Sen. Greg Rothman wins Pa. GOP chair over Bill Bachenberg
Bachenberg says ‘swamp may have won today’
Greg Rothman, a state senator from Cumberland County, was elected Pennsylvania Republican Party chair Saturday over Lehigh Valley businessman Bill Bachenberg by a 2-1 margin.
The chairmen and state committee members from the state’s 67 counties voted 248-120, with two abstentions, for Rothman, according to videos from the meeting posted on X. The meeting was held in Camp Hill, not Gettysburg as originally reported by media, including Armchair Lehigh Valley.
Rothman’s election was a victory for the party establishment led by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, who backed Rothman over Bachenberg.
Bachenberg – part of a ticket with vice chair candidate Lynne Ryan, leader of the Lawrence County Republican Committee – ran a grassroots effort, visiting and speaking with state committee members and chairs. He released a statement after losing Saturday’s contest, as reported by Harrisburg 100, an online news site for central Pennsylvania.
“During our short 38-day campaign, Lynne and I have heard from the grassroots and volunteers who are the heart and soul of our state. The swamp may have won today, but the MPGA [Make Pennsylvania Great Again] and MAGA movement can’t be stopped,” Bachenberg said. “The PAGOP establishment has awoke (sic) a pride of sleeping tigers, stay tuned.”
In a Jan. 8 interview with Liberty Lens, he credited President Donald Trump’s 2024 Pennsylvania victory not to the party organization but to grassroots efforts.
Rothman ran a campaign based on a theme of unity. The other candidates on his ticket also won: Bernadette Comfort of Upper Macungie Township, who was reelected to the vice chair post she has held since 2017; Mercer County Commissioner Ann Coleman, secretary; and Sam DeMarco, treasurer, a former at-large member of Allegheny County Council who recently became U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s southwestern Pennsylvania regional director.
McCormick, who supported Rothman, offered congratulations on X: “A huge congratulations to our new @PAGOP Chairman @wgregrothman! Together, Greg and Vice Chair @BernieComfort will build on the incredible and historic wins we had in 2024. I’m so grateful for all the candidates who stepped forward. Unified together we will work to implement @realdonaldtrump’s agenda and make a difference for every single Pennsylvanian!”
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the new Lehigh Valley area congressman from the 7th District, also offered congratulations on X: “Thank you to all the candidates in these races for stepping up and working to support our party. Looking forward to working together to secure victories for our candidates in the coming years.”
Mackenzie did not receive Bachenberg’s endorsement in winning the GOP primary in 2024; that went to his opponent Kevin Dellicker.
Bachenberg, owner of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in North Whitehall Township, has been a prominent supporter of Trump, holding rallies and fundraisers at his business and also serving as a co-chair of Sportsmen for Trump in 2020. He was an elector for Trump in 2024 and an unauthorized elector in 2020.
The party chair position opened up when Lawrence Tabas announced in December that he would not seek reelection to the job he held since 2019. His decision came after Ted Christian, a Bucks County man who led Trump’s 2016 campaign in Pennsylvania, said he would challenge Tabas for the job, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Then Christian dropped out, leaving the McCormick-backed Rothman as the only candidate until Bachenberg entered the race later in December.