“By working as a strong and unified group for the last two years, House Democrats were able to defeat some of the most extreme proposals from the right wing of the Republican Party. But the struggle against an extreme and destructive agenda must continue,” said the leadership group jointly, “because the next two years promise continued painful budget choices and a renewal of tough legislative battles.
“Democrats will continue to fight for the interests of middle-class people and those who are struggling to reach the middle class. We will fight for tax fairness and the elimination of corporate welfare,” they said.
“We will continue to fight for the survival of our public schools and critical healthcare and public safety programs. We will continue to fight to protect this state’s pristine natural resources, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. And we must continue to fight for intelligent state policy that leads to more family-sustaining jobs for Pennsylvania workers, in particular taking the long overdue steps to restore the state’s transportation infrastructure.”
The caucus retained five members of the leadership team and filled two vacancies. Continuing in their leadership roles are:
Minority Leader: Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny), a representative since 1991.
Minority Whip: Mike Hanna (D-Centre), a representative since 1991.
Caucus Chairman: Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), a representative since 1999.
Democratic Policy Committee Chair: Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster), a representative since 1991.
Minority Appropriations Committee Chair: Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny), a representative since 1983.
Additionally, House Democrats selected two members to fill leadership vacancies created by the retirements of Reps. Jennifer Mann and Ron Buxton.
Caucus Secretary: Ron Waters (D-Philadelphia), a member of the House since 1999, Waters served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and as a deputy whip in 2011-12.
Caucus Administrator: Neal Goodman (D-Schuylkill County), a member of the House since 2003, Goodman will begin work immediately to assist the large group of new Democratic members in setting up their Capitol and district offices.
Casting their first votes as members of the caucus were 19 newly elected Democratic legislators, the largest group of newcomers since 2006.
The election outcome in the 39th Legislative District (Allegheny and Washington counties) is not yet known and could add another Democratic representative.
Special Elections
Two members of the Democratic Caucus will soon depart the House. Matt Smith (D-Allegheny) won election last week to the Senate, and Eugene DePasquale (D-York) will become Pennsylvania’s auditor general in January.
Both vacancies will be filled by special election in 2013.
