Corman Nominated to Top Leadership Position in State Senate

Pennsylvania Senate Republicans on Thursday nominated state Sen. Jake Corman to the chamber’s top leadership position.

Corman, R-Benner Township, will become president pro tempore pending a vote by the full Senate in January. Republicans maintained majority control of both the state Senate and House in last week’s election.

Succeeding the retiring Sen. Joe Scarnati, Corman will be responsible for appointing the chairpersons and members of the standing committees.

‘It’s an honor of a lifetime [as] someone who has been involved in this institution one way or another since 1977,’ Corman said. ‘To reach the position of president pro tem is something I never dreamed of as a young kid watching my father, but it’s something I’m very excited to take on.’

Corman’s father, Doyle Corman, represented the 34th District in the state Senate for 21 years beginning in 1977. Jake Corman succeeded him, winning his first election in 1998.

Since 2015, Corman has been senate majority leader.

Westmoreland County Republican Sen. Kim Ward was elected to replace Corman as majority leader, becoming the first woman to serve as majority leader in the history of the state’s General Assembly. 

‘It’s time for us all to come together and move Pennsylvania forward,’ Corman said. ‘There will be challenges. There’s economic challenges. There are health care challenges. There are challenges of partisanship that we all need to address as a team. We look forward to moving Pennsylvania forward in a way that no matter where you come from in the commonwealth, no matter what your economic background is, no matter what your ethnicity is, that you can be successful here in Pennsylvania.’

Another Centre County Republican was reelected to a top leadership position in the legislature on Tuesday. State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, was selected to return as a House majority leader for the 2021-22 session. Benninghoff has been majority leader since June when former Speaker of the House Mike Turzai resigned and former Majority Leader Bryan Cutler moved into the speaker position.

Cutler, R-Quarryville, was nominated by House Republicans to return as speaker for 2021-22.