Twenty candidates seeking seats on three statewide courts faced off May 16. With seven statewide seats available, a total of 14 candidates won their party's nomination. Although the top vote-getters in the three statewide races had all received their party's endorsement in the lead-up to the primary, two candidates rated as “not recommended” by the Pennsylvania Bar Association won enough votes May 16 to head on to the general election in November.

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Superior Court

The Superior Court race was a very tight contest, with five candidates on both the Republican and Democratic tickets vying for four open seats.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Maria McLaughlin was the top vote-getter on the Democratic ticket with more than 23 percent, or 451,903 votes. Next was fellow Philadelphia Judge Carolyn Nichols, Beaver County Court of Common Pleas Judge Deborah Ann Kunselman and interim Superior Court Judge H. Geoffrey Moulton Jr., who came in fourth place with 18 percent of the vote.

The two top vote-earners on the Democratic side were both rated as “recommended” by the PBA, while the Democrats who came in third and fourth place both received “highly recommended” ratings.