Democrat Michael A. O’Pake scored an upset win Tuesday in the race for Schuylkill County district attorney, defeating incumbent Republican Christine A. Holman by a comfortable margin of more than 2,600 votes.

O’Pake tallied 15,359 votes to 12,756 of Holman, who was the first female ever elected DA in the county and served just one term.

O’Pake, 54, of Norwegian Township, once served as an assistant district attorney and currently works in the public defender’s office. He served 22 years as an assistant district attorney before resigning when Holman took office. He assumed his current position in 2014.

O’Pake officially announced his campaign for Schuylkill County District Attorney in January.

But after taking the seat over incumbent Republican Christine Holman Tuesday night, he said the idea started long before that.

“Quite honestly I started this process four years ago, the night after the election four years ago, I knew I was going to run for district attorney,” O’Pake said.

O’Pake and his supporters gathered at the St. Clair Fish and Game to watch election returns Tuesday night.

Numerous supporters hugged and joked with the candidate after the win.

O’Pake said after nearly a year of campaigning, he is taking the weekend off with his wife and daughter to visit their son, who attends college in South Carolina.

“It was a full-time job on top of my full-time job, which I’m a solo practitioner, on top of having a family,” O’Pake said.

He expressed some frustration about negative ads run by his opponent during the campaign, calling them deceitful and misleading.

“I think the voters are tired of that,” O’Pake said. “Schuylkill County doesn’t need to put up with that, and I think that’s what the vote totals have shown.

He also promised to put his stamp on the office through a proactive approach, contrasting that with his predecessor, Holman.

“I said it before, she allowed the system to control her. I’m going to control the system. I think that’s the biggest thing that needs to happen,” O’Pake said.

Holman defeated Democrat Karen Byrnes-Noon in 2013. Byrnes-Noon, who was first assistant district attorney to James P. Goodman, took over the office after Goodman was elected a common pleas court judge. Holman won that election by fewer than 100 votes.

Also winning another term Tuesday was Sheriff Joseph G. Groody, who ran unopposed. He got both party nominations in the spring primary and gathered 25,891 votes Tuesday.

The wins by O’Pake and Groody put the two top law enforcement positions in the county in the hands of Democrats.

Other voting

Two County Common Pleas Court judges faced retention votes Tuesday and both easily won another 10-year term.

President Judge William E. Baldwin got 19,787 yes votes to 6,198 no votes. Judge Jacqueline L. Russell received 19,616 yes votes and 6,109 no.

Four of the county’s district judges ran for new six-year terms and the four received both party nominations in May.

Tuesday was just a formality for the four. The vote totals were:

Stephen J. Bayer, who serves the Tamaqua area, got 2,683 votes; James F. Ferrier, who serves the Orwigsburg area, got 6,036; Jimmy Reiley, who serves the Pottsville area, got 2,258; and Christina E. Hale, who serves the Frackville area, got 4,260.

County voters also cast ballots for seats on the three state higher courts.

In the race for four seats on the state’s Superior Court, county votes supported the Republican candidates as follows: Mary Murray 14,307; Craig Stedman 14,222; Emil Giordano 13,570; and Wade A. Kagarise 12,459. Democratic candidates vote totals were Maria McLaughlin 11,469; Debbie Kunselman 9,939; Carolyn H. Nichols 9,278; and Geoff Moulton 7,747.

Green Party candidate Jules Mermelstein got 1,599.

Statewide the Democrats won three of the four seats led by McLaughlin, Kunselman and Nichols. The lone GOP winner was Stedman.

One seat was up on the state Supreme Court. Republican Sallie Mundy sought her own 10-year term having been appointed to the court last year to fill a vacancy. She won in the county with 18,135 votes to 8,307 for Democratic challenger Dwayne Woodruff.

Statewide Mundy won the race and retained her seat on court.

There were two seats up for election to the state Commonwealth Court. County voters supported the two Republican candidates, with Chris Fizzano Cannon getting 15,337 and running mate Paul Lalley getting 24,056. Democratic candidates Irene M. Clark got 9,076 and Ellen Ceisler 8,411.

Statewide the winners were Fizzano and Ceisler.

There were retention votes for three justices.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Thomas G. Saylor and Justice Debra Todd were retained getting 16,617 and 16,465 votes respectively.

Justice Jacqueline O. Shogan was retained for the Superior Court with 16,654 votes.

The three were also approved statewide.

County voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution giving the state legislature the power to change the method of using property taxes to support school districts. County voters cast 18,113 yes votes to 7,987 no tallies.