State Rep. Tom Killion
With state Sen. Dominic Pileggi about to resign to take up his new role as Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge, the political process to replace him in the state Senate is starting to come into focus — and it appears the Republicans will nominate State Rep. Tom Killion to run for the open seat.
The only other known likely contender, State Rep. Steve Barrar said this week that he had decided not to seek the seat, citing concerns about the need to raise large amounts of money and the potential to lose his seniority in the State House, where he has served the 160th District since being elected in 1996. Killion, a former Delaware County County Council Chair, has served in the State House since 2003, representing the 168th District.
The state Republican Party has outlined the process for picking a candidate to replace Pileggi — with the 9th as a multi-county district, the state party presides over the process. The GOP county committee people from the district, 35 from Delaware County and 26 from Chester County will meet Jan. 7 at the Concordville Inn on US-1 in Concord at 7 p.m.
Although Killion appears to be the pick, other candidates may step up. Those interested in seeking the nomination are asked to contact Republican Party of Pennsylvania Political Director Cody Harbaugh by calling 717-234-4901, ext. 142 or by emailing charbaugh@pagop.org by Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. to ensure that every interested candidate is included in the process.
The Democrats will need to use a similar process to pick their candidates and are expected to announce their meeting date and time shortly.
The winning nominees will likely have to run in a special election — Pileggi’s seat must be filled within 90 days of his resignation — and then likely immediately have to run in a party primary in April before running in a general election in November.
