Special election for Adams’ seat to coincide with PA primaries

The Pennsylvania Department of State recently announced that the special election to fill the vacancy left by Joe Adams for Pennsylvania’s 139th Assembly District will take place on April 23, the same day as the primary election for 2024. According to the State Department, two candidates will be on the special election ballot: Robin Schooley Skibber, of Hawley, will be on the Democratic Party line and Jeff Olsommer, of Moscow, will be on the Republican Party line, as of March 4 (the last day for candidates to file nomination certificates).

On February 9, Rep. Joe Adams (R) submitted a letter of resignation to the state’s speaker of the house. He had previously announced that he would no longer run for reelection, citing family health issues. The 139th Legislative District represents areas of Wayne and Pike counties.

The winner of the special election will represent the 139th District for the remainder of Adams’ term, which ends January 1, 2025. During Adams’ 2022 election, he received 62.23% of the vote in Pike County and 63.90% of the vote in Wayne County, when running against Democrat Meghan Rosenfeld, for a total of 16,680 votes.

Note that while only voters with a party affiliation can vote in the primaries, any qualified registered voter can vote in the special election.

The primary race

On April 23, registered Democratic and Republican voters will also decide who nabs their respective party lines for each seat up for grabs during the November 2024 general election. In addition to deciding candidates for the 139th District, voters will also select party candidates for the 189th Assembly District, and state-wide races. Below is a breakdown of each race.

139th Assembly District

(Blooming Grove Twp., Dingman Twp., Greene Twp., Lackawaxen Twp., Matamoras Boro, Milford Boro, Milford Twp., Palmyra Twp., Shohola Twp., and Westfall Twp.)

Democratic candidates: Robin Schooley Skibber

Republican candidates: Jeff Olsommer and Matthew Contreras

189th Assembly District

(Delaware Twp., Lehman Twp., Porter Twp.)

Democratic candidates: Tarah Probst (incumbent)

Republican candidates: Lisa VanWhy

Congressional District 8

(County-wide)

Democratic candidates: Matt Cartwright (incumbent)

Republican candidates: Rob Bresnahan Jr.

State Treasurer

Democratic candidates: Ryan Bizzarro and Erin McClelland

Republican candidates: Stacy Garrity (incumbent)

Auditor General

Democratic candidates: Malcom Kenyatta and Mark Pinsley

Republican candidates: Tim DeFoor (incumbent)

Attorney General

Democratic candidates: Jack Stollsteimer, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Kahn, Keir Bradford-Grey, and Jared Solomon

Republican candidates: Dave Sunday and Craig Williams

U.S. Senator

Democratic candidates: Robert P. Casey Jr. (incumbent) and William Parker

Republican candidates: Dave McCormick and Joseph J. Vodvarka

U.S. President

Democratic candidates: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (incumbent) and Dean Phillips

Republican candidates: Nikki R. Haley and Donald J. Trump