Erie County Primary election: Wertz wins state Senate bid; Bizzarro falls in treasurer race

The polls are closed for Tuesday's primary election in Erie County, but voters can stay informed by visiting GoErie.com for regular election updates.

Completed absentee and mail-in ballots were to be returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday to the Erie County Board of Elections.

County unofficial results final

The Erie County Elections Office reported 100% of results from all the 143 precincts at just after 11 p.m.

In the Democratic contest for the 49th District Senate seat, Jim Wertz collected 16,499 votes to Selena King's 7,016 out of the 24,070 total votes, 555 of which went to write-ins. Wertz will face Republican Dan Laughlin in November. Laughlin, who was unopposed, finished with 15,619 votes out of 15,900.

In another contested race, state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro finished with 20,802 votes (84%) in Erie County for his bid for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania treasurer. Erin McClelland finished with 3,896 votes in the county, but she won the statewide race.

Looking for more local election results?

Visit GoErie.com/elections/results/local/ for live election results as they are regularly updated.

McClelland beats Bizzarro in Dem. bid for state treasurer

State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, of Millcreek Township, easily led the way over fellow Democrat Erin McClelland in Erie County, but he failed to get the necessary votes across the state in their party’s nomination for Pennsylvania treasurer.

As of 10:30 p.m., Bizzarro had 18,815 votes to McClelland’s 3,466 votes, according to unofficial results from the Erie County Elections Office.

Statewide results show Bizzarro trailing McClelland, with McClelland at 448,334 votes and Bizzarro at 348,778 votes with 78% of precincts reporting.

McClelland, the unofficial winner, will face Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity.

Wertz: 'I'm honored tonight'

Wertz, who declared victory just after 9 p.m. in the Democratic contest for 49th District Senate seat, made the following statement at Nuova Aurora Club:"Tonight we cleared the first turn in the long race to November because of you," he told supporters. "From the beginning, this campaign has been about protecting our rights and lifting up working people across Erie County. Our message has been loud and clear. I'm honored tonight to be your Democratic nominee for state senate."

Wertz led with 12,448 votes (70.22%) to Selena King's 4,899 (27.64%) with 57.34% of precincts reporting.

King: 'No regrets at all'

Selena King gathered with supporters at Pineapple Eddie's Southern Bistro at 1402 W. 10th St.

"We've run a great race," she said, in acknowledging a loss in her Democratic race for 49th District Senate seat . "I'm proud of the race that we've run and the support that we've had. There's nothing I would take back at all. I'll continue to do the work that I do to advocate for people in the Northwest region. There's definitely no regrets at all."

Wertz declares victory

Jim Wertz has declared victory in the Democratic contest for 49th District Senate seat. He delivered a 10-minute speech after 9 p.m. to a throng of supporters at the Nuova Aurora Club, 1518 Walnut St., in Erie.

Wertz leads with 11,028 votes (71%) to Selena King's 4,183 (27%) with 37.76% of precincts reporting in the primary for the 49th District Senate seat.

Bizzarro leads McClelland in Erie County but trails statewide

State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, of Millcreek Township, has an early lead over fellow Democrat Erin McClelland in Erie County as they battle for their party’s nomination for Pennsylvania treasurer.

As of 9:07 p.m., Bizzarro had 11,037 votes to McClelland’s 1,834 votes, according to unofficial results from the Erie County Elections Office.

Statewide results show Bizzarro trailing McClelland, with McClelland at 248,421 votes and Bizzarro at 185,328 votes.

The winner of the primary will face Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity, who is running unopposed for the nomination Tuesday.

Wertz leads King as polls close

Former Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wertz has jumped out to a very early, but commanding lead over fellow Democrat Selena King.

He leads with 8,274 votes to King's 2,724 in the primary for the 49th District Senate seat. The winner will face incumbent Republican Dan Laughlin in November.

Chillcott: Election 'going smoothly' as polls prepare to close

Erie County Clerk Karen Chillcott said Tuesday's primary election has been "going smoothly so far" and reported no major election-related problems as of 7:30 p.m.

Polls will close at 8 p.m.

Chillcott said mail-in ballots received before Tuesday will be counted and reported first. The mail-in ballots received on Tuesday will be counted at the end, after the Election Day votes.

No major issues reported thus far

Erie County Clerk Karen Chillcott, who oversees the county’s elections, said she was hopeful that countywide turnout for Tuesday’s primary would exceed 20%.

She said no major election-related problems had been reported as of 2:40 p.m., although Chillcott mentioned that she visited the polling site at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 8880 Main St. in McKean, to look into a citizen complaint about campaign volunteers.

Everything’s running smoothly,” said Chilcott, who was appointed by Erie County Council in September. “We had a complaint about volunteers approaching people.  It wasn’t a big deal.

“We followed up. … I asked (volunteers) how they were approaching people and what they were discussing, just to make sure the lines were clear.”

Early look at mail-in numbers

Erie County Clerk Karen Chillcott said information on mail ballots is still being compiled. But she mentioned that as of late Monday, 13,425 of the 19,913 mail-in ballots requested by Erie County voters — or 67% — had been returned to the county’s election office.

She said 78% of the ballots returned, or 10,499, were from registered Democrats and 22% (2,926) were from Republicans.

That underscores how “there is still quite a big gap within the parties with their voting behaviors” in Erie County when it comes to mail ballots, Chillcott said.

That local data reflects nationwide voting patterns since the 2020 election, when mail voting became widespread in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats have been more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.

Slow start at polls

Turnout was low to start the day in Harborcreek Township and Wesleyville.

There were just 40 voters on the books by 11:15 a.m. at Wesleyville's 1st District polling site, Wesleyville Baptist Church at 3509 Buffalo Road.

Harborcreek and Lawrence Park had similar low turnouts to start the day.

Wet weather possible while voting

Tuesday’s weather forecast calls for a high temperature near 65 degrees. Remember to bring an umbrella if you vote later this afternoon. The National Weather Service in Cleveland said there's a 30% chance of showers, mainly after 3 p.m.

There will be a low temperature around 43 tonight with a 90% chance of precipitation.

Get the latest AccuWeather forecast details and radar images for your ZIP code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for iOS or Android for mobile-friendly forecasts.

What to know before going to the polls

• Erie County Board of Elections list of voters who are able to correct their ballot return envelopes by Election Day: eriecountypa.gov/departments/elections-voting/

• Looking for your polling place? Polling place locations are found here.

• Brush up on how to use Erie County's voting machines: Learn how to use Erie County's new voting machines

• See who's on the ballot here.

• Learn how to fill out your mail-in ballot properly here.

Your guide to the polls in Erie County

• Which Erie-area candidates are running for Pa. state representative, Senate? Find out here.

• In race for Pa. treasurer, Ryan Bizzarro is seeking to become the first statewide office-holder from Erie County since former Gov. Tom Ridge. Bizzarro wants Erie to have a "loud, strong presence" in the state.

• State Senate race: Jim Wertz, Selena King seek Democratic nomination in race for Dan Laughlin's seat

• From the courtroom to the ballot box? Wertz, Laughlin could square off in 2024 election

• What is Jim Wertz's platform in his run for state Senate?

• What would Selena King do if elected to the Pa. Senate? Read her vision for Erie County here.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County primary election results: Treasurer, state representative