Judicial candidate rules over both political parties

There will be just three candidates vying for two seats on the bench this fall.
& lt;a href=mailto:gwin@vindy.com & gt;By HAROLD GWIN & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
MERCER, Pa. -- Atty. Christopher St. John's appeal apparently transcends party lines.
St. John, 50, of Clark, led a field of eight attorneys seeking both Democratic and Republican nominations for two seats on the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas in Tuesday's primary election.
All candidates cross filed in both party primaries.
St. John was the top vote-getter in both parties, which means his name will be listed twice on the November general election ballot.
He will be joined on the Republican side by Atty. John Reed, 60, of South Pymatuning Township, while Atty. Steve Mirizio, 54, of Farrell will be the second Democrat on the ballot.
His reaction
"It feels great," St. John said of his dual win, adding that he was a bit surprised to be at the top of both parties.
"I'm not really politically connected at all," he said, adding that the other seven candidates were all very qualified for the job.
St. John said his apparent appeal to both sides showed that people care more about qualifications for the job than about politics.
He offers a variety of legal and law enforcement experience with a degree in law enforcement and corrections, his work as both a criminal investigator and a public defender as well as his private law practice.
Republican nomination
"It's been a long day," said Reed, reflecting on winning one of the two Republican nominations.
He said his life experience, his professional experience and the fact that he had the highest rating for the job from the Mercer County Bar Association were key factors in the victory.
Reed, a stalwart in the Republican party for years, came in third in the Democratic primary, a fact he said pleased him because it shows strong bipartisan support for his candidacy.
Democratic nomination
Mirizio attributed his win on the Democratic side to the wealth of experience he has to offer and "just getting out there and campaigning."
He said he was straightforward with the people he met on the campaign trail and intends to expand that same campaign approach of meeting as many people as possible for the general election.
This is the first time in 50 years that Mercer County voters have the opportunity to elect two judges.
Incumbent Michael Wherry chose not to run for retention, opening one seat, and the second was created by the state Legislature as the fourth judicial seat for the county.