Clymer re-elected to 17th term in House
It looks like it will be two more years for Paul Clymer as the Pennsylvania state representative of the 145th district.
Clymer beat out Democrat challenger Mary Whitesell in Tuesday’s election.
Clymer, 75, lives in West Rockhill Township and has held RIfiFH VLQFH 1980, PHDQLQJ WKLV will be his 17th term as state representative.
Whitesell, 57, was born in Hungary and became a United States citizen when she was 18. 6KH QRW OLVHV LQ 6SULQJfiHOG Township.
Clymer had 64.7 percent of the VRWHV (19,639), WKLOH :KLWHVHOO had 35.3 percent (10,711), acFRUGLQJ WR UQRIfiFLDO HOHFWLRQ UH- sults on the Bucks County website.
Tuesday night, Clymer said he was very grateful to the community and the volunteers who participated in his campaign. Throughout the day, he had confiGHQFH LQ KLV FKDQFHV WR WLQ DQG trusted the community to vote for him once again, he said.
“I knew my support base was
very strong,” Clymer said.
He started his day at 7 a.m. going from voting station to voting station and ended his day of campaigning at 8 p.m.
“That’s what we need to do to encourage the voters and the poll workers,” he said of his long day.
“I worked hard, I knew that. My partner [Whitesell] didn’t work as hard she could have,” Clymer said.
Clymer said those he encountered Tuesday congrat- ulated him and thanked him for his service.
“vou have to dedicate yourself to the job. vou have to place your priorities,” Clymer said. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of time and VDFrLfiFH, EuW yRu dR LW IRr the common good. We’re a blessed country and a blessed state.”
Clymer said it was too early to call if he would run again in two years.
How will Clymer be celebrating? Very quietly, he said. He said he would go to a party at the Bucks County Republican Headquarters Tuesday night.
Whitesell said she spent her day visiting all the voting stations in the 145th district with a friend, and they exchanged pleasantries with those voting.
She said she thought it was wonderful to see a large turnout at the stations.
“It was especially heartwarming to see the young people turn out,” she said.
Recently, Whitesell said Perkasie residents had been talking to her about the importance of jobs and about a QHw FRQFHrQ WhDW LV flDrLQg up; she said residents were concerned with the Perkasie electricity rate, saying it was too high. One resident expressed concern that it would be hard to encourage business owners to come to Perkasie if the electricity rates were so high. Whitesell said even though this problem was more of a local issue than a state issue, she could still work to tackle it by setting regulations.
Though Whi t e s e l l may have lost the 145th district race, her attitude remained positive.
“My attitude has always been nobody really goes away a loser,” she said.
She and Clymer did not cross paths throughout the day, though they both visited voting stations throughout the 145th district. Whitesell said, however, that when she and Clymer run into each other, the two are amicable.
Whitesell said she could not make a commitment on if she would run again in two years.
“I’ve never been known as a quitter,” she said though.