Wolf Wins

Democrat Tom Wolf was elected Pennsylvania governor Tuesday after the businessman and first-time candidate defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. Corbett is the first Pa. governor to go down in defeat in the four decades since the state's chief executive was allowed to run for a second term. Corbett was unable overcome a rocky first term and struggled to sell his record as a fiscal and social conservative. At over $73 million, this governor’s race broke Pennsylvania's campaign spending record. Corbett said he called Wolf to congratulate him and wish him well. Wolf, 65, will become the 47th governor of Pennsylvania. Of the key issues throughout the campaign, those that helped Wolf win the election, according to exit polls, centered on restoring money that Corbett had cut from education and promising to raise taxes on the state's booming natural gas industry. Corbett struggled to connect with voters not only on those fiscal issues but he also had difficulty overcoming some image problems with such things how he handled the Jerry Sandusky and Penn State investigation. Ultimately, Tom Wolf received 55% of the vote to Tom Corbett’s 45%.

In Other News Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick secured a fourth in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. He has announced that this will be his final term in office. Additionally, state Sen. Chuck McIlhinney won re-election to the 10th District seat, beating Steve Cickay. Throughout the nation, Republicans were able to take the Senate away from Democrats Tuesday, giving the GOP full control of Congress, putting President Barack Obama in a difficult spot for his last two years in office. Mitch McConnell is expected to become the next Senate majority leader. Voters in Oregon and Washington, D.C., have voted to approve sweeping pro- marijuana legalization. In Oregon, the law legalizes personal possession, manufacture and sale of marijuana for people 21 years of age and older. The Oregon law will also create a commercial regulatory system for the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. Washington, D.C.'s proposal, while scaled back compared to the Oregon proposal, allows for a person over 21 years old to posses up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use and grow up to six cannabis plants in their home. It also allows people to transfer up to one ounce of marijuana to another person, but not sell it. The issue is not fully resolved for the District of Columbia, however. Because of its unique status as a district, not a state, Congress has the authority to overrule D.C. laws and some lawmakers have signaled that they would likely work to overrule the popular vote. Police are asking for the public's help to find 22-year-old Carlesha Freeland-Gaither. Two days after a Philadelphia woman's abduction was captured on video, police say they have a lead across the state line: Someone used her bank card in Maryland.