The two candidates vying for a spot on the bench as Judge of the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas will face off once again in November’s General Election.
Bill Burke won the Republican Primary on Tuesday. And his opponent, District Attorney Mike O’Pake rolled to victory in the Democrat Primary.
That means they’ll meet each other – barring any third-party candidates that qualify – in the Nov. 7 General Election.
Burke and O’Pake each cross-filed for the May 16 Primary, meaning they appeared on both parties’ ballots. If either candidate had won both elections on Tuesday, they would have had a clear path to the win in November, being the only candidate on that vote’s ballot.
However, it appears voters weren’t fooled by the cross-filing.
O’Pake won election as District Attorney running as a Democrat. Burke labeled himself as a Republican while campaigning. And the results clearly showed that.
In the Democrat Primary, O’Pake picked up more than 5,800 votes while Burke managed to get a little more htan 2,000 votes.
On the GOP side, Burke eclipsed 10,000 votes and O’Pake had just less than 5,700.
| Common Pleas Court Judge - GOP - Top 1 wins | Votes (100% in) |
|---|---|
| ✅ Bill Burke | 10,286 |
| Michael A. O'Pake | 5.683 |
| Common Pleas Court Judge - Democrat - Top 1 wins | Votes (100% in) |
|---|---|
| ✅ Michael A. O'Pake | 5,872 |
| Bill Burke | 2,021 |
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