In the running: Erie-area candidates file petitions to run for Pa. state rep, senate

Erie-area candidates are lining up to seek a seat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

This year, all Pennsylvania House of Representatives seats are on the ballot, including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th district seats, and the odd-numbered Pennsylvania Senate seats, which includes the 49th District.

Candidates had until Feb. 13 to file petitions to secure a place on the April 23 primary ballot. Here's who filed by the deadline:

Pennsylvania Senate

49th District

• Democratic challenger Jim Wertz: Wertz served as chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party from 2019 through mid-November 2023, weeks before announcing his campaign to run against Laughlin. Laughlin is suing Wertz and the Erie Reader for defamation in Erie County Court of Common Pleas over an op-ed Wertz wrote about the 2020 election.

• Democratic challenger Selena King: King, who works as the northwest regional representative for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, will challenge Wertz for the Democratic nomination.

• Incumbent Republican Dan Laughlin: Laughlin was first elected in 2016 by defeating Democratic incumbent Sean Wiley in a district where Democratic voter registration outnumbers Republican registration. He was re-elected in 2020 and considered a gubernatorial bid in 2021, positioning himself as a moderate who has supported legalization of recreational marijuana and an increase in the state's minimum wage. He exited the race before it began in earnest in 2022. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Majority Policy Committee.

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Pennsylvania House of Representatives

1st Legislative District

• Incumbent Democrat Patrick Harkins: Harkins has represented the 1st Legislative District since 2007. He'll be unopposed in both the Democratic primary and the general election barring a third-party or independent challenger. The 1st District is largely made up of the city of Erie, a Democratic stronghold.

2nd Legislative District

• Republican challenger Matthew L. Strupczewski: A 2023 Penn State Behrend graduate with degrees in political science and marketing, Strupczewski, of Erie, is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania National Guard and a graduate research assistant at the Behrend-based Economic Research Institute of Erie.

• Incumbent Democrat Robert Merski: Merski, a former member of Erie City Council, first took office in 2019, preceding the late Flo Fabrizio. The former teacher is the vice chairman of the House Game & Fisheries Committee, but also serves on the finance, insurance, gaming oversight and professional licensure committees.

3rd Legislative District

• Republican challenger Micah Goring: A U.S. Air Force veteran who runs a business that supplies ATMs to various business locations, Goring was originally born in Indonesia to parents who worked as missionaries to set up churches. The family later lived in the Philippines. After graduating high school in 1997, Goring moved to the U.S. The Fairview resident is running to oppose what he calls "job-crushing over-regulation," to bring new jobs and industries to the area, to address local issues like crime and a flooding problem that has affected residents of the district.

• Incumbent Democrat Ryan Bizzarro: Bizzarro is seeking a seventh two-year term in the district that covers Millcreek and Fairview townships. The House Democratic Majority Policy chairman, however, is also running for state treasurer against incumbent Republican Stacy Garrity. A win in both races would likely result in Bizzarro resigning from his House seat, which would then be filled through a special election.

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4th Legislative District

• Democratic challenger Joe Cancilla: Cancilla, a former member of the North East School District Board of Directors, will run again for the 4th Legislative District seat, but this time he'll do it as a Democrat. Cancilla said his reasons for running have not changed, even though his party has, and he still wants to support small business owners, farmers, veterans, first responders and educators. Cancilla said the GOP "is not the party I grew up with or align with anymore," in a Jan. 26 statement announcing his candidacy. "My values and beliefs more closely align with the Democratic Party." He finished a distant fourth in the 2022 GOP primary.

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• Incumbent Republican Jake Banta. Banta, a former Navy Seal and local musician, is in his first term after beating Democrat Chelsea Oliver in 2022 to succeed Curt Sonney. The LeBoeuf Township resident won't have any primary challengers this time around after topping a field of five other Republicans last cycle.

6th Legislative District

• Democratic challenger Michael C. Walker. Walker, of West Mead Township, Crawford County, is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Walker is a co-owner of Blissful Meads in Meadville.

• Incumbent Republican Brad Roae. Roae, the minority chairman of the House State Government Committee, has been in office since 2007 and is seeking a 10th term. In announcing his re-election bid, Roae said he would fight against Democratic attempts at gun control, reckless spending, tax increases, and "attempts to phase out fossil fuels" by giving people tax credits for solar power, wind and other forms of green energy. He also cited the immigration crisis and said he wants to make Pennsylvania a place where undocumented immigrants "do not want to come." Roae, of East Mead Township, Crawford County, is unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com or on X at @ETNRink.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PA election 2024: Who's running for state rep, senate in Erie area