PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY Allegheny Co. judge wins nomination for state court

The Democratic winner was also the leader in Mercer and Lawrence counties.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
HARRISBURG -- Two western Pennsylvania judges will compete in the general election for an open seat on the state Supreme Court.
Max Baer, 55, an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge, won a five-way Democratic contest in Tuesday's primary, while Joan Orie Melvin, 47, a judge on the state Superior Court since 1998, won the Republican nomination without opposition.
With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Baer led with 47 percent; Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Cheryl Allen received 24 percent; Philadelphia County Common Pleas Judge John W. Herron received 12 percent; Philadelphia Municipal Judge James M. DeLeon III received 11 percent; and Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge James Murray Lynn received 6 percent.
Baer led candidates in both Lawrence and Mercer counties, with 54 percent to Allen's 36 percent in Lawrence and 45 percent to Allen's 40 percent in Mercer.
Superior Court
Voters in both parties also settled primary races for nominations for three open seats on the Superior Court, one of two intermediate state appellate courts.
Democrats nominated Northampton County Common Pleas Judge Jack Panella, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge John J. Driscoll and Philadelphia Municipal Judge Seamus P. McCaffery.
Republicans nominated Cumberland County lawyer Grainger Bowman, former Montgomery County prosecutor Susan Gantman and Schuylkill County Common Pleas Judge Palmer Dolbin.
"We have a strong statewide ticket going into the fall," said Dan Hayward, the state GOP's political director.
With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Panella led Driscoll by about 6,000 votes, each garnering about 20 percent of the vote.
Also, McCaffery received 17 percent; Schuylkill County lawyer Claude A. Lord Shields received 12 percent; Philadelphia County Common Pleas Judge Mark I. Bernstein got 12 percent; Philadelphia County Common Pleas Judge William J. Manfredi had 10 percent; and Philadelphia Municipal Judge Robert S. Blasi received 9 percent.
Among the Republicans, Bowman had 28 percent; Gantman had 27 percent; and Dolbin had 23 percent. The losing candidate, Pittsburgh lawyer Jacqueline Shogan, had 22 percent.
Mercer County
In Mercer County, Driscoll led Democratic candidates with 29 percent, followed by Panella with 20 percent and Shields with 11 percent. In Lawrence County, Panella garnered the most votes with 28 percent, followed by Driscoll with 27 percent and Shields with 9 percent.
On the Republican side, Gantman led votes in Mercer County with 27 percent; Bowman received 26 percent; and Dolbin received 24 percent. In Lawrence County, the top vote-getters were Shogan with 30 percent; Gantman with 25 percent; and Bowman with 23 percent.
Republicans will maintain control of the Supreme Court, which supervises the entire state court system, regardless of who wins in November. The best Democrats can hope for is to reclaim the seat formerly held by Chief Justice Stephen Zappala, who retired, and return the Republican-Democrat lineup to 4-3. Republican William Lamb was appointed to serve out the last year of Zappala's term.
Winners of this year's general election will get a 10-year term on the state's appellate bench. The Supreme Court seat carries an annual salary of $139,585. Superior Court judges receive $135,213.