The area’s sitting representatives in the Pennsylvania state Senate and House of Representatives and the U.S. House held on to their posts following Tuesday’s general election.
Incumbent candidates generally enjoy an advantage due to name recognition and campaign financing.
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, one of the highest ranking Republicans in the U.S. House, at 2 p.m. Monday sent out invitations to his “election night victory celebration” to be held 6 to 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Nittany Lion Inn of State College.
He was, in fact, reelected to represent Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District, defeating 25-year-old Democratic challenger Zach Womer, also of Centre County. The Associated Press declared the race over at 9:30 Tuesday with Thompson at 276,286 votes to Womer’s 106,816 — 72 percent of the vote.
Thompson, 65, will now serve a ninth term in his heavily Republican district, which includes McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron counties.
Following his win, Thompson said in a press release, “I am so thankful for the volunteers and supporters who have made this victory possible. This election was about hard work, determination, and providing the voters a clear vision for the road ahead. We still have a lot of work to do and I look forward to addressing these challenges as your voice and vote in Washington.”
State Rep. Marty Causer, R-Turtlepoint, collected 25,926 votes to Democratic newcomer Rajeev Pradhan’s 5,662 — 82 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania’s 67th Legislative District, covering McKean, Potter and Cameron counties.
Causer told The Era on Wednesday, “I want to thank everyone for their overwhelming support. It’s an honor to continue representing the fine residents of Cameron, McKean and Potter counties in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. I am grateful for the support and look forward to continuing to fight for our rural communities in Harrisburg.”
State Sen. Cris Dush retained his seat representing the commonwealth’s 25th Senatorial District, which includes McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron counties, with 68 percent of the vote. Dush recorded 87,178 votes to Democratic challenger Bill McGill’s 41,856.
The area’s elections directors reported high voter turnout in their respective counties.
In McKean County, Brett Perry said, “Overall voting went very well. We had some long lines, but had a really good turnout. Approximately 76.5% of our total registered voters casted a vote in this election. There were unfortunately a lot of unregistered voters going to the polls, which also contributed to the wait times. Most of all I just want to thank our poll workers. They worked a long and stressful day to make this election happen, and it couldn’t be done without their dedication.”
In Potter County, Charlie Brown said “total voter turnout (was) 80.89% excluding provisional and (absentee ballots). Thank you to our election board, poll workers and voters — our Election Day went well.”
In Cameron County, which was one of several across Pennsylvania to receive an emailed bomb threat on election night, Annette Campbell said, “Our day and night did not go as smoothly as Potter County; however, our voter turnout was 74.20%, excluding provisional ballots, which will be reviewed during the Canvas and Computation on Friday.”
In a press release Wednesday, Cameron County Commissioner Jessica Herzing thanked “Pennsylvania State Police, Emporium Borough Police, Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, and Cameron County Emergency Management Director for their swift and coordinated response.”
She added, “Our team also encountered technical difficulties with our ballot scanning equipment, which led to a delay in posting results. However, our Election Office staff, with support and guidance from the Department of State, worked tirelessly to … post unofficial results shortly after 2:30 a.m. Their efforts ensured that all ballots were securely handled and that the integrity of our election was upheld.”
