Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
In what would be a first in decades, Cumberland County has likely elected a Democrat as a Court of Common Pleas judge. Sasha Sacavage is projected to win the Cumberland County judge seat made vacant with the retirement of former President Judge Ed Guido, according to Cumberland County’s count of complete precinct votes. Sacavage received 40,394 votes, placing her around 2,500 votes ahead of the Republican candidate, Magisterial District Judge Kathy Silcox, according to Cumberland County’s website. Silcox’s term as an MDJ in Mechanicsburg will expire at the end of this year. Democrat Christine Line flipped that MDJ office blue. The election of Sacavage to county court, if it stands following the counting of provisional ballots, would be the first time the Democrats have won a Cumberland County judgeship by election since at least World War II. Sacavage touts experience serving as legal counsel to members of the state house and counsel to the state house committee on ethics. She said she felt that experience in ethics is what pulled voters to her side. Sacavage told PennLive she is celebrating the election results with her father, a retired judge in Northumberland County. Before he was a judge, Sacavage said her father was the county’s district attorney. When he ran for that office, he was the first Democrat to win there in 50 years. “I feel like I did a repeat in Cumberland County. It feels amazing,” Sacavage said. Cumberland County Democratic Chairman Matt Roan, declaring a rare victory for his party in the judge race, anticipating more wins in two other row office races, and noting sweeps in several township and borough races, said “if a municipal year race can be be considered a wave election, I feel like this is a wave.” Sacavage touts experience serving as legal counsel to members of the state House and counsel to the state House committee on ethics. Sacavage said she will soon travel to Reno, Nevada to attend a judge’s school with other first-time jurists. She laments leaving her old post, but looks forward to the future. “I love my job, it’s a beautiful building, but I’m excited,” Sacavage said. “We’re popping champagne.”
