Bucks County election results tip toward incumbents in split state legislature

Bucks County voters returned incumbents to Washington and Harrisburg, and helped propel Donald Trump back to the White House, after an Election Day marked by long lines at polling places and high turnout.

Trump wasted no time declaring victory after winning critical swing state Pennsylvania Wednesday morning, telling supporters, "We made history."

As of Wednesday morning, Bucks County’s unofficial results page estimated about 396,496 votes cast out of 493,870 registered voters on Election Day. That 80% turnout so far is just shy of the 81% turnout in the 2020 election, but ahead of the 65.8% turnout in the 2022 midterm election.

Early results pointed to Republican wins in the most purple county among the Philadelphia suburbs, including Trump, who appears to have won Bucks County by a slim margin on his way to claim Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes.

Trump was leading with 49.42% of the vote to 49.27% for Vice President Kamala Harris in Bucks County as of Wednesday morning with 100 percent of the vote counted. Provisional and overseas ballots were yet to be tallied. The victory here was a reversal of 2020, when he lost the county to President Joe Biden.

If the numbers hold, Trump will be the first GOP presidential candidate to win Bucks since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Incumbents dominate Bucks state house voting

But while Trump and the GOP celebrated his win, Pennsylvania's political leaders were eager for result to determine control of the General Assembly, which was at stake in Tuesday's election.

Democrats had held a one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania state house before Tuesday's election. The new balance of the state house was not yet clear Wednesday morning as votes around the commonwealth were still being counted.

Although the results are not yet official, (and some, including the 144th district, remain close), Bucks incumbents from both parties appeared to win every state house race in the county — many by solid margins.

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PA Rep. Shelby Labs wins reelection, holding GOP seat in Legislature

State Rep. Shelby Labs, Republican incumbent in the 143rd Legislative District, won more than 56% of the vote there. Labs ran against Eleanor Breslin, a Tinicum Township supervisor.

Labs ran on preserving the rural character of the district, which includes the Upper Bucks County towns of Dublin and Plumsteadville, fiscal responsibility, and more. Breslin, who was endorsed by Planned Parenthood, ran to Labs’s left on abortion, which Breslin said was among her top issues. Breslin also ran on her fiscal record as township supervisor, and on increasing school funding.

Labs was first elected to the state legislature in 2020.

PA Rep. Joe Hogan defends Lower Bucks seat

State Rep. Joe Hogan, the Republican incumbent in House District 142, defeated Anna Payne, chair of the Middletown Township supervisor board.

Payne, who was endorsed by Planned Parenthood and previously worked for a local credit union, ran in part on her record of funding police and fire departments in Middletown. Hogan, who captured over 54% of votes, ran on his state house record of increasing funding police, schools, and more in the 142nd district, which includes Langhorne and parts of Newtown.

Hogan, a former staffer for the late Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, won his first term in 2022.

PA Rep. K.C. Tomlinson reelected in Bensalem

State Rep. K.C. Tomlinson, the Republican incumbent in House District 18, defeated challenger Anand Patel with more than 55% of the vote in the district that includes Bensalem and Hulmeville.

Patel, a small business owner and former school board member who was born in India and grew up in Bensalem, ran as a political outsider against Tomlinson, the daughter of former State Senator Tommy Tomlinson. She also grew up in Bensalem and lives and works there now. Patel championed causes including fair school funding and union jobs, while Tomlinson, who was first elected in 2020, ran on her voting record in favor of school funding, against crime, and other issues.

Here's a break down of the othe legislative races in Bucks County:

House District 29: Brennan-Mekanik race

Towns in district: Buckingham, Doylestown Township, Solebury, Chalfont, Doylestown Borough, New Britain Borough, New Hope.

Tim Brennan 24,904; Steven Mekanik, 18,930 and Rob Ronky 952

House District 31: Warren - Sauer race

Towns in district: Lower Makefield, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, Newtown Borough, Yardley

Perry Warren Jr., 27,345 and Bernie Sauer 19,003

House District 140: Prokopiak - Cabanas race

Towns in district: Falls, Morrisville, Tullytown and parts of Middletown

James Prokopiak 17,282 and Candace R. Cabanas 14,588

House District 141: Davis - Boyd race

Towns in district: Bristol Borough and Bristol Township

Tina Marie Davis 20,470 and Noah Jesse Boyd 10,952

House District 145: Cole - Staats race

Towns in district: Bridgeton, Durham, East Rockhill, Haycock, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield, West Rockhill, Quakertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Telford (Bucks County portion) and Trumbauersville

Vera Cole 15,687 and Craig T. Staats 22,521

House District 178: Lang - Marcell race

Towns in district: Upper Southampton, Warwick, Wrightstown, parts of Northampton

Paul G. Lang Jr. 16,744 and Kristin Marcell 26,577

Reporter Jess Rohan can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County election results favored incumbents: here's who won