Cumberland GOP can't decide on Nailor's seat
Print
Share
Email to a friend
Add This
Article RatingThe Cumberland County GOP on Saturday declined to endorse any of the candidates vying to claim the Republican nomination in the 88th legislative district race, making a wide-open primary race even more uncertain.
Six Republican candidates from across much of the county’s eastern half will now battle against one another in an open primary, each seeking to replace longtime state Rep. Jerry Nailor.
Nailor announced late last year he will retire after his current session, his 10th in the state Legislature.
The 43 party members from the 88th district who decide on the endorsement unanimously voted to have an open primary.
They said their decision came because the number of high-quality candidates split support within the party. Without consensus, they said, they didn’t see much point in fracturing the party over the endorsement.
“I didn’t hear any clear consensus,” said Karen Deklinski, a party member who spoke in support of an open primary. She added that a long debate to determine an endorsement wasn’t what she, or other party members, wanted.
She normally supports endorsements, she said, but thought the race was better suited to be open because of the absence of an incumbent.
An array of local politicians, businessmen and public officials make up the field of candidates.
It includes Lowell Gates, Matthew Seagrist, Ian Hayes, Sheryl Delozier, William Cornell and Michael Hancock, all of whom were gathered at the Holiday Inn West in Mechanicsburg to attend the committee meeting.
Each gave a short speech in front of the party members before answering questions from a special screening committee.
Vic Stabile, chairman of the county GOP, said each candidate is impressive and well reflects values held by people in the 88th district, which is why he thinks the party members from the 88th district made the correct decision.
“The people in the 88th district have six excellent candidates to pick from,” Stabile said. “Let us know which one you want to elect in November.”
Withholding a party endorsement is rare, he said, but not unique.
He said, however, it had nothing to do with last year’s decision to endorse a Republican for county commissioner other than incumbent Gary Eichelberger.
The party supported challenger Karen Gunnison instead, but she was defeated by Eichelberger in the primary.
The decision led to hard feelings between Eichelberger and the Republican party, with Eichelberger later calling for an end to the “corrupt” party endorsement process.
