No matter who is the Democrat nominee, it is likely that Tom Corbett will not be re-elected in November and, as such, he will be the first governor deprived of a second term since the state constitution was modified prior to the term of Milton Shapp – the first two term governor – who took office in 1971.
The election of a Democrat in 2014 has a special importance because history suggests that Corbett’s one term will prove to be an anomaly and that the person elected this fall will win a second term and thus will yet be in office yet in 2021. That is when the state legislator is required to realign congregational districts to reflect population changes as mandated by the U. S. Constitution.
As a result of the gerrymandering that took place after the 2000 census, even though in 2012 the Republican Congressional candidates got fewer votes than Democratic candidates, the GOP captured all but five of the state’s 18 Congressional seats.
Although it will be the state legislators elected at the end of this decade who ultimately will make the decision, whoever is governor will have considerable influence. Moreover, the governor’s performance and popularity will be a factor in determining which party will be in charge of the assembly and the senate.
So the consequences of today’s primary election and the general election in November will reach as far into the future as 2030.
