Weeks after announcing a reelection bid, State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski is now bowing out.

After serving almost two decades in the state legislature, Pashinski has decided not to seek reelection to an 11th term to serve the 121st District.

“I have decided I am not going to run this time. It’s been an absolute honor to serve our area. We have so many great people in our area. The greatest satisfaction I got out of my job was helping the people of Northeast Pennsylvania,” Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said Tuesday night, “I have had the honor of serving for two decades. I feel it’s time for someone younger than I am who can continue the work.”

Pashinski said there were behind the scenes negotiations by Democrat party top officials in recent months about a possible replacement for him on the ballot should he not run. When a consensus wasn’t reached, he decided to announce a run for reelection.

The longtime state representative said he would be endorsing a candidate in the near future, but wasn’t ready on Tuesday to reveal his preferred candidate to replace him.

He noted Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Jessica McClay, the rumored top pick of the Democrat Party to be a candidate, would be excellent for the job.

McClay announces candidacy

Hours after Pashinski confirmed he was stepping aside, McClay announced she was running in the Democract primary election. She said she has secured Pashinski’s endorsement.

“I am running for State Representative because this community is facing economic hardship, and we need a leader who is ready to fight for them on day one,” McClay said. “I have spent my time on council listening to the concerns of my neighbors, from the kitchen table to the City Hall chambers, and they need relief fast. I have the experience to go to Harrisburg and get it done.”

McClay, the chairwoman of city council, was first elected in 2024, said she will “focus on making life more affordable for working Pennsylvanians, attracting high-paying union jobs to the region, and investing in our schools and small businesses.”

“From securing family-sustaining jobs to ensuring our schools are fully funded, my mission is to build a future where people can thrive here, start a family, and retire with dignity. We have to find commonsense solutions to create economic opportunity and keep Luzerne County moving forward,” McClay said in a statement.

McClay graduated from James M. Coughlin High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University. She lives in the North end of Wilkes-Barre with her husband and three children. She attends St. Nicholas-St. Mary Catholic Church, and coached softball and t-ball for 15 years.

Pashinski vows to serve until the end of term

Pashinski, 80, was first elected to the state House in 2006, and the Democrat from Wilkes-Barre has won a total of 10 terms. The retired Greater Nanticoke Area School District music teacher is also well known as a rock-band front man and represents the 121st state House District — Bear Creek Village, Bear Creek Twp., Buck Twp. Laurel Run, Plains Twp., Wilkes-Barre Twp. and Wilkes-Barre.

In a Tuesday interview, Pashinski admitted he knows his time on earth is fleeting, but he is still in excellent health.

“My age is now preventing me from continuing to run. My age is now an indication. At this point, thank God, I’m good. But I am 80,” Pashinski said.

While is not running again, Pashinski said he will serve faithfully until the conclusion of his term.

“I still have to complete my responsibilities as state representative,” Pashinski said.

GOP colleague heaps praise

Pashinski and State Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, of Lehman Twp. were elected to office in the same year in 2006.

Baker will be the dean of the Luzerne County legislative delegation next year if someone replaces Pashinski.

She heaped praise on her sometime adversary politically, but a friend who tried to make Pennsylvania’s government work for all people.

“We came in at the same time. We didn’t always agree on policy and approach, but I respected his passion for public service for doing what was right for the community. At the end of the day, I always considered him as a colleague and a friend. He served the community for many many years. He did it with heart,” Baker said. “We didn’t agree on everything. But we always could have a conversation. Even if we didn’t agree, we were never disagreeable.”

Bear Creek Village Mayor Mike Harostock announced earlier this month that he’s a Republican candidate for the 121st state House District.

The term for state representative is two years. The annual salary for rank and file members is $113,591 per year.