Since the 2016 presidential election, there has been increased attention in American politics. Because of this, more people are being vocal about their opinions at the polls, and every stage of the election process has gained greater attention. With the primaries for the 2018 Pennsylvania election less than a month away, voters should be aware of who is running.

For the Democrats, incumbent Tom Wolf is seeking reelection. He has been favored in recent voter polls overall for the November election. In March, the pundit race ratings were leaning democrat overall. This bodes well for Wolf as his reelection campaign progresses.

On the Republican side, there are three contenders looking to move on to the general election in November. Laura Ellsworth, Paul Mango, and Scott Wagner are the three candidates seeking the nomination from the GOP for candidacy for Governor. Laura Ellsworth runs the Pittsburgh office of Jones-Day, an international law firm. One of the issues that Ellsworth is focused on in her campaign is job creation within Pennsylvania. Also, in a video created by the Ellsworth campaign, she takes a firm stance that there is a need for a change in Pennsylvania, from someone who has not been involved in politics.

“I’m running for governor of Pennsylvania because I’m tired of politicians treating us like we are stupid,” said Ellsworth.

Another candidate seeking the GOP nomination is Paul Mango. After serving for five years as a paratrooper in the army, Mango worked as a consultant for the McKinsey consulting firm. Like Ellsworth, he has spent a lot of his campaign speaking about the need for job creation and economic growth in Pennsylvania. Finally, Scott Wagner is seeking the bid for the Republican nomination. Wagner is a current member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing District 28 (York County). His campaign has been passionate about fixing Pennsylvania’s economy and having fiscal responsibility in Harrisburg.

More information about the nominees and their platforms can be found on their campaign websites.

Tom Wolf- https://www.wolfforpa.com/

Laura Ellsworth- http://ellsworth2018.com/

Paul Mango- http://www.mangoforpa.com/

Scott Wagner- http://wagnerforgov.com/

The Pennsylvania Primaries are May 15th, 2018. They operate in a closed system, so registered members of a party can only vote for the members running from that party, and independents cannot participate.