Dem Zabel knocks off incumbent Rep. Santora in 163rd
Here are the results from Tuesday’s races for the Delco delegation to the Pa. House of Representatives. UPPER DARBY >> Democrat Mike Zabel bested twoterm Republican incumbent Jamie Santora in a tight race to win the 163rd House District.
Zabel, a first-time candidate for public office, secured 15,000 votes over Santora’s 13,000 with 814 of 844 machines reporting at 10:45 p.m.
Zabel made his victory speech at the Swarthmore Inn with hundreds of Democratic supporters.
“I can finally take off my tie tonight,” said Zabel as he started his speech. “We didn’t raise the most money, we didn’t have articles written about us. What we did is we went out and knocked on as many doors as anybody ever,” the last of his statement cut off by an uproar of audience applause.
“In 2016,” Zabel continued, “we heard all about what Democrats did wrong and how they weren’t the party of ideas. Well we went out there and we talked to people and that is why you see what’s up here today. I’m so proud of my team.”
He thanked his wife Lauren, who he called his true running mate and co-counselor. Zabel dedicated his victory to his father, “the original Mike Zabel.”
Zabel said the campaign was about cleaning up the toxic political atmosphere, and he wants decency. He extended that decency by thank Santora for the last four years he served as state representative to the 163rd District.
Santora conceded to Zabel around 9:30 p.m. from the Drexelbrook Catering & Special Events Venue in Drexel Hill.
The 163rd House District represents portions of Haverford and Upper Darby townships plus the boroughs of Aldan and Clifton Heights.
With state Rep. Margo Davidson winning reelection in the 164th house district, Upper Darby will now have both of its state representatives be Democrats.
Kirkland wins 2nd terms in 159th
Democratic state Rep. Brian Kirkland handily secured a second term in the
159th Legislative District against Republican challenger Ruth Moton, 13,379 to 4,113, in unofficial election results Tuesday with
100 percent of machines reporting in.
Kirkland, 37, of Chester, previously said he has helped bring in more than
$5 million in additional funding for seniors, school programs and various other initiatives in his district and that he hopes to do more in the future.
Kirkland also pointed to $500,000 the City of Chester received to install public cameras and said he would work to continue that endeavor if reelected, and said he would continue working with the governor to bring in more school funding.
The former Special Projects Coordinator for Chester, Kirkland attended East Stroudsburg University ans is the nephew of former state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, the current Democratic Mayor of Chester. Kirkland sits on the committees for Children & Youth, Gaming Oversight, Health, Tourism & Recreational Development and Urban Affairs. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and PA SAFE Caucus.
Moton, 53, of Upper Chichester, had run on a platform of increasing accessibility to state legislators. If elected, she said she would focus on increasing education funding, helping seniors pay for medicine, and instituting long-term drug and addiction recovery programs.
The 159th District is made up of Chester, Chester Township, Eddystone, Lower Chichester, Marcus Hook, Parkside, Trainer, Upland, and parts of Ridley and Upper Chichester.
Barrar wins another term in 160th
Longtime state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160 of Boothwyn, secured another two-year term in unofficial election results Tuesday over political newcomer Anton Andrew, according to unofficial election results posted Tuesday.
Barrar, 64, who first took the seat in 1996, had a lead in Delaware County of 10,644 to Andrew’s 8,232 with all but one machine reporting. Andrew, of Kennett Township, was leading in Chester County 5,985 to 4,269, giving Barrar a cumulative total of 14,913 to Andrew’s 12,501.
Barrar previously said he believes he has a done a good job working on issues that affect veterans, first responders and taxpayers. He pointed to helping rescue the 911 system from bankruptcy with a law that produced a surplus fund allowing 911 centers to upgrade to new technologies, as well as his efforts to bring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder under covered benefits for first responders.
Barrar is currently the Republican Chairman of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee and sits on the House Liquor Control Committee. The 160th District is made up of Bethel Township, Chadds Ford, Concord and part of Upper Chichester in Delaware County, as well as Kennett Square, Kennett Township, Pennsbury and Pocopson in Chester County.
Krueger-Braneky wins 2nd term in 161st
Rep. Leanne KruegerBraneky, D-161, of Swarthmore won a second term by fending off a challenge from Republican Patti Rodgers Morrisette in a rematch of their battle from two years ago.
According to unofficial results, Krueger-Braneky received 17,573 votes to Rodgers Morrisette’s 12,467.
Krueger-Braneky lost her first bid for state representative against then-incumbent Joe Hackett in 2014 but then won in a special election for the same seat a year later. She has held the seat since then.
Krueger-Braneky serves on the labor & industry, small business and appropriations committees. She also is vice chair of the SAFE Caucus and cofounder of the Climate Caucus.
Prior to her public office, Krueger-Braneky was executive director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia.
Rodgers Morrisette has been a realtor for 16 years, the last 12 with Long and Foster Real Estate in Media. She received the Five Star Professional Award for the last five consecutive years.
She serves on the board of the Delaware County Office of Services to the Aging (COSA), the Delaware County Women’s Commission and the Ridley Township Economic Committee.
A Ridley High alum, Rodgers Morrisette became active in politics through her parents, Bud and Helen Rodgers. She has also served as a Republican committeewoman and an Election Machine Inspector.
The 161st district in-
cludes Aston, Brookhaven, Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Rutledge, Swarthmore and parts of Ridley Township and Springfield.
Delloso flips 162nd Pa. House seat to Democrats
Democrat Dave Delloso has defeated Republican Mary Hopper in the 162nd Legislative District, flipping the seat for the first time in
40 years.
Delloso, 53, of Ridley, tallied 12,826 votes to Hopper’s 12,056 with 100 percent of machines reporting in, according to unofficial election results posted Tuesday.
Campaign manager Marlene Richmond previously said Delloso, the president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local
312, has a background in negotiating with management on behalf of workers that he feels would transition well to Harrisburg and allow him to reach across the aisle.
Richmond said Delloso would work to stem the loss of benefits and job security impacting working class families by closing tax loopholes for corporations and taxing gas drillers in the state. Delloso would also work to help relieve property taxes for underfunded school districts and seniors who are facing a choice between their home and healthcare, said Richmond.
Delloso has also advocated a $15 minimum wage, rebuilding public infrastructure to spur the economy and job growth, addressing the opioid and addiction crisis and ensuring healthcare for all in Pennsylvania. Hopper, 55, a Ridley Park attorney, had run on a platform of elected include addressing property taxes for seniors, ending the opioid epidemic, school safety and education.
The seat became open after Miccarelli, a five-term incumbent, decided not to run amidst rape and assault allegations brought by two women, including a fellow state Representative.
The 16nd District includes Collingdale, Folcroft, Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park, Ridley Park, Tinicum, and parts of Darby and Ridley townships.
Davidson rolls to another win in 164th
State Rep. Margo Davidson has secured a fifth term in the state House of Representative representing the 164th district.
Voting returns at 10:45 p.m. showed her easily clearing another Republican candidate by claiming approximately 16,000 votes to GOP challenger Inder Bains’ 3,300. This marks the second consecutive election year that Bains has lost to Davidson.
Davidson is the first woman, African-American and Democrat to serve the 164rd district which includes Upper Darby Township and the boroughs of Millbourne, Lansdowne, East Lansdowne and Yeadon.
Dem O’Mara edges Charlton in 165th
Democrat Jen O’Mara edged incumbent state Rep. Alex Charlton, R-165 of Springfield, by a razorthin margin.
At press time, O’Mara was ahead with 15,577 to Charlton’s 15,414 votes, unofficially.
O’Mara is a non-profit administrator from the University of Pennsylvania and is married to Brad Bitting, a two Purple Heart recipient who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Born in Southwest Philadelphia, she and her three sisters moved to Prospect Park after her dad, a career firefighter killed himself with a gun when she was 13-years-old. Her mom then got a union job driving a school bus for Upper Darby schools.
A product of the public schools, O’Mara was a firstgeneration college student who worked three parttime jobs while obtaining her degree.
Charlton had been a state representative since 2017 and previously served as president of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and chief of staff for state Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26.
He serves on the appropriations, consumer affairs, human services and tourism and recreational development committees.
The married father of three daughters, Charlton is known as an advocate for the disabled as his one daughter has a spinal cord injury that requires the use of a wheelchair.
The 165th district covers Morton and parts of Springfield, Marple and Radnor.
Vitali tops Baltazar in 166th race
Incumbent State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford, easily won another term in the House Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger Baltazar Rubio.
With at least 95 percent of the precincts reporting at press time, the unofficial countywide tallies were 17,293 for Vitali and 7,275 for Rubio.
Vitali, 62, of Havertown, is in his 26th year serving the district. A 1981 graduate of Villanova Law School, he practiced law for 12 years. In 1993, he was elected to the House as the first Democratic legislator from the 166th district.
Vitali campaigned on his record of protecting the environment, which he called his life mission.
During an election preview interview, Vitali said he works very hard at what he does. He said he considered himself a good legislator and he was hoping to be able to continue to serve the residents of the district. The lawmaker lost a Democratic primary bid for the 5th District congressional seat in May of this year.
Rubio, 47, of Havertown, considered himself a moderate Republican. Employed as a Delaware County public defender, he previously sought the 159th legislative seat when he was a resident of Chester, is a former elected school board director for the Chester Upland School District and former assistant solicitor for the city. He previously worked for a small law firm in Chester, and prior to that owned a building company.
His motto throughout the campaign: People before politics.
In an online message conceding the race, Rubio said he was drowned in the” blue wave,” but reminded local voters moving forward, “We’re not Washington.”
The 166th District includes parts of Haverford and Radnor in Delaware County, and part of Lower Merion in Montgomery County.
GOP’s Quinn hangs on in 168th, tops Dem Kristin Seale
Incumbent State Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, is returning to the House after holding back an impressive challenge by Democrat Kristin Seale.
At press time, the unofficial tally countywide was
15,826 votes for Quinn and
14,925 votes for Seale. Quinn, 51, owner of an insurance business, first won the seat in a July 2016 special election and was reelected the following November.
“I’m running because I’m tired of the partisanship in politics and the influence of special interests,” he said during an election preview interview. “I think we need more people in office who are willing to work on a bipartisan basis to get things done. I want to champion the values of local residents in Harrisburg on issues like common sense gun laws, increasing funding for public education, as well as being a good steward of both our environment and taxpayer money.
Quinn said he was backed by a diverse range of organizations including the Pennsylvania State Teachers Association, animal rights advocates, Delco United for Sensible Gun Control, the Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, among others, because they recognized that he has been a consensus builder during his first two years in the legislature. “My focus is on building bridges and finding areas of agreement, not divisiveness. Both parties need to work together, not against one another. Divisiveness and partisanship mean that the people are not being properly represented,” he said. He worked in the electronics industry before starting an independent insurance agency. He and his wife have three daughters.
Seale, 45, of Media, is director of operations of Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance Fund and serves as a Rose Tree Media School Board director. Seale was elected to serve as a Rose Tree Media School Board director in November 2017. She was a delegate pledged to Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America in the race. She and her husband have two daughters.
The 168th district includes Chester Heights, Edgmont, Media, Middletown, Newtown, Thornbury, Upper Providence and part of Marple.