Democrats choose history professor for special election in 48th Senate District

By: Sarah Anne Hughes - October 21, 2019 1:35 pm

Michael Schroeder, Democratic candidate for the special election in the 48th Senate District. (Courtesy PA Democratic Party)

Democrats have picked a history professor and environmentalist to represent the party in an upcoming special election for central Pennsylvania’s 48th Senate District.

At a convention Sunday, the state party nominated South Annville Township resident Michael Schroeder, according to a press release. The district includes Lebanon County as well as parts of Dauphin and York counties.

Schroeder teaches at Lebanon Valley College and is executive director of the Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum.

Republicans, meanwhile, selected Lebanon County District Attorney Dave Arnold to be their nominee on Sunday. The election will be held on Jan. 14, 2020.

The seat was previously held by state Sen. Mike Folmer, a Republican who resigned in September after being charged with possession of child pornography. The GOP holds a 26,000-voter advantage over Democrats in the district.

“The people of Pennsylvania deserve a Legislature that gets things done, and the people of Lebanon, Dauphin, and York counties deserve a state senator who actually works on their behalf,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Nancy Patton Mills said in a statement. “I believe Michael Schroeder will do just that, and I’m proud to have him as our Democratic candidate in this special election.”

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Sarah Anne Hughes

Associate Editor Sarah Anne Hughes covers the governor and Pennsylvania's agencies. Before joining the Capital-Star, she was the state capitol reporter for Billy Penn and The Incline, and a 2018 corps member for Report for America. She was previously managing editor of Washington City Paper, editor-in-chief of DCist, and a national blogger for The Washington Post.