“Here’s the good news: In one month, we have the chance—not the certainty, but the chance—to restore some semblance of sanity to our politics. Because there is only one real check on bad policy and abuses of power. And that’s you—you and your vote.”
“What’s gonna fix our democracy is you … The threat to our democracy doesn’t just come from Donald Trump … the biggest threat to our democracy is indifference … ”
BARACK OBAMA
September 7, 2018
Jim Salvas (West Chester Democratic Committee Chair & Property Management Chair) asked Chrissy Houlahan to have this flag flown over the US Capital as soon as she was elected the first Democrat and woman to win the 6th Congressional Seat in the US Congress! Our flag is thus the first flown at Chrissy’s request.
Pictured is Dick Bingham (CCDC Chair) and Marsha Peltz (CCDC Vice Chair) raising our flag over Chester County Democratic Headquarters at 37 S. High Street in the Borough of West Chester.
Jim donated the flag; CCDC paid for the flagpole and the solar light above it.
Other constituents can request a flag be flown for them by applying here:
https://houlahan.house.gov/services/flag-requests.htm
The Chester County Democratic Committee Website
has complete details on each candidate.
See the press release below for County level winners.
Congratulations also to statewide winners:
Governor Tom Wolf and new Lt. Gov. John Fetterman
US Senator Bob Casey
Press release from CCDC:
CHRISSY HOULAHAN MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST DEMOCRAT AND WOMAN TO WIN 6th CONGRESSIONAL SEAT
Two State Senators, Six PA Representatives Including First African American Democrat Plus Special Election of Old 7th Congressional District Confirms Blue Sweep
West Chester, PA (November 7, 2018) – Chester County is known for its rich history and news of a blue wave of historic proportions is being felt this morning. Air Force veteran, systems engineer and businesswoman Chrissy Houlahan spearheaded a Democratic wave that included the entire Democratic ticket from Governor and U.S. Senator to two PA State Senators and six PA State Representatives. The county elected its first Democratic African American State Representative, Dan Williams. The 2018 Midterms brought another stunning first – Democrats now hold the majority of the Chester County delegation in Harrisburg!
“We wake up today to multiple historic accomplishments,” declared Dick Bingham, Chester County Democratic Committee Chair. “With a gap of 11,500 fewer registered Democrats than Republicans, the wins across the county were astounding. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of thousands of volunteers and a dozen strong candidates, we turned the county blue despite the heavy Republican advantage. We went from one to six State House Representatives. We moved from one to three State Senators. And we celebrate our first Democratic Congresswoman, ever, heading off to Washington.”
CONGRESSWOMAN HOULAHAN
Speaking to a standing-room-only audience at Phoenixville’s Franklin Commons late last night, Houlahan began her remarks by thanking her opponent, Greg McCauley for answering the call to run. She then noted the “new and improved” 6th Congressional District where her “people-driven campaign” covered all of Chester County and parts of Berks County.
“This victory is not mine but it is yours, it is ours,” she told the cheering crowd. “Our politics and our government have been turned upside down. Now we can turn it right side up.”
She then touted the five top causes she campaigned on over an almost two-year run including: quality and affordable and accessible healthcare for all; a living wage; a great education that everyone is owed and due; a safe planet, safe community and safe schools; and finally decency, respect and the knowledge that truth matters.
SPECIAL 7th ELECTION
For a few weeks, Chester County will have a Congresswoman in 2018 representing the state’s old 7th District. Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon won the election in Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district and the special election. The latter district, which includes parts of Berks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster and Montgomery counties, was restructured to the new 5th District. Scanlon won the open congressional seat in the 5th district, which had been under Republican control for eight years but was redrawn by the state Supreme Court.
WAITING SINCE 1855
According to the county’s newspaper, Daily Local News, Democrats would have to go back 163 years to recall a winning election night for a national office.
“A former county district attorney, Hickman, a Quaker, ran on the party ticket in 1855 and was elected to three more terms, first as a Democrat, then as a so-called Anti-Lecompton Democrat opposed to slavery, and finally as a Republican in 1861 when that party led the charge against slavery and elected Abraham Lincoln president. Hickman did not seek a new term in 1863, and the GOP has been winning elections for Congress in the county since, even as it has been split into halves and sometimes thirds because of redistricting.”
HARRISBURG-BOUND
Voters elected the following Democrats to the PA State Senate and House seats:
Tim Kearney – PA Senate District 26
Katie Muth – PA Senate District 44
Dan Williams – PA House District 74
Danielle Friel Otten – PA House District 155
Carolyn Comitta – PA House District 156
Melissa Shusterman – PA House District 157
Christina Sappey – PA House District 158
Kristine Howard – PA House District 167
CONTACT: Bill Phifer, CCDC Communications Committee, PressRelations@chescodems.org, 484-639-2345
Bob Casey was raised to believe that “all public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor,” and he has brought that to every office he has held, including Pennsylvania Auditor General, State Treasurer, and U.S. Senator.
John Fetterman is a progressive voice for working people on issues like inequality, racial justice, and ending the failed war on drugs.
Dan Williams has been the Senior Pastor of New Life in Christ Fellowship Church in Coatesville for 27 years.
Melissa Shusterman is a mom, a wife, a businesswoman, and a Schuylkill Township resident.
SPECIAL ELECTION: If you lived in US Congress District 7, you have a special election for the 7th on November 6th. In addition to voting for Chrissy Houlahan for District 6, you will vote for Mary Gay Scanlon to represent you from November to January in the US Congress.
Chrissy Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, business leader, and educator. She is endorsed by Vice President, Joe Biden.
Tim Kearney is an architect, a teacher, and a small business owner.
Danielle Friel Otten is a mother, a businesswoman, and a community leader.
Chris Sappey worked for PA representatives Barb McIlvaine Smith and Carolyn Comitta and PA Senator Andy Dinniman for a total of 12 years.
Tom Wolf is a York native, father, business owner and baseball fan. Tom is fighting for better schools, jobs, and government.
Katie Muth is a healthcare provider, an adjunct professor, and a working-class candidate for Pennsylvania.
Carolyn Comitta is a two-term Mayor of West Chester, an educator, and the current PA House Representative for District 156. Carolyn is endorsed by President Barack Obama.
Kristine Howard is a mother and Rutgers Law School grad currently working in child protective services. She seeks to improve state programs for education, healthcare and career opportunities for all, including two-income families and single women. She has recently been endorsed by President Barack Obama.
© 2018 Chester County Democratic Committee
By Frank Bruni and Liriel Higa
Usually you only get to dream about a candidate like Chrissy Houlahan. People in the Philadelphia suburbs actually get to vote for her.
She’s brainy: a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford, a master’s in technology and policy from M.I.T. She’s bold: service in the U.S. Air Force. She has entrepreneurial bona fides from her years as the chief operating officer of an athletic wear company but also had a top job for a group promoting childhood literacy. She’s a wife and mother, with two grown daughters.
So why, at 51, has she set her sights on the House of Representatives, when she never ran for any office before?
The answer is Nov. 8, 2016. To vote for Hillary Clinton, she put on a pantsuit. Her gay daughter wore all white, honoring suffragists. That night they broke out the Champagne. “I thought that history would be made,” Houlahan recalled.
When it wasn’t, her father, a Holocaust survivor, cried, fearing what Donald Trump’s victory could mean for the vulnerable and the powerless. Her daughter panicked about L.G.B.T. people. “Unnerving,” Houlahan called it, and her response was “to be part of the solution.” She has since raised about $3 million and emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s best bets to turn a red seat blue.
There are many ways to measure the urgency with which Democrats are approaching the 2018 midterms but perhaps none better than the mettle, motivations and number — much larger than in recent congressional elections — of first-time candidates who have jumped into the fray.
They’re creatures of an atypically tense moment with especially high stakes. They’re mirrors of the anxieties that so many Americans feel. They’re emblems of a yearning for new faces and approaches. They’re the year’s biggest stars and stories.
The Chester County (Pennsylvania) Democratic Committee believes in Freedom, Fairness, and Opportunity for all Americans, regardless of what they believe, who they are, and where they came from. Join CCDC in making Chester County a better place for all!
We have a chance to fundamentally shape the future of our country.
But that will only happen if all of us work together — starting right now.
Every four years, the Democratic Party puts together our party platform, the ideas and beliefs that govern our party as a whole.
What follows is our 2016 platform — our most progressive platform in our party’s history and a declaration of how we plan to move America forward. Democrats believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.
This party platform was voted on and passed by our membership at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016. The platform will be updated and re-approved at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Download 2016 Party Platform PDF
To read the entire platform, choose a section to jump ahead or scroll down.
Raise Incomes and Restore Economic Security for the Middle Class
Fight for Economic Fairness and Against Inequality
Bring Americans Together and Remove Barriers to Opportunities
Protect Voting Rights, Fix Our Campaign Finance System, and Restore Our Democracy
Combat Climate Change, Build a Clean Energy Economy, and Secure Environmental Justice
Provide Quality and Affordable Education
Congratulations to all 2018 primary winners! All candidates deserve credit for running strong races and their dedication to advancing Democratic principles. The winners now become the official CCDC candidates for the general election (except that committeepersons now take office). Once again, Chesco is a swing county and Pennsylvania a swing state. So there are 6 more months of hard work ahead: please volunteer to help the candidate of your choice and strengthen our party at the same time!
Winners are in boldface below.
It’s no surprise that Senator Bob Casey, Governor Tom Wolf, and Chrissy Houlahan (US House PA-06, including all of Chesco), all unopposed, won their races. For Lieutenant Governor, from PA Department of State, statewide results were (rearranged from high to low):
FETTERMAN, JOHN K 37.56% 288,116 Votes
AHMAD, NILOFER NINA 23.75%. 182,174 Votes
COZZONE, KATHLEEN M. 18.53%. 142,152 Votes
STACK, MICHAEL J. 16.58%. 127,207 Votes
SOSA, RAYMOND. 3.57%. 27,418 Votes
Map from New York Times (see there also for full PA results for each state district):
So while our own Commissioner Cozzone ran well, Nina Ahmad of Philadelphia probably cut substantially into her vote, and John Fetterman doubtless benefited from his race for the Dem nomination for US Senate 2 years ago and endorsements from Bernie Sanders and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Kathi won Chester County with 61.75%, tribute to her well-received performance as Commissioner, in which office she naturally continues to serve the people of the County.
WEST CHESTER DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMITTEE RESULTS
810 WEST CHESTER 1 (Prec-0810)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
JIM SALVAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 38.43%
EMILY PISANO . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 22.69%
KAREN HEINDEL CAVIN . . 163 37.73%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . .1.16%
820 WEST CHESTER 2-EAST (Prec-0820)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
JAMES DENNIS . . . . . . . . . 38 76.00
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 12 24.00
825 WEST CHESTER 2-WEST (Prec-0825)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
NICK ALLEN . . . . . . . . . . 65 69.15
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 29 30.85 [write-in winner: McKinley Foster, 25 votes]
835 WEST CHESTER 3 (Prec-0835)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
EDWIN A BROWNLEY JR . . . . . . . 141 52.22
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 129 47.78 [write-in winner: Brian McGinnis, 69 votes]
842 WEST CHESTER 4 (Prec-0842)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
JORDAN NORLEY . . . . . . . . . 59 74.68
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 20 25.32 [write-in winner: Kevin Carson, 18 votes]
846 WEST CHESTER 5 (Prec-0846)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
SHEILA VACCARO. . . . . . . . . 106 53.81
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 91 46.19 [write-in winner: Don Braceland, 83 votes]
850 WEST CHESTER 6 (Prec-0850)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
JANET COLLITON. . . . . . . . . 135 49.63
GEETHA RAMANATHAN. . . . . . . . 133 48.90
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.47
860 WEST CHESTER 7 (Prec-0860)
VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN 2
STEPHANIE PHILLIPS MARKSTEIN . . . . 227 53.16
KYLE HUDSON. . . . . . . . . . 195 45.67
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.17
for the newly elected PA State Committee representing Chester County, see here
Make voting easier on yourself. Get familiar with this SAMPLE GENERIC BALLOT FOR WEST CHESTER.
The Chester County Democratic Committee (CCDC) endorses the candidates marked with black ovals.
Consult your precinct committeepersons for information about State and WC Democratic Committee candidates.
To answer questions, Democratic committeepersons are working the polls all day; they are there to help you.
Don’t know your Precinct number or polling place?
The PA Department of State does.
2018 Primary Generic Sample Ballot PDF
for West Chester Borough
West Chester, PA (August 8, 2017) – After years of renting, Chester County Dems are finally homeowners. And the timing could not be more ideal as Chester County is home to one of the most active and rapidly growing Democratic organizations in Pennsylvania.
Philanthropist and 37 S. High Street owner Vivian Lasko turned over the keys to the historical building, built in 1893, at settlement on July 27. For the last 16 years, Chester County Democratic Committee (CCDC) ran its headquarters out of the building with approximately 800 SF of first floor office space.
Lasko, widow to long-time West Chester businessman Oscar Lasko who died at age 96 earlier this year, recently put the building on the market. Jim Salvas, the Democratic committee person in Lasko’s precinct, was liaison between her and the CCDC. Salvas noted, “this purchase would not have been possible without Vivian’s generosity, allowing us a right of first offer and help with financing.”
“While the party has always maintained a year-round office in West Chester,” continued CCDC Chairman Brian McGinnis, “we have never owned our headquarters. After searching the county for new space, we were pleased to be able to remain in the midst of West Chester’s vibrant downtown and county seat.”
Chesco Dems, riding high on changing demographics and an increase in voter turnout, decided to put down roots this year, in anticipation of the November 2017 local elections and next year’s national and statewide races.
“This purchase is the result of the hard work and dedication of the members of the Chester County Democratic Committee,” added McGinnis. “I am very humbled to be their Chairman during these exciting times in county politics. We are moving forward with a ton of momentum!”
Under McGinnis and the Executive Board of CCDC’s leadership, ballots in county and local elections are brimming with Democratic candidates, many for the very first time.
“Don’t underestimate the importance of local elections such as school board directors (ensuring that our school districts are solvent and promoting public education) and township supervisors (keeping our townships and boroughs safe places to live and raise a family),” wrote McGinnis earlier this month to his membership. “Local elections matter. Our county-wide candidates will restore integrity, trust, and transparency to government, and our judicial candidates will represent the interests of people over the powerful.”
Election Day 2017 is Tuesday, November 7. There is good reason for optimism in the suburbs.
As the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote after May’s primary, “In Chester County, where Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton outperformed Republican Trump in November by more than 25,000 votes despite a GOP registration advantage, 18 percent of Democrats came out to vote on Tuesday, compared with just 10 percent four years ago.”
For information about Chester County Democratic Committee, visit their website at chescodems.com and follow them on Facebook.
West Chester Borough Democrats 
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