GOP dumps Pileggi as senate majority leader

HARRISBURG - Republicans in the state Senate executed a leadership coup on Wednesday, ousting moderate Sen. Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County as majority leader and replacing him with a more conservative lawmaker from the middle of the state.

At the same time, House Republicans elevated Majority Leader Mike Turzai of Allegheny County to replace retiring Speaker of the House Sam Smith of Jefferson County.

The new leadership slates, assembled during lengthy and contentious elections among legislators, leave the southeast without a voice in the top ranks of either chamber. And they also could present more pointed partisan challenges for Democratic Gov.-elect Tom Wolf.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman of Centre County dismissed the caucus election as an outright rejection of Pileggi's leadership.

"I guess every now and then people get an itch. I guess the caucus got a collective itch and changed leaders - but it's not a reflection upon [Pileggi]," said Corman, who as appropriations chairman was a member of Pileggi's team and who stressed a "pro-growth" agenda and creating jobs. "We are going to develop our own agenda as a caucus, and the governor-elect will have his, and I'm sure the House will have theirs."

For his part, Wolf said through a spokesman he was "looking forward to working with the newly elected leadership from both parties to move Pennsylvania forward."

Corman was backed by a group of conservative members - including Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) - who believed Pileggi was blocking their agenda and was too moderate to lead the chamber for the next two years.

Pileggi, a longtime political force in Delaware County who served as Senate leader for eight years, said he had no hard feelings about the vote. But he did not rule out a possible run against Scarnati for Senate president when legislators return in January.

"I've always served at the pleasure of the majority of the caucus," he said. "Every two years, the majority of the caucus has an opportunity to reelect me or not, and the majority of the caucus decided to elect Jake Corman. It's just that simple."

In the House, Republicans unanimously elected Turzai - the current House majority leader - as their new speaker, although he also must be approved by a vote of the full House when the new session begins in January.

Turzai said he looked forward to forging a relationship with the new governor, even as he noted what he said was the Republicans' modern-day record edge in the House, 119-84.

"We will work with Tom Wolf on private-sector job creation and continuing to reform Harrisburg," Turzai said at an impromptu news briefing.

Rep. Dave Reed of Indiana County, the current GOP policy chairman, was elected House majority leader.

Another Philadelphia-area legislator, Rep. Mike Vereb (R., Montgomery), lost his leadership post as majority whip. But Rep. Bill Adolph (R., Delaware) survived a challenge and will remain chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Democratic leadership teams in the House and Senate remained largely intact, with Rep. Frank Dermody and Sen. Jay Costa, both of Allegheny County, retaining their leadership posts in their chambers and Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia returning as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.