Republicans to choose nominee on Saturday for 36th Senate District special election

The GOP nomination in the 36th Senatorial District special election is Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons’ to lose heading into Saturday morning’s committee member meeting at Landisville Intermediate Center.

Parsons, of East Hempfield, won 114 informal votes through the county GOP’s straw polls this month. That total would push him past the needed majority of the 207 voting committee members in the 36th.

Not all eligible committee members participated in the straw polls, but Parsons boasted a sizable lead over his nearest competitor, state Rep. Brett Miller.

Miller, also of East Hempfield, obtained 80 informal votes but pledged last week to remain in the race through the nomination process.

Two other Republican candidates – J.P. McCaskey High School teacher Steven Heffner and retired Columbia resident Brad Witmer – received just one vote each.

The Republican-heavy 36th District covers 25 municipalities across northern Lancaster County, including the Hempfields, Manheim Township, Elizabethtown and Ephrata. Its population is roughly 269,000 people.

Ryan Aument represented the 36th since 2014 but he resigned last month to lead U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s state offices. His resignation triggered a special election, which is scheduled for March 25.

March 10 is the voter registration deadline for residents of the 36th.

The Republican nominee will face East Petersburg Mayor James Andrew Malone, a Democrat tapped as the party’s nominee last week. The Libertarian Party also announced last week it nominated Mount Joy resident Zachary Moore, a geographic information systems analyst.