It is still unclear who the Republican candidate will be in the 117th Legislative District, but Jamie Walsh, the challenger, has an 8-vote lead at the end of the night.
Unofficial results show that Walsh got 4,723 votes, while Cabell received 4,715.
The unofficial results don't include an unknown number of provisional ballots cast at the polls, which won't be counted until the Luzerne County Board of Elections adjudication process. Flagged mail ballots will also be processed in adjudication.
If Walsh maintains the lead, it will be a surprising win, defeating the incumbent Cabell who is in the first term.
As there is no Democrat running, Walsh is almost guaranteed a seat in the state legislature.
During a intense campaign, Walsh, 49, of Ross Township, expressed his support for parental rights and election integrity. He is the co-founder of Citizens Advisory of Pennsylvania, a parents rights organization, and he testified in Washington D.C., on behalf of Luzerne County voters who ran out of paper in the 2022 election.
Walsh mentioned that he ran for the seat because his opponent's voting record did not match the conservative region that he represents.
“I have full intention in addressing the illegal immigration population flooding Pennsylvania; I plan to support HB-13 which will address school property tax reform; I will be one of the leaders for parental rights and I plan to call out corruption in Harrisburg,” Walsh said. “These are the four biggest issues when I talk to people at the front door. My candidacy will truly represent the people once and for all and I will be honored to serve the people of the 117th District.”
Cabell stated, “We worked incredibly hard, knocking on more than 9,000 doors. We knew it was going to be a close race and it is a close race. There are still votes to be counted and we will have to wait for the county to tally them all.”
Cabell, 39 of Butler Township, said during the campaign that his focus leading up to the primary was to address the challenges posed by “significant outside spending from special interest groups aimed at influencing our local politics. Cabell said despite these pressures, his conservative voting record is clear and impactful.
Pugh and Leard secure nominations in the 120th Legislative District
In the 120th Legislative District, three Republicans and two Democrats battled for the respective nominations.
After the competition, Brenda Pugh won in the Republican race and Fern Leard secured the Democratic nod.
According to unofficial results, Pugh received 3,952 votes, while LeeAnn McDermott got 1,535, and Patrick Musto received 777.
Leard had 3,417 votes, whereas John Morgan received 2,306.
Pugh, 57 of Dallas Township, attributed her victory to her team, supporters, and voters.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of everybody — my team, all my supporters and, of course, the voters,” Pugh said. “It takes a total team effort and this team was second to none.”
Pugh expressed her gratitude for the confidence that voters have shown in her and looks forward to the November General Election.
"I am excited to visit more houses and meet more voters," Pugh stated. "I want to listen to what’s on their minds as we continue our campaign."
Pugh mentioned she had volunteers at every polling place and it was successful.
Her campaign manager, Hal Flack, mentioned Pugh has always been heavily involved in the community and she gathered a dedicated group to come out.
"That’s what led to this victory," Flack said. "Brenda won nearly every polling place — and by a large margin. We are all very proud of Brenda and we are looking forward to November’s general election."
Rep. Aaron Kaufer, who has held this seat for 10 years, chose not to seek reelection and he backed Pugh.
"I am really happy with the results and I am extremely proud of Brenda," Kaufer said. "I am very confident she will be our next state representative. She has done an amazing job in this campaign and she will do an even better job in Harrisburg."
Leard, 39 of Dallas Township, stated that many Pennsylvanians are having trouble making ends meet while everything except wages goes up.
"Our minimum wage needs to be a wage that can support a family," Leard said during the campaign. "We are losing a lot of tax revenue by allowing companies operating in PA, that have incorporated their business out-of-state, to avoid paying state taxes while leaving small and local businesses to shoulder that bill, we must close that tax loophole."
Uncontested Primary races nominations secured U.S. Senate
Bob Casey, D-Scranton (Incumbent)
Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh
U.S. House of Representatives
• 8th District
Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic (Incumbent)
Rob Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township
• 9th District
Dan Meuser, R-Dallas (Incumbent)
Amanda Waldman, D-Mill Creek Township
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• 116th District
Deborah Adoff, D-East Union Township
Dane Watro, R-Kline Township (Incumbent)
• 118th District
Jim Haddock, D-Pittston Township (Incumbent)
McKayla Kathio, R-Jenkins Township
• 119th District
Megan Kocher, D-Plymouth
Alec Ryncavage, R-Plymouth (Incumbent)
• 121st District
Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre (Incumbent)
(No Republican candidate)
Pennsylvania Senate
• 27th District
Patricia Lawton, D-Hemlock Township
Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Rockefeller (Incumbent)
• 29th District
John Zugarek, D-White Haven
Dave Argall, R-Rush Township (Incumbent)
