PA-Dem-Senate-Cnty

Our Opinion: Luzerne County’s appeal to nonprofits for voluntary payments will be a tough sell; ask anyway

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Much of the talk before Tuesday&#8217;s primary centered on which presidential candidates Republican delegate candidates were supporting.</p><p>On Tuesday, whether voters were aware of who the delegate candidates were for or not, six of those supporting Republican front-runner Donald Trump &#8212; three each in the 11th and 17th Congressional Districts &#8212; got their tickets punched for the GOP National Convention, set for July 18-21 in Cleveland.</p><p>According to the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections, the following number of delegates were to be elected:</p><p>In the 11th Congressional District, three Republican delegates and three alternate delegates were chosen. On the Democratic side, three male delegates and 3 female delegates were selected.</p><p>In the 17th Congressional District, three Republican delegates and three alternate delegates were elected. On the Democratic side, four male delegates and three female delegates were chosen and one alternate delegate.</p><p>According to unofficial results on the Pennsylvania Department of State website, with nearly 99 percent of the votes counted, here are the top vote-getters:</p><p>&#8226; 11th Congressional District: Republicans, Rick Morelli, 17.5 percent; David J. McElwee, 14.2 percent; Andrew Shecktor, 10.4 percent. Alternates, Maria Haste, 51.7 percent; Donald J. Ely, 48.3 percent.</p><p>Democrats, Cheryl L. Marshall, 12 percent; Jill D. Carslon, 11.6 percent; Rogette N. Harrris, 11.4 percent; Eric Z. Graff, 11.1 percent; Alexander R. Reber, 10.8 percent; Peter M. Good, 10.7 percent.</p><p>Marshall, Carlson and Graff support Sanders; Harris, Reber and Good support Clinton.</p><p>&#8226; 17th Congressional District: Republicans, Teresa Lynette Villano, 15.2 percent; Carolyn Bonkoski, 15 percent; Gloria Lee Snover, 12.9 percent. Alternates, Mary Beth Dougherty, 38.3 percent; Thomas Whitehead, 32.4 percent; Paul M. DeFabo, 29.22 percent.</p><p>Democrats, William Courtright, 8.6 percent; Grace McGregor Kramer, 8.5 percent; Edward O&#8217;Brien, 8.5 percent; Jennifer Newland, 8.3 percent; Jessica Rothchild, 8.1 percent; John Ferguson, 7.7 percent; Neil Makhija, 7.4 percent. Alternate delegate, Courtney Washo.</p><p>Courtright, Kramer, Rothchild, O&#8217;Brien, Newland, and Makhija support Clinton; Ferguson supports Sanders.</p><p>Morelli, McElwee and Shecktor in the 11th District are all Trump supporters, as are Villano, Bonkoski and Snover in the 17th District.</p><p>&#8220;Without question, I am supporting Donald Trump,&#8221; Morelli said. &#8220;I&#8217;m honored to represent the 11th District at the Republican National Convention. I am hoping to to help bring Trump to the White House. I will support Trump all the way through, even if it becomes a brokered convention.&#8221;</p><p>Villano, of West Pittston, thanked the voters for selecting her, Bonkoski and Snover &#8212; all Trump supporters.</p><p>&#8220;I am so grateful to everybody who voted for us and I am so excited about what Donald Trump did in Pennsylvania,&#8221; Villano said. &#8220;All three of us will vote for Trump on every ballot at the convention.&#8221;</p><p><strong>About the delegate race</strong></p><p>&#8226; There are 71 GOP delegates in Pennsylvania, with 54 elected in the 18 congressional districts at three per district.</p><p>&#8226; Another 14 &#8220;at-large&#8221; delegates are chosen by party leaders and must vote for the primary winner on the first ballot only at the convention.</p><p>&#8226; The three &#8220;automatic&#8221; delegates &#8212; the state GOP chairman, national committeeman and national committeewoman &#8212; also are legally bound to vote for the Pennsylvania winner on the first ballot only.</p><p>&#8226; On the Democratic side, each congressional district has &#8220;pledged&#8221; delegates whose names appear on the primary ballot and have declared their support for a particular candidate.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Shecktor-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Shecktor </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Shecktor-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Shecktor </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Lynette-Villano-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Villano </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Lynette-Villano-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Villano </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_morelli-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Morelli </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_morelli-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Morelli </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Morelli, others voted delegates to national conventions