Editing Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (section)

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|source=<ref>{{cite web|author=David Leip |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|92,444|62,504|1,484|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|86,929|64,873|1,697|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|78,688|52,451|4,762|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|58,325|64,307|2,213|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|61,127|72,492|2,349|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|64,953|69,573|1,502|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|52,328|62,199|5,059|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|43,577|60,174|13,066|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|49,285|56,623|21,238|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|59,059|58,553|480|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|69,169|58,482|1,640|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|67,822|59,976|7,282|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|60,058|74,655|1,296|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|81,358|51,128|1,120|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|57,044|79,040|7,296|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|43,895|106,397|1,779|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|70,711|102,998|562|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|92,458|65,155|1,207|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|88,967|72,579|715|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|71,674|61,869|2,068|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|67,984|73,674|541|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|79,685|101,577|622|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|81,572|105,008|1,997|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|52,672|60,975|2,281|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|67,872|73,319|220|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|46,475|20,472|20,449|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|49,419|23,473|2,683|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|25,348|19,999|1,832|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|4,970|13,461|22,907|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|24,594|17,379|1,760|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|27,809|13,518|1,568|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|21,793|16,470|1,454|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|22,718|17,305|1,225|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|14,118|15,734|1,377|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|15,543|15,218|797|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|12,859|13,806|592|Pennsylvania}}
{{PresRow|1880|Democratic|11,028|12,575|403|Pennsylvania}}
|}
{{U.S. SenHead|place=Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Seat=1|source=<ref>{{cite news |title=2024 Senate Election (Official Returns) |website=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by county |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/pennsylvania-senate-results}}</ref>}}
<!-- U.S. SenRow should be {{U.S. SenRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{U.S. SenRow|2024|Republican|87,048|64,495|3,442|Pennsylvania}}
{{U.S. SenFoot}}
{{clear}}

As of September 23, 2024, there were 203,321 registered voters in Luzerne County.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luzerne County voter registration |url=https://www.timesleader.com/news/1668020/luzerne-county-voter-registration-majority-flipped-to-red}}</ref> 
* [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]: 87,415 (42.99%)
* [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]: 87,332 (42.95%)
* [[Independent (United States)|Independent]]/[[Third party (United States)|Third Party]]: 28,574 (14.05%)

The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics. However, during the [[Luzerne County Council elections#2019 county council election|2019 Luzerne County Council election]], Republicans – for the first time – secured a majority on the [[Luzerne County Council|council]], the county's governing body. Thomas Baldino, professor emeritus of political science at [[Wilkes University]], suspected that the 2019 Luzerne County Council election results were due to the trending Republican preference in the county (mostly due to then-President Trump's popularity in the region).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesleader.com/news/761167/2-incumbents-4-others-win-county-council-seats|title = 2 incumbents, 4 others win county council seats|date = November 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/voting-republican-again-preferred-choice-in-county-1.2556383|title = Voting Republican again preferred choice in county| date=November 6, 2019 }}</ref> In 2024, Republicans took the lead in county voter registration.<ref>https://www.timesleader.com/news/1668020/luzerne-county-voter-registration-majority-flipped-to-red</ref>

During [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]], the county was considered a [[bellwether]] of the state. Until 2020, it had voted for the presidential candidate who carried Pennsylvania in every election since [[1936 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1936]]. Luzerne County has leaned Democratic in past presidential elections; however, that trend has changed in recent years. During the [[2000 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2000 U.S. presidential election]], Democrat [[Al Gore]] won 52% of the vote to Republican [[George W. Bush]]'s 44%. In [[2004 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2004]], it was much closer, with Democrat [[John Kerry]] winning 51% to Republican George Bush's 48%. Democrat [[Barack Obama]] carried the county twice (once in [[2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2008]], and again in [[2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2012]]). During the [[2016 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2016 presidential election]], the county swung dramatically to Republican [[Donald Trump]], who won it with 58% of the vote, the largest margin since President [[Richard Nixon]] in [[1972 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1972]]. It was the first time a Republican presidential candidate carried the county since [[1988 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1988]]. Trump also won the county easily in [[2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2020]]<ref>{{citation |url= https://ballotpedia.org/Pivot_Counties_in_Pennsylvania |title= Pivot Counties in Pennsylvania |work= [[ballotpedia.org]] |access-date= 2024-09-19 }}</ref> and [[2024 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2024]].

Luzerne County has generally voted Republican in [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] elections. In [[2000 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2000]], [[2004 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2004]], [[2016 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2016]], [[2018 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2018]], [[2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2022]], and [[2024 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2024]], the Republican candidates for the Senate won the county. However, Democratic Senate candidates carried the county in [[2006 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2006]] (with 60.6% of the vote), [[2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2010]], and [[2012 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania|2012]].

Democratic candidates for [[Pennsylvania governor]] won Luzerne County in [[2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2002]], [[2006 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2006]] (with 67.5% of the vote), [[2014 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2014]], [[2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2018]], and [[2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2022]]. In recent years, the county voted for a Republican gubernatorial candidate only once (in [[2010 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|2010]]).

Near the end of the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]], nine [[mail-in ballots]] for the county were discovered in a trash can, several of which were cast for Trump. An investigation was started, and after several months it determined that the incident was accidental.<ref name="The Guardian Election Controversy">{{cite web|last=Levine|first=Sam|date=2 December 2023|title=Exodus of election officials in one county rings alarm for US democracy|website=[[TheGuardian.com|The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/02/pennsylvania-county-exodus-election-officials-alarm-us-democracy|access-date=4 December 2023}}</ref> Trump used this controversy to attack the legitimacy of the election.<ref name="CNN Ballot Incident">{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Marshall|date=24 September 2020|title=White House touts unusual Justice Department announcement about 'discarded' Trump ballots in Pennsylvania|website=[[CNN]]|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/24/politics/doj-trump-ballots-pennsylvania/index.html|access-date=4 December 2023}}</ref> Later, in the 2022 midterm elections, another controversy occurred when an error caused several [[voting machine]]s in the county to run out of paper.<ref name="The Guardian Election Controversy"/>

===United States Senate===
* [[Dave McCormick]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]]
* [[John Fetterman]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]

===United States House of Representatives===
* [[Rob Bresnahan]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district]]
* [[Dan Meuser]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district]]

===State Senate===
* [[Lisa Baker (Pennsylvania politician)|Lisa Baker]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 20|Pennsylvania's 20th Senatorial District]]
* [[Marty Flynn]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 22|Pennsylvania's 22nd Senatorial District]]
* [[Lynda Schlegel Culver]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 27|Pennsylvania's 27th Senatorial District]]
* [[Dave Argall]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 29|Pennsylvania's 29th Senatorial District]]

===State House of Representatives===
* [[Dane Watro]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 116|Pennsylvania's 116th Representative District]]
* [[Mike Cabell]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 117|Pennsylvania's 117th Representative District]]
* [[Jim Haddock]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 118|Pennsylvania's 118th Representative District]]
* [[Alec Ryncavage]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 119|Pennsylvania's 119th Representative District]]
* [[Aaron Kaufer]], [[Republican Party (United States)|R]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 120|Pennsylvania's 120th Representative District]]
* [[Eddie Day Pashinski]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 121|Pennsylvania's 121st Representative District]]