2019 in Review: Yudichak switches party to Independent

In 2019, the state senator representing much of Carbon County announced he was leaving the Democratic Party.

On Nov. 19, state Sen. John Yudichak, I-Luzerne, announced that he would change his registration to Independent and caucus with the Senate’s Republican majority.

Yudichak said he plans to support Democratic and Republican ideas which serve the greater good, rather than the narrow interests of partisan “purists.”

“The world is complicated,” he said. “Politics is complicated. Issues and problems in our county are complicated. We need to work together from different view points.”

Yudichak said his decision was prompted by the increasingly toxic political sphere.

Yudichak is a descendant of coal miners who supports organized labor. But on other issues including the environment he has found himself in opposition to his fellow party members.

Leaders in Yudichak’s former party criticized the decision, while his new caucus welcomed it.

Democratic caucus leaders said they were upset with the decision and said the party welcomes a diverse range of voices.

“This Democratic caucus promotes a ‘large tent’ approach, and we welcome debate and diverse opinions within our membership,” Costa said in a statement. “We’re extremely disappointed to see Sen. Yudichak turn his back on those values and his Senate colleagues who have supported him since his first election to this chamber in 2010,” Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, who leads the democratic caucus.

A joint statement from republican senate leaders Joe Scarnati and Jake Corman noted that Yudichak has voted independently even when he was still a registered democrat.

“He has always been an independent voice that has put the representation of his constituents ahead of political party. We applaud his decision to do what is in the best interest of his constituents in Luzerne and Carbon counties,” they said in a joint statement.

Yudichak reportedly offered to meet with Gov. Tom Wolf to explain his decision.

With Yudichak joining the Republican caucus, the GOP now holds a 29-21 advantage in the senate.