elections 2025

Various public websites

May 20 is the 2025 Pennsylvania primary election which is historically under-attended. Local politics have a large impact on the way we live in Erie and your voice matters. Consider some of the candidates pictured (clockwise from top left: Perry Wood, Jim Wertz, Jasmine Flores, Andre Horton, Joe Schember, Daria Devlin, Jeremy Lightner, and Emily Mosco Merski) as you plan out your vote for important races like Erie County Executive and Mayor.

No matter the outcome, much bluster and bloviating follow presidential elections, as pundits and politicos prognosticate and pontificate about how the outcome of the past election – and the governing in the subsequent months – influence the upcoming midterms. Will the political pendulum sway gently, swing wildly, or remain stationary?

But lurking in between the presidential election years and the midterms are municipal elections. Odd years, literally – 2025, 2023, etc. – some people dismiss them as "off years." Voter turnout may make a case for that.

In the 2024 general election, which saw former U.S. President Donald Trump defeat incumbent U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, nearly 74 percent of registered voters in Erie County cast a ballot. In 2020, when former Vice President Joe Biden defeated then-incumbent President Trump, 68 percent of registered voters voted. The record high in Erie County came in 1992 at 87 percent when President Bill Clinton won his first of two terms.

But these are general election turnout numbers. And the 2025 general election remains 6 months away.

In Pennsylvania, one of 10 states with closed primaries in which registered voters can only vote along party lines, primary election numbers tend to be lower, even when a marquee race, like president, sits atop the ballot. Typically, by the time Pennsylvanians head to the ballots for their primaries, the marquee candidates have been decided.

In 2024, Erie County saw 25 percent voter turnout, with the candidates assumed to have been settled, setting up round two of Biden v. Trump. That, of course, changed when President Biden announced on July 21, 2024, that he would not seek the Democratic Party's nomination, and Vice President Harris earned his endorsement and later the party's, officially becoming the candidate on Aug. 5.

We'll know 2025 voter turnout on May 20 for the primary election and Nov. 4 for the general election.

But, for reference, in 2023, primary election turnout was just shy of 24 percent. 

On ballots in Erie County, there are two statewide races: Judge of the Superior Court and Judge of the Commonwealth Court.

There are four countywide races: Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 6th Judicial District, County Executive, County Clerk of Records, and County Sheriff.

Three of Erie County's seven County Council seats are on the ballot – those in Districts 2, 4, and 6.

The two largest cities in the county – Erie and Corry – feature mayoral races with incumbents defending their records and posts, and various other council races, contests for supervisors, auditors, etc. populate the 26-page-long 2025 Municipal Primary Candidate List available on the county government website.

All elections, of course, matter, and why fewer voters turn out at certain times remains the kind of debate politicos and pundits, whether reporting or opining at the national or local levels, make a living doing.

A case as to why more voters should turn out when more local-level elections are on the ballot: according to the Pew Research Center, Americans' views of local government remain far more positive than that of the state and federal levels.

A recent Pew study found 61 percent of adults rate their local government as positive, while 50 percent have a favorable rating of their state governments (a 4-point decline since 2022), and just 22 percent think positively about the federal government (down 10 percent since 2022).

Still, locally, that 61 percent is down from 66 percent in 2022, which was down from 69 percent in 2019 – suggesting trust is eroding at all levels, despite overall trust remaining higher locally.

Before turning to key races and candidates, and key dates and details a disclaimer. What this is: A brief overview of a select handful of races and the candidates hoping to emerge victorious in May and push onward towards November. What it is not: A comprehensive look at all races, or any one race. Given Pennsylvania's closed primaries, the following does not include Independent or other third party candidates, who, when running unopposed, will advance through the primaries and be included on the general election ballot.

Key Races and Candidates

Erie County Court of Common Pleas

With the retirement of Judge Elizabeth K. Kelly, voters will elect the newest member to the local bench of nine for the Erie County Court of Common Pleas – starting with the primaries. One is a registered Republican and two are registered Democrats.

Leigh Ann Orton, the Republican from North East, sought the office in 2023. Orton currently serves as the first assistant solicitor for Erie County.

The two newcomers seeking office – Jeremy Lightner and Emily Mosco Merski – are both Democrats who live in the city of Erie. Lightner is one of two chief deputy district attorneys for the county, and Merski is a private-practice lawyer, who also serves as a part-time public defender for the county.

There's a chance two candidates emerge from the primaries – one Republican and one Democrat, or both Democrats. In the race for the 10-year seat, candidates can cross-file so each appears on both ballots.

It is worth noting that another Erie County Court of Common Pleas seat isn't far off on the horizon. Judge Daniel Brabender retires in 2026, and his seat will be up for grabs in 2027.

Erie County Executive

What many will consider one of the marquee races in this cycle, the Erie County Executive seat is on the ballot.

First-term incumbent Republican Brenton Davis is seeking a four-year term. He is running unopposed.

Vying to return the seat to the Democrats are two candidates: Perry Wood and Christina Vogel. Wood is the long-time executive director of the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, and Vogel is a franchise owner of Donatos Pizza.

Erie County Council

In this odd year, the even seats are up for election. Councilman Andre Horton is serving his third and final 4-year term in the 2nd District, and cannot seek reelection due to term limits. Three candidates have tossed their hats into the race – two Dems and one Republican.

If Jim Wertz' name sounds familiar, it is because he won the 2024 primary to challenge incumbent State Senator Dan Laughlin for the 49th District in a race that drew statewide attention, with Laughlin retaining his seat in November's general election. Wertz also served as the former Erie County Democratic Party chairman, and was a contributing editor to the Erie Reader, a post he resigned upon announcing his state senate bid. Also on the ballot for the Democrats is James DePalma.

On the Republican side, Renee Vendetti, who is among the several Republicans featured on the ErieStrongerTogether website, is seeking the seat.

In the 4th District, the number four is worth remembering. That is how many challengers are on the Democratic ticket, looking to oust incumbent Jim Winarski. They include Michael Keys, Kevin Pastewka, Carl Anderson, and Marcus Jacobs. No Republican candidates are on the primary ballot.

It is the opposite in the sixth district with no Democrats on the ballot. Two Republicans are vying for the seat – incumbent Charlie Bayle, who is seeking a second term, faces off against Scott Rastetter, who held the seat before Bayle's first-term victory.

Erie City Council

In the Erie City Council race, four seats are up for grabs, and at least two new faces will fill the new roster in City Hall come 2026.

Two current council members, Chuck Nelson, who is seeking to head into November's general election as the Democratic nominee for City Controller, and Mel Witherspoon, council's current president who returned via appointment in January 2024 to fill the vacant seat created by the resignation of former Councilmember Liz Allen, are not seeking another four-year term.

On the Democratic side, six candidates will be reduced to four heading into the general election. Jasmine Flores and Maurice Troop, both Democrats, are seeking a second four-year term. Current 2nd District County Council Member Andre Horton, who cannot seek reelection in that post due to term limits, is seeking a seat on the city council panel. Also in the race are Deonte Cooley, Marilyn Pol, and Darrel Vandeveld.

On the Republican side, four candidates are on the ballot: Anita Fay; Yevet Anderson; Kimberly Hunter; and Tina Hiotis. With closed primaries, all four should emerge victorious in the primary election. But it is an uphill battle in the fall with a more than two-to-one Democratic voter registration edge. The last Republican to serve on city council, John Evans, did so through appointment in 2012 through 2013.

City of Erie Mayor

In what many will consider another of the premier races in this cycle, the Mayor of the City of Erie is on the ballot.

Incumbent Joe Schember, a Democrat, is seeking his third – and would-be final because of term limits – 4-year term. He faces two challengers: Daria Devlin, current Erie School Board member and director of social impact for the Hamot Health Foundation; and, Sheila Woeger, a retired substitute teacher.

On the Republican side, Matthew Thomas, an Erie-based attorney, is seeking the post. Like the Republican candidates for Erie's City Council, Thomas, too, faces an uphill battle. Unlike the council, which saw a Republican in Denise Robison Mullen elected in 1990, a Republican has not held the mayor post since 1961 when Charles Williamson was the last Republican elected mayor.

Recent history favors incumbents, as City of Erie voters tend to find a candidate-turned-politician and remain loyal (think: Sinnott, Savocchio, Tullio…). But city members of the Democratic Party recently endorsed Devlin.

Will the future look like Erie's history, will the party's endorsement of a challenger over the incumbent sway voters, or will Woeger pull off an upset surprise?

Voters will decide that – and set the stage for numerous other local and state-level races – on May 20.

Key Dates and Details

With May 20's election day approaching, there are several key dates and details to keep in mind.

The deadline to register to vote in the primary election was May 5 – meaning if you aren't registered by the time you're reading this, it is, unfortunately, too late for the primaries. You can still register for the general elections, and can do so at the Erie County Courthouse (140 W. Sixth St., Erie, PA 16501), or on the Erie County elections website.

May 13 is the last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. These ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on May 20, using either the secure drop box in front of the Erie County Courthouse or return it by mail using the enclosed return envelope.

Voters can, of course, cast their ballots on election day in-person at their polling places between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. 

You can follow Ben Speggen, vice president of the JES, and a contributing editor at the Erie Reader, on Threads and Twitter/X @BenSpeggen, and connect with him on LinkedIn.