The Lead

Scranton Democratic state Sen. John Blake set to resign office for job with Cartwright

By: - February 14, 2021 5:34 pm

State Sen. John Blake, D-Lackawanna, flanked by state Reps. Marty Flynn, left, and Kyle Mullins, right. (Courtesy of Pa. Senate)

State Sen. John Blake, D-Lackawanna, is set to resign, three Capitol sources have told the Capital-Star.

Blake is leaving Harrisburg to take a job with U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8th District. The two northeastern Pennsylvania pols have scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference in downtown Scranton, according to a press advisory.

Cartwright is set to chair a Congressional appropriations subcommittee this session that manages $70 billion in federal funding for economic development, law enforcement, and science.

Blake, who was first elected in 2010, represents the 22nd Senate District, including Lackawanna County — home to Scranton — as well as parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. The district has hasn’t been represented by a Republican since 1970, although former President Donald Trump performed well there in 2016.

Until this year, Blake was a member of caucus leadership, before he was defeated in internal elections as part of a wider reshuffle that brought progressive women into the caucus’ brass. Blake and a caucus spokesperson did not reply to requests for comment.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Stephen Caruso
Stephen Caruso

Stephen Caruso is a former senior reporter with Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Before working with the Capital-Star he covered Pennsylvania state government for The PLS Reporter.

MORE FROM AUTHOR