Senator’s party change took leaders by surprise

Depending on whom you talk to, the move by state Sen. John Yudichak to change from Democrat to Independent is being viewed as either a brilliant strategic maneuver ahead of his 2022 re-election bid or political suicide.

The 49-year-old, third-term Luzerne County politician, who was re-elected without opposition last year, represents parts of his home county and all of Carbon County.

He was the only Democrat in the legislative delegation representing our area of Carbon and Schuylkill counties, and his decision to caucus with the Republicans gives the GOP a 29-21 edge in the state Senate. With a growing Republican surge in voter registration in both counties he represents, Yudichak found himself going against the grain as a Democrat.

In announcing the shocking news at a Harrisburg news conference this week, Yudichak caught local Democratic Party leaders off-guard by not notifying them in advance.

The announcement brought a sharp rebuke from Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County. There is no love lost between Yudichak and Costa, who was able to fend off a leadership challenge from Yudichak after the 2016 election.

“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,” Costa added.

Yudichak, of Plymouth Township, countered that the Democratic “tent” is getting smaller and many of its statewide goals no longer adequately reflect his nor those of his constituency. Yudichak believes the party has been taken over philosophically by a growing group of legislators in the Philadelphia suburbs whose views are much further left than his or his constituents.

As might be expected, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman welcomed Yudichak’s plan to caucus with the Republicans.

“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.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has not commented on the Yudichak announcement, which has attracted national attention. His high-minded reasons for the move also have been embraced by his constituents on social media.

Despite a Republican tilt, Yudichak has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. He also supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“I chose the politics of ‘we’ over the politics of ‘us versus them,’ ” Yudichak said in his statement. “I choose to reject the ‘purist’ politicians who now stand as unyielding impediments to the only thing that motivates me to be in politics — getting real things done that make a true difference in people’s lives.

“As an independent, I will continue to put people above politics,” he said. “I will continue to support Democratic ideas as well as Republican ideas when it is clear that they serve the greater good and help government work for people rather than the narrow interests of partisan ‘purists.’ ”

Yudichak, chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, and Wolf have clashed on some coal-related energy and environmental issues, especially since Yudichak’s district includes a significant part of the coal region.

It is pretty clear that Yudichak has loftier political ambitions, although analysts I spoke to are scratching their heads trying to figure out how he can attain them as an Independent.

He decided not to seek a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives when Republican Lou Barletta decided to run for a U.S. Senate seat last year. There also had been talk that he might have been interested in a run for state Auditor General next year, but word is that this is off the table, too.

If he does run for re-election as an Independent in 2022, his name would not be on primary ballots. Pennsylvania is a closed primary state, and only established parties command ballot positions. They are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Green.

One plus, starting next year, voters will not be able to cast straight-party ballots. They will have to fill in each candidate’s name. This would greatly enhance Yudichak’s chances because of his name recognition and incumbency. This change is one of a number taking effect in 2020 to try to enhance voter participation and turnout.

Yudichak was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1998 and served six terms. In 2010, he was elected to the state Senate to fill the seat of longtime Sen. Raphael Musto.

This is the same senatorial seat held between 1955 and 1965 by William Z. Scott of Lansford, although back then its municipal makeup was significantly different.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com