Dean wins in 4th District
LANSDALE » U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean will head back to the nation’s capital to serve another term following her 2020 General Election victory over Republican Kathy Barnette, a first-time contender.
“I feel very, very good about this win,” Dean, D-4th Dist., said Thursday.
The 4th Congressional District includes parts of
Berks and Montgomery counties. She was first elected in 2018.
Unofficial results Thursday in Mongtomery County were 256,113 votes for Dean; 170,751 for Barnette.
In Berks County, Barnette received 6,855 votes to 3,764 for Dean, according to Berks County’s unofficial election results.
“I think the response shows that our work has mattered; that people get it, and rewarded it by giving me a second term,” Dean said. “So I feel really, really happy.”
Dean ref lected on navigating Election Day during the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting more
than 20 polling places in her district.
“Obviously, this time we did it much more at a distance with masks and safety, but it was so heartening, thrilling really to see the long lines, and see people patiently waiting. No drama,” Dean said, “just a very American thing to stand, and wait, and cast our vote for the future.”
She expressed her appreciation for all those involved in the election process, but gave a special shout-out to the ballot counters.
“The people counting the ballots are the heroes here,” she said. “They get that every single vote matters, and I think that when we count every single ballot, decency in the end is what wins.”
The Montgomery County election results site noted on Thursday that there were 609,250 registered voters and an 82.91 percent voter turnout rate.
There have been 508,442 total ballots received, and 505,120 counted. Additionally, 100 percent of the in-person votes were reported, and 98.46 percent of the mail-in ballots were recorded.
A statement on the election resources webpage read that “after counting ballots for 24 hours a day, Montgomery County has counted the ballots received by 8 p.m. on Election Day that are able to be counted up to this point.” There are “a number of ballots still under review as part of the official canvass process,” and “ballots that are eligible to be counted will be added to these totals,” acording to the site.
Dean outpaced Barnette in the election’ s mail-in component with 160,062 votes to Barnette’s 40,229 votes. Barnette had 130,522 votes on Election Day compared to 96,051 for Dean.
Contacted Thursday, Barnette said she had “mixed” feelings about the congressional race.
“I say mixed because this past Tuesday we just experienced a tale of two elections,” she said. “The one election that took place on Tuesday, which I beat my opponent hands down. I even did better than the president showing that my American message resonates, and how the crossover appealed. But then we also had this other election that took place for almost a month with very little transparency, very little insight on this process.”
Barnette filed a motion Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on Tuesday concerning “certain procedures used by the Montgomery County Board of Election during the intake of mail-in ballots, and to notify electors of any potential issues that were identified in the intake process,” according to Montgomery County Communications Director Kelly Cofransisco.
“I filed a lawsuit because it was the right thing to do,” Barnette said.
“We believe our process is sound and permissible under the election code,” Cofransisco said in a statement Tuesday night.
A hearing took place Wednesday morning, and according to Barnette, while “it’s an ongoing case,” her “lawyers have submitted an additional brief and a response, and the other side has until Friday to respond and then the judge will make his decision.”
“But this is so much bigger than whether or not I win or lose,” she said. Barnette added the suit has potential implications that could reach beyond the parameters of the 4th District.
“My case is now being used as a source for the state case that has just been picked up as well with several plaintiffs at the state level,” Barnette said. “We have a voter integrity issue here in Pennsylvania, specifically in our district. We need to have transparency around this large number of mail-in ballots that came in.”
The first-time candidate said she loved what “my team and I were able to accomplish,” and enjoyed “having people hear my voice” while out campaigning.
“I started this time last year as a stay-at-home mom homeschooling my kids,” she said. “A portion of me is very happy to have one chapter of this election behind me as we pivot to see what happens on Friday, and then going forward.”