GOP now holds 30-20 PA Senate majority

With the exception of a few left-wing bloggers who thought the Democrat in the race had a chance, Republican state Rep. David Argall easily won a special election Tuesday to fill the vacant 29th District Pennsylvania Senate seat.

The only surprise was the margin of victory. Argall trounced his Democratic opponent by a margin of nearly 2-1. "The numbers are much better than we had anticipated," Argall told The Pottsville Republican.

The seat was left vacant when incumbent Republican Sen. James Rhoades was killed in a car crash last October. Rhoades won re-election in November, forcing a special election to fill the seat.

Unofficial returns show Argall, who represents the 124th House District, with 62.4 percent of the vote to 37.6 percent for Democrat Stephen Lukach Jr., who is the current Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts.

Argall received 20,786 votes and Lukach finished with 12,551.

Argall is a 13-term state House member and former House Republican Whip. He gave up his leadership post to run for the Senate.

Another special election will be held to replace Argall, who also won re-election last November. That special election will most likely be held during the scheduled primary election on May 19, with party leaders choosing candidates for the ballot.

The 29th District includes parts of Schuylkill, Monroe, Carbon, Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties.

Argall's victory gives Republicans a solid 30-20 majority in the Pennsylvania Senate.

For more on the special election, check out The Clarke Report, Schuylkill County's best political blog.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Driver charged in death of state senator

The untimely death of Pennsylvania state Sen. James J. Rhoades has taken an even more tragic turn.

The driver of the pickup truck that struck Rhoades' vehicle head-on on Oct. 17, 2008, was driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Thomas Senavitis, 45, Lehighton, had a blood-alcohol level four times the legal limit, police announced Wednesday.

Rhoades, 66, a seven-term Republican from Schuylkill County, died of multiple injuries on Oct. 18, 2008. His wife Mary was seriously injured.

Police have charged Senavitis with DUI, vehicular aggravated assault while under the influence, vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and several traffic violations.

The Associated Press reports that Senavitis denied any responsibility for the crash at his arraignment Wednesday. Senavitis maintains he was not drunk at the time of the crash, according to the AP. He is being held on $25,000 bail.

Rhoades was re-elected posthumously to an eighth term in November.

A special election will be held March 3 to fill his seat. The Republican candidate is state Rep. David Argall. The Democratic candidate is Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts Steven Lukach.

The 29h Senatorial District includes parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS