Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 5, 2002, with all districts being contested.
State Representatives are elected for two-year terms, with the entire House of Representatives up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2002 ran from January 7, 2003 until November 30, 2004. Necessary primary elections were held on May 21, 2002.
This was the first
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
election held after the constitutionally-mandated
decennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded.
Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the List of national independence days, date of independen ...
reapportionment plan.
Predictions
Overview
Notable elections
Special election for the 100th legislative district
A special election for the
100th legislative district was held on 2056, following the April resignation of Republican
John Barley, who had been the third highest ranking Republican in the House and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
He had first announced his intention to retire in early 2002, only to change his mind in March when he unexpectedly showed up at a local party committee meeting, where he received the Republican Party endorsement.
Special election for the 2nd legislative district
A special election for the
2nd legislative district was held on August 14, 2001, following the May 2001 death of
Italo Cappabianca. The local Democratic committee controversially endorsed
Gayle Wright over Cappabianca's widow, Linda. Cappabianca decided against mounting a formal write-in campaign, citing time constraints, but encouraged voters to write her in as an independent candidate. Wright won the August 14 contest with 48.2% of the vote, with Cappabianca placing a strong second with 39.1%.
Special election for the 149th legislative district
A special election for the
149th legislative district was held on February 12, 2002, following the resignation of Democrat
Constance H. Williams, who was elected to represent the
17th senatorial district in the
Pennsylvania Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...
. In that election, Republican
Wallis Brooks narrowly defeated Democrat
Daylin Leach. Brooks finished the remainder of Williams' term before losing a re-match to
Daylin Leach in the 2002 general election.
Special election for the 176th legislative district
A special election for the
176th legislative district was held on April 23, 2002, following the resignation of
Christopher Wogan, who was elected a judge of the
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia, the nation's ...
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
in November 2001. Per the legislative redistricting plan enacted in 2001, the 176th district was moved from
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia, the nation's ...
to
Monroe County.
In that election, Republican
Monroe County Commissioner Mario Scavello defeated Democrat
Joseph Battisto, who had represented the nearby
189th legislative from 1983 until his defeat in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
.
A special election for the
28th legislative district was held on June 26, 2001, following the resignation of
Jane Orie
Jane Clare Orie (born September 18, 1961) is an American politician, attorney, and convicted felon who served in both Houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While in the State Senate, she represented the 40th district, including portions o ...
, who was elected in March 2001 to represent the
40th senatorial district in the
Pennsylvania Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...
.
Republican
Mike Turzai
Michael Coyne Turzai (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician and former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, S ...
, an attorney and former member of the
Bradford Woods councilman, defeated Democrat Thomas Dancison by a 3–1 margin and captured every precinct in the reliably Republican
suburban Pittsburgh district. This was the second election for Turzai, who unsuccessfully challenged Congressman
Ron Klink
Ronald Paul Klink (born September 23, 1951) is an American television broadcaster and politician and who served four terms as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania from 1993 to 2001, as member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and ...
in 1998.
Primary elections
In the primary election held on May 21, 2002, four incumbent legislators (two Republicans and two Democrats) lost their party's nomination. In the
19th legislative district, Democratic incumbent
William Russell Robinson
William Russell Robinson (February 5, 1942 – June 9, 2020) was an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1989 to 2002.
Early life and education
A native of Pittsburgh, Robinson is a ...
was defeated by
Jake Wheatley, a staffer for
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
City Councilman
Sala Udin, a Robinson rival.
The Robinson campaign was criticized for a weak effort, finishing the election with cash left over.
In the
2nd legislative district, Democratic
Gayle Wright, who had been elected in a 2001 special election, lost to
Florindo Fabrizio.
In the
97th legislative district, Republican
Jere Strittmatter lost a surprising upset to
Manheim Township Supervisor Roy Baldwin.
In the
98th legislative district, Republican
Thomas E. Armstrong lost to
Lancaster County Clerk of Courts David Hickernell.
Retirements
Four seats left open by Democratic retirements were kept by Democrats, with
Vince Biancucci succeeding
Nick Colafella,
Marc J. Gergely succeeding
Tom Michlovic,
Nick Kotik succeeding
Fred A. Trello, and
Neal Goodman succeeding
Edward J. Lucyk. Seven seats left open by Republican retirements were filled by other Republicans, with
Scott W. Boyd succeeding
Jere W. Schuler,
Martin T. Causer succeeding
Kenneth M. Jadlowiec
Kenneth M. Jadlowiec (January 12, 1951 – August 13, 2024) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
He graduated from North Hills High School in 1968, and attended Edinboro Uni ...
,
C. Adam Harris succeeding
Daniel F. Clark,
Mauree Gingrich succeeding
Edward H. Krebs,
Douglas G. Reichley succeeding
Jane S. Baker, and
Scott A. Petri succeeding
Roy Reinard. Long-time Representative
Frank Tulli retired shortly after winning the Republican nomination in the May primary. Fellow Republican
John Payne took his place on the November ballot, winning easily.
Three
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the Unite ...
incumbent Democrats retired after their districts were moved to the eastern portion of the state during the decennial redistricting process. All three of these seats were captured by Republicans. Democrat
David Mayernik had his district, the
29th legislative district, "diced" into seven other districts and moved across the state from
Allegheny County
Allegheny County ( ) is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pit ...
to
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...
.
Democratic leaders were unhappy that he had crossed party lines and otherwise disobeying caucus leaders.
This newly reconfigured seat was captured by
Bernie O'Neill, a
Bucks County
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
Republican. Democrat
Ralph Kaiser retired when the
41st legislative district was moved from
Allegheny County
Allegheny County ( ) is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pit ...
to
Lancaster County, which was retribution by the House Democratic caucus for his fiscally conservative voting pattern. The seat was taken by
Katie True
Katie True (born January 16, 1941) is an American Republican politician, and former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000, then again from 2003 to 2010.
Early life and education
True was born in Baltimore, Mary ...
, who had previously represented the
37th legislative district, a seat she gave up in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
to run for
Pennsylvania Auditor General
The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor.
History
The office of the audito ...
. Democrat
Leo Trich's
Washington County-based district, the
47th legislative district, was moved to
York County, where it was captured by Republican
Keith J. Gillespie.
62nd legislative district
In the
62nd legislative district, incumbent Democrat
Sara Steelman was upset by
Dave L. Reed, a 24-year-old Republican.
Both candidates made improving the local economic climate part of their platforms.
Steelman had become a GOP target after " alienating" some in her home district. As a challenger, Reed followed the campaign blueprint established in 2000 by when young
Jeff Coleman
Jeff Coleman (born July 4, 1975) is a former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Background
Coleman was born to a Filipino American family at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Whidbe ...
defeated Tim Pesci in nearby Armstrong County. Reed raised $120,000 for the campaign and knocked on 11,000 doors in the district.
During the campaign, Steelman "erupted" on the district's airwaves with taxpayer-funded "
public service announcements
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...
" for the first time in a decade. With the 57-43 victory, Reed became the youngest member of the House.
149th legislative district
In the
149th legislative district, Republican incumbent
Wallis Brooks, who had been elected in February, lost to Democrat
Daylin Leach in a rematch of their February special election. The Brooks campaign sent dozens of direct mail advertisements, including one accusing Leach of defending child molesters as an attorney.
On the Saturday before the election, one was sent to voters accusing Leach, a practicing
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tran ...
who lost family in the Holocaust, of being anti-Semitic.
The mailer carried a bold headline of ''"Anti-Semitism, Neo-Nazism, Holocaust Denial. They are not 'a big joke.'"''
The incendiary charges stemmed from Leach's 1999 defense of an
''in absentia'' client from
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
who was sued in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...
for comments allegedly made in an Internet chat room.
Following the dismissal, the plaintiff took to the internet and posted diatribes denouncing Leach and the Texas man as anti-Semites that were unearthed by a Brooks researcher and used in the mailer.
"She had to know I was Jewish, because it had come up in a debate. But since I have a non-Jewish surname, she apparently thought she could get away with this," Leach said.
The campaign immediately convinced a local Jewish newspaper to denounce the mailer and reproduced the article on a flyer with a profile of Leach, emphasizing his Jewish roots and activism, on the reverse.
By election day, 70 volunteers had hand-delivered the literature to most district households.
Leach won the election by over 1,000 votes.
150th legislative district
In the
150th legislative district, Republican-turned Democrat
John A. Lawless was defeated by Republican
Jacqueline Crahalla by 62 votes. Both candidates easily won their respective party's nomination in the primary election.
The district was designed to be disadvantageous to Lawless, who had run afoul of the Republican Caucus leadership.
In September, Lawless caused a controversy when he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation by a
Lower Providence Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Providence Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township is located approximately 17 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The population was 25 ...
police officer. Lawless used vulgar language to berated the officer and threatened the police department with a loss of state funds. Following the loss, Lawless destroyed many constituent-related documents, rather than surrender them to Crahalla.
General election
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania House Of Representatives Elections, 2002
2002 Pennsylvania elections
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...