Rick Geist fails to make the fall ballot as the Democratic Party's nominee

Rick Geist's political career is over.

Representative Rick Geist's 34 year Harrisburg career is finally over. Today, the Blair County Election Board released the their final election totals and Geist has failed to receive enough w to be the Democratic Party's nominee on the fall ballot. The final election totals show that Geist only received 172 write-in votes.

Many Harrisburg insiders have speculated since Geist defeat on Tuesday that he would accep the Democratic Party's nomination if he received enough write-in votes. After the election Geist hinted about a possible run in yesterday's PA Independent article.

Geist said Thursday he likes his chances of winning the general election over McGinnis, but would first have to decide if it is worth it to run.

“I don’t know yet. I’d have to have a long discussion with the business community and others,” he said in a phone interview with PA Independent.

But in the end Geist came up short. Suprisingly when you look at the vote totals, John McGinnis the Republican Party's nominee who defeated Geist by 200 votes in the Republican primary received 80 write-in democratic write-in votes.

Richard Flarend, a physics and energy instructor at Penn State Altoona, did receive 306 write-in votes, enough to be on the ballot in the fall as the Democratic Party's nominee. This sets up an election battle between two Penn State Altoona professors both focusing on reforming state government in the November election.