MCDC Election Recap from Chairman Joe Foster
Greetings Committee People, Area Leaders, Municipal Chairs, Candidates and Fellow Democrats -
Thank you for your hard work on Tuesday promoting our Democratic candidates and for standing by your polls while urging voters to vote straight Democratic. An overwhelming 87,000 voters (41%) voted Straight Party Democratic (compared to 45,300 Republican Straight Party Votes, or 21%). Your efforts were rewarded with a very good day for Democrats in Montgomery County. On Tuesday, Montgomery County voters responded with sweeping Democratic numbers for County Commissioners Val Arkoosh & Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. and all of our County Row Officers – Lori Schreiber, Karen Geld Sanchez, Michael Milbourne, Kevin R. Steele, Noah Marlier, Jeanne Sorg, D. Bruce Hanes, Sean Kilkenny, and Jason E. Salus. Our Court of Common Pleas slate - Henry S. Hilles III, Melissa Schwartz Sterling and Virgil B. Walker were also winners!
Our County candidates averaged 124,291 votes compared to their opponents average of 76,879 votes - or 62% to 38%, respectively. Montgomery County delivered strong results for our Superior Court candidates Amanda Green Hawkins and Dan McCaffery – numbers similar to our County candidates. Congratulations to Judge Dan McCaffery who won the highest state total vote, and our congratulations to Amanda Green-Hawkins who ran a strong race, but lost by 31,911 votes over 67 counties.
We had significant victories in local elections across the county, too: We maintained control of 13 School Boards (Abington, Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Lower Merion, Methacton, Norristown, Perkiomen Valley, Pottstown, Springfield, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Wissahickon) and flipped two (Hatboro-Horsham, and Upper Moreland) for a total of 15 of the 23 school districts in the County being under Democratic control today. We continued control of 24 Municipalities (Ambler, Bridgeport, Collegeville, Conshohocken, Hatboro, Jenkintown, Lansdale, Narberth, Norristown, North Wales, Pottstown, Royersford, West Conshohocken Abington, Cheltenham, East Norriton, Lower Merion, Plymouth, Springfield, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Upper Providence, West Norriton, Whitemarsh) and flipped six (Schwenksville, Lower Frederick, Montgomery Township, Perkiomen, Upper Gwynedd, Whitpain ) for a total of 30 of 62 municipalities in the county.
I am grateful to ALL of our candidates, regardless of the outcome, for their tireless work on behalf of their own candidacies and that of the entire Democratic ticket. Together Montgomery County Democratic candidates and their committees helped advance one another’s cause and solidified the base for important work ahead in 2020. While we could not elect all of our deserving candidates at the local level, we are proud to have supported them in their efforts. We look forward to their continued involvement and future successes. We have reason to celebrate across Southeastern Pennsylvania with historic victories in Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties which are now proudly Blue! We also celebrate the historic Democratic wins in Lehigh County - now also led by Democrats! Congratulations to our Democratic colleagues and candidates in all of these counties! We thank you all for your hard work this election season, and rejoice in our collective successes - 2019 has indeed delivered a strong foundation for the crucial work we need to do in 2020!
Joe Foster, Chair
"Dems retain control of Montco government, sweep row offices"