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The Democratic candidates vying for Northampton County district attorney continued swinging charges and countercharges Wednesday night in their second face-to-face meeting, this one held at Lehigh Valley Public Media in south Bethlehem that was aired live on PBS39.

And while no Republican candidate has come forward ahead of the May 16 primary election, incumbent Terry Houck, in response to a question from challenger Stephen G. Baratta, said he is asking Republicans to write his name on the GOP ballot.

I intend on organizing a write-in campaign, Houck said. He said his goal is to capture the position outright in the primary rather than face another campaign in the fall. Pennsylvania has closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for candidates during partisan spring elections.

No Republican candidate has emerged, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary could effectively have a clear path to the term that starts in 2024. However, Northampton County GOP Chair Glenn Geissinger said earlier Wednesday he might have a Republican contender who would file as a write-in candidate for the primary.

A total of 250 signatures would be required for a candidate to be placed on the November ballot, Geissinger said.

Baratta said afterward he would not seek Republican write-in votes.

If I lose as a Democrat, Im going home, Baratta said. If the Democratic party doesnt want me, then I have to find different work.

Houck is seeking his second term as district attorney after serving several years as first assistant prosecutor under John Morganelli, who is now a county judge.

Baratta also is a former first assistant district attorney under Morganelli before being elected as a county judge in 1997. He served on the bench for 25 years until his retirement at the end of last year.

The candidates clashed over a host of topics in questions posted by moderators Jen Rehill and Tom Shortell during the fast-paced, at times feisty debate.

Baratta said Houck was handed a turn-key operation after winning the 2019 election and succeeding Morganelli, but the office has become an operation in disarray, with low conviction rates, staff turnover and questionable practices such as full-time workers taking on outside jobs.

While his office implodes, he and his assistant make money outside the office, Baratta said.

Houck said Baratta has lied about Houcks record and career, adding he has achieved a 90% conviction rate. He also said Baratta tried to find employment as an attorney in the health care industry and with several law firms. He is now resorting to running for district attorney as his last resort, Houck said. He has made you his last resort.

Baratta, several times saying facts are facts regarding Houcks record, said afterward he has not sought employment elsewhere, except for having a conversation with a law firm.

They also asked each other several questions during a crossfire segment, including Baratta questioning Houck on plans to seek Republican write-in votes.

Houck questioned Baratta on the retired judges stance on the death penalty. Baratta has stated his support for Gov. Josh Shapiros decision to continue Pennsylvanias moratorium on the death penalty, arguing the punishment is inhumane and inequitable.

If you were to go into office [as district attorney], would it be you or one of your subordinates to tell these families to deny what a jury has imposed? Houck asked.

Baratta said he would exercise the discretion regarding the dealth penalty responsibly. And if the law is unfair like it is now, and discriminates against other people, I am not going to impose the death penalty, he said.

The debate can be seen at lehighvalleynews.com.

Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone can be reached at asalamone@mcall.com.

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Democrat Terry Houck says he'll seek Republican write-in votes to ... - The Morning Call

A Brunswick Democrat is the first challenger to emerge to take on U.S. Sen. Angus King in next years U.S. Senate race.

David Costello, a 62-year-old consultant, said hes not really running against the two-term independent, whom he called a very intelligent, thoughtful person.

He said he is entering the contest as an extreme long shot because he wants to promote what he calls a reform agenda that would modernize the countrys government.

Our governing infrastructure is as outdated as many of our roads, ports and bridges, he said. Partisan gridlock, government dysfunction, and political disinformation abound, and our imperfect democracy is in danger of becoming even more flawed.

No Republicans have yet stepped forward to try to unseat King, a former governor who easily won a second term in 2018 in a three-way race. King has said he plans to run again but has not formally announced his reelection bid.

Costello, who was born in Bangor and grew up in Old Town, has held a variety of government and policy jobs over the years, including a stint as deputy secretary of Marylands Department of the Environment and Interim Climate and Clean Energy Program Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

His reform agenda, outlined on his website, includes a call to end the filibuster in the Senate, increase national service programs for young adults, abolish the Electoral College, give presidents line-item veto power, adopt mandatory retirement for judges at age 80, increase the size of the U.S. House and much more.

I view the Senate as obscenely undemocratic, Costello said, and in need of an overhaul.

He said that he disagrees with King, whom hes never met, on a few issues, but generally thinks he is one of the better senators caucusing with the Democrats.

Costello said his focus is on constitutional and legal reforms that would tackle some of the archaic systems that are holding back the country.

Its not about changing the politician. Its about changing the system, Costello said.

He said the nations founders never intended the Constitution to be something like the Ten Commandments, inviolable and timeless. They hoped for a natural progression toward something suited for ages to come, Costello said.

Costello, who is married with four children, earned a bachelors degree from George Washington University and a masters degree from the London School of Economics.

He worked on presidential campaigns for U.S. Sens. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Gary Hart of Colorado, but left the political scene to work overseas for nearly a decade in the 1990s doing development and humanitarian work in Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo.

He said he was raised by his mother and grandparents after his father, an Army veteran and union organizer, died young. He said his grandparents worked in the mills and railroads. He was the first in his family to attend college.

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Brunswick Democrat is first to enter the 2024 U.S. Senate race in ... - Press Herald

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Caseys announcement Monday that he will seek reelection makes him the latest swing-state Democrat to run again in a year that the party will be relying on battle-tested incumbents.

The Democrats decision to seek a fourth term was expected but still welcomed by his party, which will be almost entirely on defense in next years elections as they try to maintain a narrow Senate majority.

Im running for re-election because with so much on the line for Pennsylvanias working families, I want to keep delivering results for Pennsylvania, Casey said in a statement. Theres still more work to cut through the gridlock, stand up to powerful corporate special interests, and make the lives of hardworking Pennsylvanians a little bit easier.

His announcement comes before any major Republican candidates have entered the race. Businessman Dave McCormick, who narrowly lost a GOP Senate primary in the Keystone State to Mehmet Oz last year, is considering another run, as is state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who lost a gubernatorial bid last year.

Democrats hope Casey will benefit from a competitive GOP primary that could drain his opponent's resources before the general election and force candidates to the right. Mastriano last week said in a Facebook video that he would win the nomination if he ran because the partys establishment couldnt win without the base.

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Casey running gives Democrats another battleground incumbent - Roll Call

Southern Tier Democrat Josh Riley will make another run for Congress.

The fifth-generation Endicott native and lawyer announced Tuesday morning he will again seek New York's 19th Congressional District seat in the 2024 elections.

Riley was defeated in a close race in November by Republican Marc Molinaro, losing by about 2 points.

Upstate New Yorkers are nothing if not resilient, Riley said in a statement. When the world faces big challenges, we always rise to meet them. Im running for Congress because I believe this is a Valley of Opportunity, and we deserve a politics that serves hard-working Upstate New Yorkers, not deep-pocketed special interests. Thats why Ill always protect Social Security, defend a womans right to choose, and fight to strengthen the Middle Class, and its why Ill never take a penny of corporate PAC money.

Riley, born in Broome County, served as a staff assistant for former Rep. Maurice Hincheys office, as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor and counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Riley already has the support of 20 Democratic Party county chairs across the district.

As Democratic Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs across New Yorks 19th Congressional District, we are excited to support Josh Riley in his campaign for Congress, they said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.Josh is a fifth-generation Upstate New Yorker with the roots, work ethic, and experience needed to deliver results for this District."

(Spectrum News 1 graphic)

Riley's candidacy sets up a potential rematch in one of New York's most competitive races.The 19th District,which stretches from Poughkeepsie and the Massachusetts border west to include the cities of Binghamton and Ithaca, is part of a trifecta of House races in the Hudson Valley that were close in the 2022 midterm elections. Since Republicans flipped two of those seats, and with the GOP having a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, the region will likely see major support and attention from both parties next year as control of the chamber could be in play once again.

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Democrat Josh Riley to run again for Congress in NY-19 - Spectrum News

Justin Pearson, one oftwo Black Democrats expelledfrom the Republican-led Tennessee House, will return to the Legislature after a Memphis commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight.

Hundreds of supporters marched Justin Pearson through Memphis to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting, chanting and cheering before entering the commission chambers, where officials quickly voted 7-0 to restore him to his position.

The message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: You cant expel hope. You cant expel justice, Pearson said at the meeting, his voice rising as he spoke. You cant expel our voice. And you sure cant expel our fight.

Afterward, a throng of jubilant supporters greeted him outside in a churchlike celebration. Pearson adopted the cadence of a preacher as he delivered a rousing speech with call-and-response crowd interaction. Accompanied by his fiance, mother and four brothers, Pearson pumped his fist, jumped up and down and hugged relatives.

Theyve awakened a sleeping giant, he said, as a drumbeat and roaring cheers echoed his voice.

Pearson is expected to return to the Capitol in Nashville on Thursday, when the House holds its next floor session, and plans to be sworn in there.

Republicans expelled Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones last week over their role in a gun control protest on the House floor after a Nashville school shooting that left three children and three adults dead.

The Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes Monday to unanimously restore Jones to office. He was quickly reinstated to his House seat.

The appointments are interim and special elections for the seats will take place in the coming months. Jones and Pearson have said they plan to run in the special elections.

Marcus DeWayne Belton said he attended the rally outside the Shelby County government building after the vote because he supports Pearsons call for gun law reform.

Its not even a Black thing anymore, he said of gun violence. This is Black and white. Any time you go inside a school and youre killing kids, Black and white, its serious. Things are getting worse.

The Houses vote to remove Pearson and Jones but keep white Rep. Gloria Johnson drew accusations of racism. Johnson survived by one vote. Republican leadership denied that race was a factor, however.

The expulsions last Thursday made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. In the span of a few days, the two had raised thousands of campaign dollars, and the Tennessee Democratic Party had received a new jolt of support from across the U.S.

Political tensions rose when Pearson, Johnson and Jones on the House floor joined with hundreds of demonstrators who packed the Capitol last month to call for passage of gun control measures.

As protesters filled galleries, the lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant. The scene unfolded days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school. Their participation from the front of the chamber broke House rules because the three did not have permission from the House speaker.

Pearson grew up in the same House district he was chosen to represent after longtime state Rep. Barbara Cooper, a Black Democrat, died in office. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled community activist and gifted public speaker.

Before he was elected, Pearson helped lead a successful campaign against an oil pipeline that would have run near wells that pump water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer, which provides drinking water to 1 million people.

In their return to the Tennessee Capitol, Pearson and Jones still face the same political divisions between the states few Democratic strongholds and the Republican supermajority were already reaching boiling point before the expulsions.

GOP members this year introduced a wave of punishing proposals to strip away Nashvilles autonomy. Others have pushed to abolish the states few community oversight boards that investigate police misconduct and instead replace them with advisory panels that would be blocked from investigating complaints.

Lawmakers are also nearing passage of a bill that would move control of the board that oversees Nashvilles airport from local appointments to selections by Republican state government leaders.

Particularly on addressing gun violence, Republicans have so far refused to consider placing any new restrictions on firearms in the wake of the Nashville school shooting. Instead, lawmakers have advanced legislation designed to add more armed guards in public and private schools and are considering a proposal that would allow teachers to carry guns.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Cameron Sextons office confirmed this week that a Republican lawmaker was stripped of a top committee assignment more than a month after he asked during a hearing if hanging by a tree could be added to the states execution methods. The speakers office declined to specify the reason for removing him from the committee.

Rep. Paul Sherrell was taken off the Criminal Justice Committee and transferred to another, and was very agreeable to the change, Sexton spokesperson Doug Kufner said.

Sherrell, who is white, later apologized for what he said amid outcry from Black lawmakers, who pointed to the states dark history of lynching. Sherrell said his comments were exaggerated to show support of families who often wait decades for justice.

Pearson has referenced Sherrells comments throughout the expulsions and their aftermath. On Wednesday, Pearson said Sexton should resign his post, saying the House speaker is more willing to expel people who are asking for the end of gun violence than expel a member of the House who advocated for lynching.

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Expelled Democrat Justin Pearson returns to Tennessee House - Spectrum News 1