MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release: 5/17/2023, 8:45AM
Pennsylvania —
The excitement was electric through Eastern PA as Pennsylvania Stands Up (PASU) membership celebrated significant wins after Tuesday’s Primary Election. PASU is made up of 4 chapters across 6 counties with more than 2,000 dues-paying members. The chapters of PASU are Berks Stands Up, Lancaster Stands Up, Lehigh Valley Stands Up, and NEPA Stands Up.
“We put together dozens of door-to-door and phone canvases with our volunteers to reach as many voters as we could and it’s exciting to see it really pay off,” said Matt Lo, Electoral Committee Chair for Lehigh Valley Stands Up. “As I watched the numbers come in from all the texts and door knocking and phone banking, I knew that our conversations would lead to some significant victories.”
PASU dues-paying members carefully** selected progressive and transformative champions** that align with the values of PASU, including the belief that every person has the right to self determination, safety, and dignity, and that they hold justice – in our neighborhoods, for our families and comrades, for our children, for our democracy, and for our future – above all else.
“When it comes to elections, the biggest change is closest to home. That’s why our members are so invested in electing working people to every level of municipal office this year, from school board to city council to county commissioner,” said Carrie Santoro, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Stands Up. “While we don’t have all the results yet, we know the folks we talked to on their doorsteps, on the phones and online showed up to vote for a bold vision of what good local government means for our families, over endless, divisive fear-mongering about books, balls, and bathrooms.”
PASU’s post-election debrief is planned via Zoom on May 18th, 2022 at 7:00pm EST. The general election is November 7, 2023.
As of this release, the endorsed champions that will progress to the general election in November include Jesse Royer for Berks County Commissioner, Alice Yoder for Lancaster County Commissioner, Tara Zrinski for Northampton County Controller, Ce-Ce Gerlach for Allentown City Council and Jon Irons for Lehigh County Commissioner in Lehigh Valley, and Brittany Stephenson and Michelle Rothenbecker for Luzerne County Council in NEPA. Every single endorsed candidate in Berks and Lancaster Counties won their races. These candidates ran on lived experience and a need to see political courage in our municipal offices. Several races are awaiting write-in results like Mark Shaffer for WB City Council are too close to call as of early Wednesday morning.
(candidates in italics have announced victory in their primaries)
Berks Stands Up endorsed Jesse Royer for Berks County Commissioner*, Winston Dilone for* Berks County Treasurer, Adrian Jadic for Berks County Register of Wills*, Vanessa Campos, Jaime Baez Jr, and Chris Miller* for Reading City Council, Mark Detterline for Reading School Board, and Jennifer Denny for Wilson School Board Director
Lancaster Stands Up endorsed Alice Yoder for Lancaster County Commissioner*, Sindy Pollard and Ian Godinez for* Conestoga Valley School Board, Christene Misciagna, Charles Leader, Lauren VonStetten, Kathy Hohenadel, Sonya Duncan, and Sandy Duncan for Columbia School Board*, Robin Goodson, Cheryl Desmond, Kareena Rios, Katrina Holmes, and Molly Henderson* for School District of Lancaster*, Judy Brady, Kaleb Best, Megan Eshleman, Peter Langseth, and Erin Small* for Hempfield School Board*, Sarah Zahn and Kristy Moore for* Elizabethtown School Board*, Cynthia Wingenroth, Lydia Walker de Ardón, Dick Hall, Kimberly Regennas, Kellye McMillion, Cyndi DeLong and Amanda H Chap* for Warwick School Board*, Lauren Kuntz* for Lampeter-Strasburg School Board*, John Hursh, Amanda Bakay, Ahmed Ahmed, and Jamie Arroyo* for Lancaster City Council.
Lehigh Valley Stands Up endorsed Ce-Ce Gerlach, Sarina Torres, and Rodney Bushe for Allentown City Council, Jon Irons and Michael Blichar Jr for Lehigh County Commissioner, Tara Zrinski for Northampton County Controller, Frank Pitabone for Easton Council, Baron Vanderburg for Palmer Twsp Supervisor, and Shonta Ford for East Penn School Board Director
NEPA Stands Up endorsed Mark Shaffer and Brian Ferry for WB City Council, Jessica Rothchild for Scranton City Council, Brittany Stephenson and Michelle Rothenbecker for Luzerne County Council.