Ballot guide Pennsylvania primary election 2022: Lieutenant Governor

Among other duties, the lieutenant governor presides as president of the state Senate — voting in case of a tie. There are three Democrats and nine Republicans running for this position in the primary.

Democrats

Austin Davis

Davis is the current representative of Pennsylvania’s 35th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for Governor, has endorsed Davis as his candidate for Lieutenant Governor, as has the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. He believes in access to education, creating sustainable jobs, and making sure that the working class is protected. If elected, Davis would make history as the first Black lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania.

Brian Sims

Sims has been the representative for the 182nd District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2012. Sims is in favor of LGBT civil rights, strengthening public education, making health care more affordable, investing in alternative energy, making Philadelphia safer, and making education accessible.  

“Pennsylvanians should be able to seek higher education without experiencing financial burden,” Sims wrote in a statement emailed to The Daily Pennsylvanian. 

"Public and community college educations should be free of charge to those who seek them. Pennsylvania could fund free public and community college by closing our numerous corporate tax loopholes and instituting a progressive income tax," Sims wrote. 

Sims added that he is the sponsor of HB 1805, which would make federal student loan forgiveness tax-free in Pennsylvania during the period granted in the American Rescue Plan. He also wrote that he is the prime sponsor for HB 613, which would require the Pennsylvania Department of Education to publish an annual report card for each postsecondary institution in the commonwealth based on sexual violence and harassment incidents reported by these schools. 

Ray Sosa

Sosa was previously the chairman of the Governor's Human Rights Advocacy Committee for a decade. He is the first Latino person to ever run for this position in Pennsylvania. Sosa also believes in offering post-prison opportunities for offenders who deserve a second chance, fixing Pennsylvania’s rural infrastructure, and reforming tax structures to help local farmers.

Sosa told the DP that he decided to run for lieutenant governor to ensure that the state is prepared for natural disasters and to fix Pennsylvania’s infrastructure. 

“My primary goal is just to make sure that we put our state in the safest position possible,” Sosa said. 

Republicans

Josh Brown

Brown is a Northampton County Council member, and he was previously the mayor of Bangor. He lost his election in 2016 when he ran as Pennsylvania auditor — where he campaigned as pro-life and a supporter of the Second Amendment.

Jeff Coleman

Coleman is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving in his position for four years. He has been endorsed by United States Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Coleman's platform includes expanding parental choice between public and private schools, re-establishing the value of small towns, and rebuilding the workforce. 

Teddy Daniels

Daniels is a former police officer and Army veteran. After being wounded in 2012 in Afghanistan, he was given the Purple Heart award. He then founded National Cannabis Security Services, a company that provides security and transport for the legal marijuana industry. As the Northeast U.S. Director of Vets for Trump, his political platform mirrors parts of the former president's views. Daniels' platform includes protecting gun rights and fighting for election integrity, and he believes in term limits for members of Congress.

Carrie DelRosso

DelRosso is the current representative for District 33 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. If elected, DelRosso wrote in a statement emailed to the DP that her biggest goals are to "get Pennsylvania back on track, stop losing jobs, stop losing population, stop losing faith in ourselves, secure elections, grow education, and fix healthcare." 

Her platform also centers around ensuring that Pennsylvania is not turned into a "sanctuary state," creating new private sector jobs, and strengthening law enforcement.

“Pennsylvania deserves a woman who has experience in both the public and private sector who will bring dignity back to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor," DelRosso told the DP. 

Russell Diamond

Diamond has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2014. Prior to his election, he owned his own recording studio called Raintree Multimedia. 

He has been criticized for his opposition of COVID-19 health measures and for his call for Pennsylvania to withdraw the certification of the 2020 presidential election. 

Diamond’s key policy goals include ending vaccine mandates, restoring election integrity, removing mask mandates, and eliminating critical race theory. He is also pro-life and in favor of the Second Amendment. 

Chris Frye

Frye worked for social services before serving as the first Black mayor of New Castle. He bases a lot of his political beliefs and leadership style on his Christian faith. Frye supports making more efficient use of Pennsylvania’s natural resources to be used in the energy industry. 

He supports all public safety forces, is pro-life, and against marriage equality — positing that "marriage is a union between man and woman" on his website.

“As a fellow young Republican, I am currently serving as an executive branch elected official,” Frye told the DP. “I understand the job. I know what it takes to restore decorum in State government while also fighting to solve problems that affect us all. My experience as Mayor taught me how to solve challenging issues. Three months into office COVID-19 struck. I didn’t run from that adversity, rather I used my skills to protect the tax payers.” 

James Jones

Jones is a Navy Veteran and businessman. He has worked in human resources and petroleum brokerage. He has run unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives twice — in 2008 and 2016. Jones' policy platform explains that he is pro-life and in favor of the Second Amendment, school choice policies, and strengthening election integrity.

Rick Saccone

Saccone served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018 and was previously was an adjunct instructor at Saint Vincent College. He also was in the Air Force and U.S. Army. He participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, but he was not charged since he never entered the building. He is pro-life, wants to eliminate school property taxes, eliminate mask mandates, restore election integrity, reform taxes, and preserve religious liberty.

Clarice Schillinger

Schillinger is the current executive director of Back to School PA, an organization that aims to address the consequences of COVID-19-induced school closures and students' "learning loss, mental health, and behavioral issues." If elected, Schillinger plans to revamp the education system, reduce regulations on businesses, and support law enforcement.