Democrats are declaring victory in a Tuesday special election for a Pennsylvania state House seat, flipping a district that has supported Republican candidates for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brandon Dukes, the Democratic candidate, defeated Republican Scott Timko with a lead just shy of 100 votes in the race to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th District, according to Decision Desk HQ<\/a>. The pair will face off again in the general election this November for a full two-year term in the state House.\u00a0<\/p>\n GOP state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba’s April resignation sparked the<\/a> special election. At the time, she told fellow state representatives that she was leaving the post to spend more time with her family.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pennsylvania’s District 12 \u2014 which includes some of Pittsburgh \u2014 has not elected a Democrat to the state House in more than 20 years, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star<\/a>. During 2024’s general election, President Trump won the district by 18 points, while Scialabba won her race by 30 points.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Dukes’s victory temporarily broadens Democrats’ slim majority in the state House to 103-100. Less than one-third of registered voters in the district cast a ballot in the Tuesday special election, the Capital-Star reported<\/a>, leaving the door open for another competitive match-up in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement shared with the Capital-Star<\/a> on Wednesday, Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee spokesperson Bob Bozzuto held out hope for GOP candidates, noting that the general election will likely have “significantly more voter turnout” than the special election.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The General Election starts today with Scott Timko reaching out to voters, building a winning coalition, and holding Brandon Dukes accountable for his extreme positions that he continues to hide from voters,” Bozzuto told the local outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, Democrats celebrated the victory, with former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D) suggesting the race’s outcome indicates of a broader dip in support for the Republican Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This is a big deal: Brandon Dukes just flipped a Pennsylvania state House seat held by Republicans for almost 30 years,” Buttigieg wrote in a Wednesday morning social media post<\/a>. “His victory in Butler County reflects voters’ readiness for change, and the trust that he has earned in his district. I’m proud to be in his corner.”<\/p>\n Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) similarly labeled Dukes’s victory as a significant win for his party, pointing to the district’s historic support for GOP candidates in presidential and state-level contests.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Pennsylvanians are rising up and using their power to combat the chaos, cruelty, and corruption \u2014 and we’re not slowing down,” Shapiro wrote in a social media post<\/a> following the Democrat’s victory. “I was proud to back Brandon. Congratulations State Representative-Elect Dukes \u2014 I look forward to getting stuff done together.”<\/p>\n