(WHTM) — Catherine Wallen will represent Pennsylvania’s 193rd House District after a special election Tuesday.
The district covers parts of Adams and Cumberland counties. Wallen will serve the remainder of Torren Ecker’s term, who resigned the position after he was elected judge of the Adams County Court of Common Pleas last year.
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The AP called the race before 10 p.m. with Wallen leading Democrat Todd Crawley by more than 1,500 votes.
Wallen, a York Springs native, served as Ecker’s district director. She will be the first woman to serve as a state representative for Adams County.
It’s a vital hold for the Republican Party in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a one-seat majority.
Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford Fulton) celebrated the victory, along with another in the 79th House District, though both districts are Republican strongholds.
Pennsylvania holds tons of special elections. That costs taxpayers millions.
“Mark my words: House Republicans will continue to carry our message of lowering taxes, fighting for families and unleashing the economic potential of every corner of the Commonwealth,” Topper said.
Wallen could soon have a rematch with Crawley, a retired HACC public and environmental health and safety director from Shippensburg Township. Both candidates previously pledged to get enough signatures to run in their parties’ May primary, as the seat is up for reelection in November.
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