In Monroe County, former Republicans battle for Democratic nod for DA

By: Patrick Abdalla - May 16, 2023 5:10 pm

The retirement of six-term Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine Jr. has sparked an interesting primary, with two former Republicans vying for the Democratic nomination.

Former assistant district attorney, Donald Leeth is going up against a current assistant district attorney, Michael Mancuso.

According to the Pocono Record, the two men left the GOP for different reasons. Leeth officially registered as a Democrat in February of 2021 because of the Jan. 6 insurrection, though he said he supported Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Mancuso said he has moved to more progressive positions as he got older.

The winner of the primary will face Republican Alex Marek.

Monroe County, just east and south of the Scranton area, has a population of 168,000.

The county has been trending blue in presidential cycles for two decades. In 2004, it went to former President George W. Bush by just 4 votes. Obama captured the county by 11,000 votes in 2008. That margin dipped back to just above 500 in 2016, but bounced back up to 5,000 in 2020 for Biden.

Christine, a Republican, was first elected in 1988.

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