The Montgomery County Republican Committee on Thursday night endorsed Karen Houck in the 152nd Legislative District.
Houck is seeking to succeed Republican Rep. Tom Murt, who is not running for another term.
The district includes portions of Bustleton and Eastern Montgomery County.
The Philadelphia Republican Party will likely go along with the Montgomery County decision, since there are many more voters in the suburban part of the district.
The likely Democratic candidate is Nancy Guenst, the mayor of Hatboro.
In a letter to committee people, Houck wrote, “With your support, I am committed to extending outgoing State Representative Tom Murt’s legacy of putting people before politics.”
Houck and her husband, Charlie, have a daughter who attends the University of Tampa. She has a marketing degree and worked in the residential mortgage lending industry before becoming a full-time mother and volunteer.
Houck served six years (four as president) on the Upper Moreland Free Library Board of Trustees; became chairwoman of the Upper Moreland Revitalization Task Force in 2011; was a member of the Willow Grove 300 Tricentennial steering committee; was a board member of the Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce; was a Girl Scout troop leader; and graduated in 2015 from the Penn State RULE program for rural and urban leadership training.
In 2015, she won the Republican and Democratic primaries for a seat on the Upper Moreland School Board and was elected in the general election.
If elected state representative, her priorities will be increased funding for public schools; transportation and infrastructure; job creation; redevelopment; opposition to higher taxes; and protecting the environment, including addressing water contamination. ••
