With all precincts at least partially reported, Patton Township attorney Julia Rater is the apparent winner of both the Democratic and Republican primaries for Centre County Court of Common Pleas judge.
Rater and Gopal Balachandran waged a hotly contested primary campaign for the open seat on the bench created by Judge Pamela Ruest’s retirement at the beginning of the year.
As of 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Rater led for the Republican nod by nearly 7,000 votes. In the Democratic primary, Rater led Balachandran with 52% of the vote, a margin of 539 votes.
Both candidates are Democrats and were cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots. Rater, a partner at McQuaide Blasko in State College, touted her focus on family law and experience in civil litigation. Balachandran, director of the Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services Clinic at Penn State Law and a former public defender, campaigned on his criminal law experience.
County judges are elected to 10-year terms and are employees of the state, with a 2023 salary of $212,495.
While the judicial race took center stage during primary season, there was little drama to be found Tuesday in other countywide races, each of which were uncontested.
For county commissioner, three seats are up for election in November, with the top two Democratic and Republican candidates advancing to the general election. Incumbents Mark Higgins and Amber Concepcion were the only candidates on the Democratic ballot, while incumbent Steve Dershem and longtime Ferguson Township business owner Marie Librizzi were the only Republican candidates.
Incumbents for sheriff, controller, prothonotary, coroner and register of wills ran unopposed and with no candidate on the opposite party’s ballot. Whether any candidates garnered enough write-in votes (at least 100) to capture a nomination in a party primary with no one on the ballot will be determined in the coming days.
Recorder of deeds and treasurer will both be two-person races in November with one candidate running in each of the party’s primaries.
Two magisterial district judges up for reelection this year cross-filed on both party ballots and ran unopposed.
Results are unofficial until certified by the Board of Elections.
CENTRE COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS JUDGE
1 seat
Democratic Primary
Julia Rater: 6,485
Gopal Balachandran: 5,946
Republican Primary
Julia Rater: 8,459
Gopal Balachandran: 1,481
CENTRE COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Democratic Primary
Mark Higgins: 10,645
Amber Cistaro Concepcion: 10,360
Republican Primary
Steven Dershem: 9,604
Marie Librizzi: 6,343
CONTROLLER
Democratic Primary
Jason Moser: 11,209
Republican Primary
No candidate filed.
CORONER
Democratic Primary
Scott A. Sayers: 11,539
Republican Primary
No candidate filed.
SHERIFF
Democratic Primary
No candidate filed.
Republican Primary
Bryan Sampsel: 10,347
TREASURER
Democratic Primary
Colleen Kennedy: 11,379
Republican Primary
Justin Behrens: 9,342
PROTHONOTARY
Democratic Primary
Jeremy S. Breon: 11,301
Republican Primary
No candidate filed.
RECORDER OF DEEDS
Democratic Primary
Robert Zeigler: 11,187
Republican Primary
Joseph L. Davidson: 9,708
REGISTER OF WILLS
Democratic Primary
No candidate filed
Republican Primary
Christine Millinder: 9,868
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGE 49-2-01
Democratic Primary
Casey McClain: 4,000
Republican Primary
Casey McClain: 2,207
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGE 49-3-03
Democratic Primary
Allen W. Sinclair: 688
Republican Primary
Allen W. Sinclair: 1,168
