Democrats in the US state of Pennsylvania have nominated Manheim Township School Board Chairwoman Nikki Rivera as a candidate for the Lancaster County House seat that Representative Mike Sturla is leaving at the end of his term this year.
The unexpected announcement of Sturla’s resignation earlier this week has left local Democratic officials in turmoil ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention and Thursday’s deadline for re-choosing ballots.
Sturla cited a desire to spend more time with his wife and young grandchildren as the impetus for his decision to retire after 34 years representing part of the city of Lancaster and its suburbs.
Sturla also told the Capital-Star this week that he believes it is the right time to leave the Legislature after supporting education reform advocates and lawmakers in creating an equity framework for school funding in this year’s budget.
Rivera, who was first elected as a school superintendent in 2016, told the Capital-Star this week that she had been considering running for the House since last year. She approached Sturla and told him she was interested in running for his seat in the 96th Legislative District when he retired.
Tom O’Brien, chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, said that given the tight schedule, the party gave county residents interested in the nomination until Wednesday to submit their resumes and statements. Five people expressed interest, but only Rivera formally applied. The committee unanimously selected her and the state Democratic Party’s executive committee approved her nomination on Thursday, O’Brien said.
Rivera will face Republican Eric Beezer, who supports legalizing recreational cannabis use. Beezer, who owns a Lancaster County store that sells hemp-derived CBD products, is running without his party’s endorsement and could not be reached Friday. Beezer was only registered as a Democrat in December.
Rivera is a Spanish teacher at Warwick High School in Lititz. Rivera said her nearly 30 years of experience as a teacher has helped her understand people’s needs and the importance of making sure those needs are met. As a state legislator, she can continue that work on a larger scale, she said.
One of her priorities will be to continue Sturla’s work for equitable education funding, Rivera told the Capital-Star.
Rivera said she also wants to work to protect women’s reproductive rights and address the state’s housing problems, both for people who lack financial resources and for those who have the means to buy or rent but struggle to find suitable housing near their place of work.
O’Brien said he expects the Democratic Party to easily transfer its support for Sturla to Rivera, who is well-liked in her community. He said there is little concern that Beezer could win the seat.
Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the state House of Representatives and hope to maintain or expand that majority in November, while Republicans are targeting Democratic representatives.
“They have a strategically flawed candidate who shouldn’t even be running,” O’Brien said. “They’re forgetting all the issues and forgetting that we think she’s right on all the issues, that she’s very popular and that she’s going to get a lot of independent votes and that she’s going to get a lot of Republican votes and that she’s going to beat this guy.”
