Last week’s local election results saw incumbents victorious and some state lawmakers unopposed.
Democratic state Sen. John Sabatina Jr. and Reps. Mike Driscoll, Ed Neilson, Jason Dawkins, Jared Solomon and Isabella Fitzgerald were unopposed.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-2nd dist.) won a rematch with Republican David Torres, taking 72 percent of the vote. Boyle will remain in the majority in the House of Representatives, though Democrats lost an undetermined number of seats when they were supposed to gain seats.
Sabatina and Democrats were gunning to flip four seats to gain the majority in the Senate, but didn’t net any and could wind up losing one.
Democrat Nancy Guenst won the 152nd Legislative District seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Tom Murt. The district includes portions of Bustleton. Guenst, on the power of the Montgomery County portion of the district, took 51 percent of the vote. Republican Karen Houck finished with 42 percent. Independent John Weinrich managed 7 percent. In the city portion of the district, Houck took 56 percent, followed by Guenst (42 percent) and Weinrich (2 percent). It would not be a surprise for the city divisions to go to a Philadelphia district following redistricting.
Democrats targeted Rep. Martina White, with Boyle starring in TV commercials for challenger Mike Doyle. But White prevailed with 61 percent of the vote, beating Doyle for the second cycle in a row.
Rep. Kevin Boyle defeated Republican Aaron Bashir with 61 percent of the vote, though Bashir managed to win the 57th Ward portion of the district.
Rep. Joe Hohenstein defeated the GOP’s John Nungesser with 59 percent of the vote. Nungesser won the 45th Ward, based in Bridesburg and Port Richmond.
In the presidential race, Joe Biden won 12 of the 14 wards in the Northeast. Donald Trump captured the 58th Ward in Bustleton and Somerton and the 66th Ward in Parkwood, Morrell Park and other portions of the Far Northeast.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was in the Northeast on Saturday, discussing alleged vote irregularities at a news conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, 7347 State Road. Trump and Biden supporters gathered outside.
Citywide, voters overwhelmingly approved all four questions on the ballot, though voters in the 66th Ward rejected the question calling for creation of a Citizens Police Oversight Commission.
Statewide, Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro was re-elected.
In what would be a major upset, Republican Stacy Garrity was leading Treasurer Joe Torsella, though some votes remain to be counted.
Republican Timothy DeFoor defeated Democrat Nina Ahmad and two others in the race for auditor general. Incumbent Democrat Eugene DePasquale is finishing up serving the maximum two terms. He lost a bid for Congress last week. ••
