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On May 28th, voters in Potter County will decide the only runoff on the county’s ballot — the race for the 108th District Court. Two candidates emerged from the pack of contenders on March 5 to claim their spots in the runoff: Tim Pirtle and Sam Silverman.
All said, 8,782 voters cast ballots in the first round of the 108th contest, with Silverman and Pirtle earning a combined 53.77 percent of those ballots. However, because neither candidate earned a majority in the first round, voters have to head back to the polls in May.
This election is likely to have a low turnout, based on historical trends. But what elections count toward those historical trends? Today, we’re taking a look at every district court runoff in Potter County since 1992, the candidates who were in those runoffs, and what they might be able to tell us moving forward.
So, buckle up. And let’s go back in time.
47th District Court, Republican Primary, 2022
Runoff candidates: Joe Marr Wilson and Dee Johnson
Eliminated candidates: Alex Yarbrough
First-round results (in Potter County only): Johnson (44%), Wilson (36%), Yarbrough (20%)
Runoff results (in Potter County only): Johnson (55%), Wilson (45%)
320th District Court, Republican Primary, 2018
Runoff candidates: Pamela Sirmon and Steven Denny
Eliminated candidates: Marcus W. Norris and Lynda Smith
First-round results: Sirmon (37%), Denny (31%), Norris (21%), and Smith (11%)
Runoff results: Sirmon (58%), Denny (42%)
47th District Court, Republican Primary, 2002
Runoff candidates: Hal Miner and Ana Estevez
Eliminated candidates: Carry Ann Baker, David Kemp, Robert Love, Perry L. Peek, Stewart Werner, and Ted Wood
First-round results (in Potter County only): Miner (23%), Estevez (19%), Kemp (13%), Baker (12%), Peek (12%), Love (11%), Wood (7%), Werner (2%)
Runoff results (in Potter County only): Miner (54%), Estevez (46%)
So, what do these numbers mean exactly for Potter County? Here are a few key takeaways:
Since 1992, the first-place candidate from the first round has never lost a primary runoff for district judge in Potter County.
Beginning with the 2002 runoff election, no candidate who led in the first round of voting for a district court primary election lost the subsequent runoff. In most instances, the race tightened in the second round, but the first-place finisher came out on top.
Tim Pirtle emerged with the smallest lead over the second-place finisher in any district court election since 1992.
In 2002, Hal Miner entered the runoff election with a roughly four-point lead over Ana Estevez from the first round of voting. Miner ended up beating Estevez in Potter County by about eight points in the second round. Meanwhile, in this year’s election, Tim Pirtle led Silverman by around three points in the first round of voting.
Fewer voters supported the two runoff candidates in the first round of this year’s election than any previous election since 2002.
If the results of this year’s primary election are a good indication, there are still plenty of voters up for grabs for both candidates. In this year’s primary election, around 55% of voters supported one of the two candidates who made it to the May runoff election. In comparison, 80% of voters supported the two runoff candidates in 2022, and 69% supported the runoff candidates in 2018. However, Silverman and Pirtle are heading into the runoff with more support than the 2002 runoff candidates, who only garnered around 39% of the vote.
While these numbers can only tell us so much, they do paint an interesting picture of what voters might be able to expect in the upcoming runoff elections. Either way, voters need to make sure to head to the polls on May 28th to ensure their voices are heard in the runoff for 108th District Court Judge.