Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai will not seek another term in office

Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai ended speculation about his political future Thursday by announcing that he will not seek another term in Harrisburg.

With his wife and son at his side during a news conference at his district office in McCandless, Turzai said it “has been a privilege of a lifetime” to serve in the state House and as a member of Republican leadership, but “everybody moves on.”

“I will not be asking my neighbors to nominate me for another term or elect me for another term,” said Turzai, 60, of Bradford Woods. “I won’t be running for reelection, but I will be doing everything I can to help this community and state that I love.”

Turzai, who was elected to the House in 2001 and rose to become speaker in 2015, said he will be moving onto a job in the private sector. He did not say where.

Phillip Harold, a professor of political science at Robert Morris University, said if Turzai lands in a position that involves lobbying members of the Legislature “he could be extremely effective.”

“As speaker of the House, you’re one of the people in Harrisburg who really matters,” Harold said. “He knows everybody and I’m certain there will be people beating down the door for him to represent them if he decides to go in that direction.”

Harold also does not think Turzai’s exit will have a negative affect on the GOP’s leadership in Harrisburg because the power is primarily vested in the position.

“Caucus leaders can certainly put their individual imprint on the position, like Turzai did with his focus on fiscal conservatism,” Harold said. “But the system is set up so the leadership has extremely untrammelled power. The person who moves into that position will know that they must be concerned about the sentiments of the members of the caucus.”

Turzai said that he will remain active during the remaining time in office.

“I’ll still be speaker and will continue to my responsibilities serving the 28th District, but it’s time for someone else to run for this seat,” he said. “And shortly it will be time for some of my colleagues to take mantles of leadership in the House Republican Caucus.”

Turzai announced a run for governor in November 2017, but he suspended his campaign early in 2018. The Republican nominee, York County businessman and first-term state Sen. Scott Wagner, went on to lose to Gov. Tom Wolf.

Turzai, the most prominent fiscal and social conservative in state government, became emotional during the news conference when he talked about the difficulty of his decision to leave the government and the work that remains to be done.

“It’s an important time to stop unnecessary taxes that are going to destroy real opportunities or crush family-sustaining jobs,” he said.

Turzai called the opportunity to be involved in public service a “blessing and an honor.”

“To think that this grandson of Hungarian and Irish immigrants has been able to follow what William Penn started and Ben Franklin once held,” he said.

State Republican Chairman Lawrence Tabas praised Turzai’s work as House speaker during the past five years, saying they have been “some of the most productive the Pennsylvania Legislature has seen.”

“The body of work in Speaker Turzai’s career could fill pages,” Tabas said in a news release. “Perhaps by some he may be remembered for advancing legislation that modernized our liquor laws. Others may remember his work on pension reform. Still others may recall his tireless work on education reform.

“But what I will remember most about his work, is his dedication to his colleagues. The Republican Party owes the speaker a great debt for his endless efforts to gain and maintain a Republican majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.”

Turzai’s announcement to leave office also was acknowledged by Democrats.

State Rep. Frank Dermody of Oakmont, who serves as the Democratic House Leader, said political disagreements and differences did not interfere with friendship.

“We’ve had and will always have many disagreements about the best ways for Pennsylvania government to carry out its responsibilities in education, health care, protecting the environment and supporting good job development,” said Dermody, who noted that he and Turzai “have been friends for a long time, going back to the 1980s before either of us was in the House.”

Tuesday is the first day that candidates can circulate petitions to get on the April 28 primary ballot. Feb. 18 is the deadline to file the petitions.