Erie environmental lawyer Matthew Wolford has lost his attempt to be the first resident of Erie County elected to Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.
Wolford, 64, a Republican, came up short against the Democratic nominee, Stella Tsai, 61, a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
The Associated Press called the race for Tsai at 10:47 p.m. on Nov. 4, with 77% of the votes cast and Tsai leading Wolford by 55.1% to 44.9%. With 87% of the votes counted, the AP later reported that Tsai received 1,751,004 votes (55.5%) to Wolford’s 1,401,251 (44.5%).
Wolford lost in Erie County. He trailed Tsai by 40,728 votes (54.44%) to 34,029 (45.48%), with 100% of voting precincts reporting, according to the final unofficial results from the Erie County elections office.
Erie environmental law attorney Matthew Wolford is the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge in the municipal election on Nov. 4.
One seat was up for election on the nine-member Commonwealth Court, which hears cases involving government agencies and regulations, including environmental rules.
Tsai will fill a seat that opened up with the retirement in January of Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler, a Democrat. The mandatory retirement age for judges in Pennsylvania is 75.
Wolford won the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee. The Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee endorsed Tsai. The Pennsylvania Bar Association rated both Wolford and Tsai as “highly recommended.”
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie environmental lawyer falls short in race for Commonwealth Court