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Greg Vitali loses!

Greg Vitali loses!

By Bob Small

In one of the most stunning 2026 Primary upsets, the three -decade-plus legislative career of Greg Vitali comes to an end. He lost to Judy Trombetta, who is almost half his age.

The 69-year-old Vitali was backed by The Pennsylvania House Democratic Committee . However, the Delaware County Democratic Committee endorsed his challenger. She raised twice the amount Vitali did, $60,000, and spent $45,000, compared to the $14,000 he spent.

Greg Vitali has a BS (Cum Laude) in Economics from Villanova Rep. Greg Vitali | Homepage and a J. D, from The Villanova University School of Law. He then worked as a sole practitioner for a dozen years in Havertown. In 1992, he became the first Democrat ever elected to the 166^th.

At their forum, Vitali proposed that “climate change is the issue of our time”. Trombetta argued that “now is not the time for a single-issue candidate”. Trombetta is the president of the Haverford Board of Commissioners, the latest post in her 15 years of public service.

Judy Trombetta has a BSW from Temple and MSW from the U of. Pittsburgh. She has a past history of working to ban Marcellus Shale Drilling, while also being involved in marijuana legalization efforts. She lives in Haverford with her husband Brandon, a son and a cat.

PA District 166 includes Haverford Township along with parts of, Lower Merion, and Radnor.

Even AI couldn’t uncover any relationship information on Greg Vitali albeit a non-AI source with a good memory can say he was divorced shortly after his legislative career began.

Six Candidates for Pennsylvania’s 91st

Six Candidates for Pennsylvania’s 91^st

By Bob Small

Adams County, best-known for the Civil war turning point battle of Gettysburg, is the site of a less bloody but bruising primary battle going on for Pennsylvania’s 91^st House seat.

On the Republican side, Dan Moul has served as the 91^st House member since 2006. Since there is not a mandatory retirement age for members of the Pennsylvania Legislature, he can continue until he is defeated or decides to retire.

Linsay Krug, is a Conewago Valley School Board member along with being a member of the Adams County Technical Institute’s Joint Operating Committee. She said her top priorities are “eliminating property taxes, protecting children from exploitation and trafficking, and holding politicians in both parties accountable. “

On her website, she lists links addressing her plans and states that “I believe that every voice must count and every citizen must be heard.” She has children, but that’s all even AI can find out.

Nick Lovell priorities, include property tax reform. He is president of the Littletown School Area School District Board of School Directors.

On his campaign website, he mentions a twelve year limit for State Legislators.

Lovell states he’s a Christian, though, as with the previous GOP Candidate, a spouse remains unmentioned.

He says “If data centers can be located in places where they are not a detriment to the surrounding area or the community, and where there is local support, then they can be appropriate. “

Meanwhile, the three Democrats running for the 91^st are Tony Nunez-Guzman, Kathleen Pratt, and Darian Sundberg

For further information about these three, see 91st Democratic candidates center of forum | Local News and Three Democrats outline visions in 91st District forum

The Battle To Replace Tom Jones

The Battle To Replace Tom Jones

By Bob Small

Besides Tom Jones, the Welsh Singer, the Literary character, and the Brookhaven diner (great breakfasts!), there is this other Pennsylvania Tom Jones. He was the Rep of the PA 98^th House District, but he is resigning that post to run for the Pa 36^th Senate district.

The 98^th now covers Lancaster and Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 98 Lebanon Counties.

Though Nicky Woods is the endorsed GOP candidate, Danielle Lindemuth has remained in the race. Both, incidentally, are from the Mount Joy area. She is married with twins. Nicky has an accounting degree from Bloomsburg. She is owner of Bark Park and works as the Lancaster County Clerk of Courts.

Previously, she spent a quarter century as a police officer for the city of Lancaster (1998-2007) and The Northwest Regional Police (2009-2023).

Nicky Woods She is staunchly pro-life. She also said,“I support the people of Israel and their right to security, while also recognizing that no government is above scrutiny. “ There are a number of other strong opinions in this profile.

Danielle Lindemuth spent two years at Tennessee Temple University, now Carolina University. Her husband, Stephen, is a pastor and they have one child. She has worked as an HR Director and an office administrator.

She did not respond to the inquiries, but in Lancaster Online, she said” I work well with others from all walks of life, even when my beliefs or customs may differ, because I respect the freedoms we all enjoy as Americans.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Candidate, Hugh Darlington, Meet Hugh is a board-certified master arborist who has worked for Longwood Gardens, among others. He’s a Navy vet who studied at Elizabeth College and Penn State.

Interesting Lanco GOP Primary But Not A Crazy Train

Interesting Lanco GOP Primary But Not A Crazy Train

By Bob Small

Among the GOP contested primaries here are some of special interest.

Seeking to replace Bryan Cutler as state representative for the 100th District are Dave Nissley and Kelly Osborne. There is no official Candidate listed on the Democratic side, so this is probably the real general election.

Cutler has represented the conservative Lancaster County district for about 20 years.

The Lanco nominating convention on Feb. 17 went eight rounds without a clear winner.

Cutler stepped into endorse Ms. Osborne.

Ms. Osborne is a retired state trooper who has served on the Lampeter-Strasberg School Board. She is not the daughter of the late Ozzie.

She boasts about never having voted for a tax increase, and believes sex-at-birth should be the standard for school sports competition.

Dave Nissley was born in Gap and raised in Paradise. He mentions that he grew up the Amish Mennonite Church as one of seven children. He married his wife, Lillian, in 1992. Their four adult children are Brittany, Brooke, Megan, and Josiah. He and his wife have operated Vintage Landscaping since 1992, along with other ventures.

His issues include the elimination of the property tax, preservation of Lancaster County farms and he support of the Second Amendment. See his website for information.

Nissley states that “church, state, and family influence each other in a just society”, but that they must remain separate institutions. He also mentions his previous experience as a Pastor.

Jesse James Runs Again

Jesse James Runs Again

By Bob Small

The GOP primary race n Pennsylvania’s 17^th Congressional District are Sheriff Tony Guy vs Jesse James Vodvarka.

Sounds like an old-west election but it’s actually in Allegheny County.

The 17^th Congressional District was redrawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Since 2023, the representative has been Democrat Chris Deluzio.

Previous representatives have been Allen E. Ertel and Connor Lamb.

The redrawn disrict tilts Democrat.

Deluzio participated in a video urging “American Service people not to follow illegal orders.”

Sheriff Guy is a long-time Trump supporter. He was a State Trooper from 1984 to 2010 and has been Beaver County sheriff since 2016.

Guy has been involved in controversies.

Jesse Vodvarkas is head of the Vodvarkas Springs Company. See the voter guide for information.

Vodvarka is a second-generation gadfly. His father, Joseph, has run at least five times between 2010 and 2020 for offices and collected almost 20 percent of the vote in 2012.

Meanwhile in the Philly 3^rd Congressional District 17 Dems and 2 GOP have been challenged down to four Dems and zero GOP!

In too many of the congressional primaries races, there is a distinct lack of choice.

Yet Another Secondary Primary Choice

Yet Another Secondary Primary Choice

By Bob Small

Yes, there is a Doug Mastriano write-in Campaign for the May 19 Pennsylvania Primary. No, he did not start it.

Ernie Springer of Lancaster and Joshua Day (Clinton County) hatched a write-in campaign with it’s requisite website (see below). Mastriano denies involvement with the website, but would accept the nomination.

if he somehow won.

Stacy Garrity, who’s on the ballot, was endorsed by the State Party back in September, which some consider as a decision to prevent Mastriano from attaining ballot status.

Note: He lost his the 2022 gubernatorial effort by 15 percentage points and many consider him as too MAGA to win a statewide election in Pennsylvania.

Mastriano announced his withdrawal from a second run at Shapiro in January.

But he then downplayed Garrity’s chances, “claiming the “only way” for her to win would be if he were her lieutenant governor running mate.”

Downplaying the early endorsement, the website made the point that “The people decide the nominee, not the establishment, “and that he “won that year’s primary with nearly 45 percent of the vote. “ Among his stands are being against Covid mandates and against biological males in female sports. See the websites for a full list.

In a recent article , Mastriano rails against “ Pride festivals that close Lincoln Square, rainbow flags across storefronts and the growing prominence of activist messaging”. There goes the Log Cabin Republican vote,

As a recovering Green Party member, (Co-Chair of Delco Greens), we always argued against write-in campaigns for any office above, Judge of Elections. Generally, these write-in campaigns used up time, money, and energy with, usually, a negative result. In this case, it can only hurt Garrity.

If Mastriano did, somehow win, Shapiro would have a second term, no question.

Though we agree with parts of Mastriano’s program, we, and I suspect most of Pennsylvania, would rather have a Governor Garrity then another four years of “Prince Joshua”. A second term could lead to Presidential consideration which, to paraphrase a local sign, “ The Democrats are doing the best they can…..and that’s truly frightening”.

The Write-in Campaigners are going door-to-door in various towns and cities, though none have been sighted in Swarthmore.

GOP Lt Gov Race in 2026

GOP Lt Gov Race in 2026

By Bob Small

When Pa. GOP Voters arrive at the Polls on Primary Day (or earlier if by mail), they will have two choices for lieutenant governor choices.

The Lt. Governor serves as the presiding officer of the PA Senate and may cast deciding votes when the Legislative votes are tied. Some of the previous Lieutenant Governors have gone on to higher office, such as Governor or Senator.

The GOP-endorsed candidate is Jason Richey (Allegheny County) , whereas John Ventre is the challenger candidate. In 2026, only the GOP gives its state-wide voters this choice.

Jason Richey chairs the Allegheny County GOP and attempted a gubernatorial race in 2022.

Richey graduated Magna Cum Laude from Allegheny College and was also a three-time NCAA Academic All-American Wrestler. He then attended and graduated from the Ohio State College of Law. JAmong his clientele are many of the elite professional wrestling.

He lives with his wife Melissa in Sewickly and have three sons; Justin, Logan and Marcus.

In his 2019 Campaign website Ventre 4 Lt Governor John Ventre describes himself as MAGA but “never Socialist”. He describes himself as Pro-Constitution, Pro-Freedom, Pro-God, Pro-Gun and Pro-Life. He also lists “53 reasons why Shapiro is a bad choice for Governor” and includes the bon mot that “The only Pennsylvania Josh is interested in is Pennsylvania Ave” .

He cites work experience in 3 states for US Crisis Management and his degree in Criminal Justice. He also lists 12 similarities between himself and one Donald J. Trump.

He has been a serial candidate Who is running for Pennsylvania Lt. Governor?for various offices.

By a Jury of his Peers

By a Jury of his Peers

By Bob Small

According to 1215 Magna Carta – Clause 39, “No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned, or disseised, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers”.

However, there is now a dissenting view Magna Carta and Trial by Jury.

In England, recently, there has been a significant backlog of cases, about 80,000 , with many trials being listed far into the future.

Potential problem areas include whether defendants are being judged by a “representative cross-section of society”, concentration of decisions in a single individual, and that “this may not significantly reduce delays”, rather than addressing “funding, staffing, and court capacity”.

There is a plan to scrap jury trials in England and Wales

Unless the expected prison sentence is more than five years, defendants would not be allowed to ask for a jury trial. Mike Evans, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, called the proposals “extreme”.

“This is a fundamental change to how our criminal justice system operates, and it goes too far,” he said.

There were 78,000 cases pending currently, as compared to 38,000 at the end of 2019.

Another possible negative effect, would be for women who were victims of violence.

Labor MP Natalie Fleet, said , “You know what’s worse than being raped? Facing years of waiting to see if people believe you.” Academic Kitty Lymperopoulou advocated for jury trials, saying “Conversely, the involvement of 12 randomly selected people brings a wider range of lived experiences, insights and perspectives .”

For a dissenting view there’s this Birmingham, England woman who says in a caveat, “Just because we have done something for hundreds of years is not reason enough alone to keep doing it.”

Because U.S. Constitution – Article III | Resources | Library of Congress, U.S. Constitution – Sixth Amendment | Library of Congress and U.S. Constitution – Seventh Amendment | Library of Congress all guarantee our rights to Jury trials, this seems safe here. Unless we fear Prince Shapiro changing this in Pennsylvania.

When Is Violence Implied?

When Is Violence Implied?

By Bob Small

Eight students from Swarthmore College are facing charges, including expulsion, for distributing protest fliers that, at least, implied violence. Specifically, the 37 profile photos of the college’s Board of Managers, were shown under the “firearm scopes cross hairs”.

If this was a radical political group targeting conservatives, would we consider this differently?

Just asking.

On the fifth of March, at a time when the Board of Managers was at the Swarthmore Inn for its quarterly meeting, someone spray- painted “Board of Butchers”. Again, see above.

Meanwhile, at least one of these students discovered they had been filmed by security cameras. There has also been surveillance at Bryn Mawr, Haverford and who knows where else. (see article below)

Swarthmore has been increasing surveillance especially when students were found shaking an innocent camera. Who knows what other violence they were capable of!

Bryn Mawr has even hired Private Investigators! What Netflix series is that?

Meanwhile, at Haverford , it sounds like an honest-to-Delco brawl at Haviv Rettig Gur’s talk, “Roots, Return, and Reality: Jews, Israel, and the Myth of Settler Colonialism “. The WWE comes to Haverford!

From a quote from Swarthmore SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) For us, the Student Intifada shattered this facade with a sledgehammer. October 7^th, 2023 upended our world, and the ensuing movement and swift war of repression cemented our understanding of the university as an unsalveagably violent arm of the state.

There’s more, but that’s the main idea.

Let’s just conclude by maybe agreeing that both sides have “blood on their hands”.

Let’s also agree that violence won’t solve anything. It’s being tried and…..

Any protest now is only useful if it makes one feel better.

No mention in the Swarthmorean, Delco Times, or Town Talk.

Since the trial is in-college, the results will probably wait for Swarthmore SJP to send a notice.

Can Flip Philly Red succeed?

Can Flip Philly Red succeed?

By Bob Small

During my time living and working in South Philadelphia, circa 1978-88, Republicans were as common as unicorns, and not as successful. So, when we first heard of a group called Flip Philly Red at the 2025 Bill of Rights Banquet, we put it on a list to look at later.

It turns out that Republicans are alive and well in Philadelphia. B

John McCauley, an Afro-Philadelphian representing FPR rose to confront the predominantly Democratic City Council of Philadelphia when it was considering a resolution in October urging both Pennsylvania senators to oppose ICE funding.

Eventually, his microphone was turned off which happens when one side doesn’t want to hear the other side. If they start to have Candidates (see below), then the Dems will have to listen.

Flip Philly Red was listed at a Philadelphia-based Keystone Town Hall and more appearances are expected.

This article describes McCauley as a “Trump-loving, America-first, registered Republican” speaking at City Hall as Philadelphia’s “intellectual mausoleum”.

Other major cities, like LA and NYC, are also building these movements, but Swarthmore, for instance, is not yet in any danger of being “flipped”, but grassroots agitators are working towards those goals.

Category: Bob Small

Greg Vitali loses!

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