NorCo Election Takeaways

Here are some of my election observations. Feel free to add your own.

1) Republicans are on the wrong side of a woman's right to choose.  - During the primary, Democrat Brian Panella barely mentioned this topic and was nearly defeated on his own side. In the general, he made sure voters were aware that he fully supports women's rights. It worked. We are very polarized, and I suspect few Democrats or Republicans would split their tickets. I believe Panella picked up most of the independents.

2) People like to be asked. - In the general election, Panella pounded the pavement, looking for votes in all four corners of the county. He visited hard-core conservative areas like the Slate Belt and Lehigh Tp, This strategy, conducted with a different campaign team than he used in the primary, probably won over some voters. In stark contrast, Council person John Cusick ran what I'd call a stealth campaign. He raised no money other than what he sunk into the race himself. He made no attempt to reach Democrats who would have supported him. 

3) Voters had little information. - Our local news outlets no longer have the staff to cover local government, and voters are left with little choice but to vote their party or for a person whose name they like. 

4) Landfill foes swept in Lower Saucon Tp. - I've received numerous comments over the past several months telling me that Lower Saucon Tp's silent majority supports the landfill. This narrative is contradicted by election results showing they swept in the Township Council races. 

5) Money matters. - Candidates like Jeff Warren and Ken Kraft spent a great deal of money. Kraft would likely have won anyway because his district is heavily Democrat. But Warren's district is much more competitive, and he outspent his largely invisible opponent by a large margin.