Drew Bingaman, the Pennsylvania Pirate Party’s state captain and a former national leader of the U.S. Pirate Party, is reentering the race for Pennsylvania’s 108th House District as an independent candidate after previously suspending a Democratic primary bid earlier this year.
Bingaman initially launched his campaign last October, announcing at the time that he would seek the nomination of the Democratic Party. However, he stated earlier this month that the effort was suspended after his campaign failed to collect the necessary signatures required to qualify for the state’s May 19 primary ballot.
In a statement released last week and reshared by the U.S. Pirate Party, Bingaman said he will reenter the race, instead seeking ballot access in the general election as an independent candidate, also referred to in Pennsylvania as an unaffiliated candidate. Bingaman accused the Democratic Party of fielding a party insider for the district and added that the Republican Party similarly has a candidate lined up. He presented himself as “a third way,” adding, “This isn’t new for me—it’s who I’ve always been.”
The party, which initially backed Bingaman in January as “a fighter and a champion” for the Pirate cause, said it plans to resume its support of his campaign in the general election.
“Don’t call it a comeback; call it a course correction,” the party added in the statement. “We’re excited to see Drew’s campaign continue and we’re excited to continue working together in bringing about meaningful change. Your party will continue to support you every step of the way.”
Unlike his initial bid, which required Bingaman to collect 300 valid signatures to qualify for the primary ballot, running outside a major party will likely require a significantly larger number. Under Pennsylvania law, such candidates must collect signatures equal to two percent of the largest vote cast in the district for any office in the last preceding election. In this case, that figure will likely be based on the results of the 2024 presidential race. The total must also be at least equal to the 300 signatures required to qualify for the primary ballot.
Bingaman previously served as captain of the Pirate National Committee before losing his reelection bid at the party’s 2025 Pirate National Conference. The recent statement also provided additional background on Bingaman, including that he helped found the Susquehanna Valley Libertarian Party in 2013 and later served as chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2019.
Outside of his current state party leadership role, Bingaman is also an elected constable in Sunbury’s 6th Ward, a position he has held since first winning election in 2017. In both his initial election and his 2023 reelection bid, official results show he won as a write-in candidate.
Similar to his earlier campaign, Bingaman said he plans to focus on issues relating to police accountability, cannabis legalization, digital privacy protections, government transparency, and policies aimed at supporting small businesses. He will have until August 3 to file the signatures required to appear on the general election ballot.
Pennsylvania lets candidates who use the independent procedure choose a partisan label, so he is free to have the label “Pirate Party” if he wishes.