15 candidates to square off in November for 9 seats on Allegheny County Common Pleas Court

Fifteen people will face each other in November’s general election to win a seat on Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas, according to unofficial election results reported late Tuesday.

With nine vacancies out of 43 positions on the bench, this year’s judicial election has a chance to change the makeup of the court for years to come.

Possibly reflecting that, six of the top nine winning candidates on the Democratic ticket in Tuesday’s primary are women, and four of the nine winners are Black, unofficial results showed.

A slate of eight progressive candidates ran on the Democratic ballot.

Of those, five won, including Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner, Wrenna Watson, Nicola Henry-Taylor, Tiffany Sizemore and Lisa Middleman. In November 2019, Middleman ran unsuccessfully for Allegheny County district attorney as an independent against incumbent Stephen A. Zappala Jr.

Judge Bruce Beemer, who was appointed to the bench by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2019, won on both the Republican and Democratic tickets. He said that the results on the Democratic side are reflective of the community, which is necessary for the court.

“One of the most important things about the judiciary is that it is reflective of the community it serves,” he said. “It’s a very exciting time.

“It’s really been a unique and interesting election with so many candidates running for so many seats.”

In Pennsylvania, Common Pleas Court judges are elected to 10-year terms. In Allegheny County, they earn $189,794.

The primary this year was crowded with 39 people listed on the Democratic ballot, and 28 of those same names were on the Republican ballot as well.

Candidates ranged from familiar political names and high-profile criminal defense attorneys to newcomers running for office for the first time.

Judge Elliot Howsie, of Churchill, was appointed to an opening on the bench by Gov. Tom Wolf in March 2019. On Tuesday, he was among the winners on the Democratic ticket.

Wagner went back and forth with Sabrina Korbel, the legal director for the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, to take the top spot.

“I’m certainly honored and humbled,” Wagner said late Tuesday.

She said she worked hard to get support from a number of different groups. In addition to being grateful for her own results, Wagner said she was excited to see so many women fare well on the Democratic ticket.

Moving into November, she said she will focus her efforts on offering leadership on the bench — both in the court and in the criminal justice system.

Watson, who is an attorney and mental health hearing officer, said she will now focus on winning in the general election.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” she said. “They said the candidate who works the hardest wins, and I got out here and worked my tail off.

“God has a time for everybody — a time, and a plan, and a way. And I’m thankful.”

Criminal defense attorney Chuck Porter, who won a Republican nomination for the judicial race in November, said what happened on the Democratic ticket was astounding.

“It looks like a complete progressive takeover,” he said. “That’s apparently what the voters want.”

Anthony DeLuca, who won on the Republican ballot, said he was honored to receive so many votes on both tickets.

“I’m very honored to have the number of votes I did on both the Republican and Democratic side,” he said.

The winners on the Democratic ballot, with 99% of the vote in, were:

• Chelsa Wagner

• Sabrina Korbel

• Wrenna Watson

• Lisa Middleman

• Nicola Henry-Taylor

• Elliot Howsie

• Tiffany Sizemore

• Bruce Beemer

• Jessel Costa

On the Republican ballot, the winners were:

• Joseph Patrick Murphy

• Anthony DeLuca

• Bruce Beemer

• Daniel Konieczka Jr.

• William “Bill” Caye

• Sabrina Korbel

• Chuck Porter

• Mark Patrick Flaherty

• Lisa Middleman

Correction: The original version of this story misstated the number of progressive candidates who won and left off one of those. Five of eight candidates on the Slate of Eight won in the primary, including Nicola Henry-Taylor.