Ezra Nanes appears to be on his way to becoming the next mayor of State College.
Though the election results are not yet final, Nanes has a nearly two-to-one majority over Jim Leous in the Democratic primary election, with 1,568 votes (65.8%) to Leous’s 815 (34.2%). According to the elections office, about 2,000 mail ballots countywide are still to be reported.
Nanes issued a statement on Wednesday night declaring victory.
“I am deeply honored to have the support and confidence of the voters of the Borough of State College,” he said. “… Our community spoke with resounding clarity and unity of purpose to affirm the most fundamental part of our vision that all people be loved, valued and respected for who they are, be protected, have access to representation and to the resources of our community and that every person has the same right of self-determination accorded to each of us.”
Local news from StateCollege.com and Centre County Partners. Read about 6 Candidates Claim Nominations for State College School Board and more from the State College, PA region
Though results are not finalized and a mix of in-person and mail-in ballots are still being counted, Centre County released preliminary polling numbers for State College s primary elections as of 11:25 p.m. Tuesday night.
For the boroughâs mayoral race, two democratic candidates are battling to replace Ronald Filippelli, current interim mayor, in the general election Nov. 2.
Jim Leous, a member of the State College Area School Board, is largely behind former State Senate nominee Ezra Nanes. No Republican nominees are on the ballot, though 186 write-in votes have been cast thus far.
The current mayoral vote count is:
Jim Leous with 815 votes (34.5%)
This report will be updated as more results become available.
With all precincts partially reporting, Ezra Nanes is leading Jim Leous in the Democratic primary for State College mayor.
As of 11:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Nanes had 1,568 votes (65.8%) to Leous’s 815 (34.2%). There was one write-in vote.
According to the Centre County Elections Office, all in-person votes have been tabulated from each of the county’s 87 precincts, but countywide about 2,000 mail ballots remain to be counted. Processing of those ballots will resume at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
The vote total in the State College mayoral primary has already surpassed the 2017 primary by about 200 votes.