Voters walk past a sign pointing them to the polling location for in-person voting, Nov. 8, 2022, in Cranberry Township. Associated Press File Photo

Keith Srakocic

Residents of the 12th state House District have been without representation for four months. Tuesday, all of that changes with a special election to fill the vacant seat. Voters can choose between a Republican “constitutional conservative” or a Democrat running heavily on “change.”

Republican Scott Timko and Democrat Brandon Dukes will face each other in the special election before a rematch in the November general election.

Scott Timko. Submitted photo

Timko is a self-proclaimed conservative Republican. He’s a Knoch High School alumnus, Cranberry Township resident and retired Air Force captain. He’s lived most of his life in Butler County with his wife and three children.

“The critical issue for this district: It’s affordability. It’s cheaper groceries. It’s cheaper gas. And it’s security, tough on crime,” Timko said.

Timko is endorsed by Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe, a move he said demonstrates his commitment to “back the blue.” He said he is against illegal immigration, tough on crime and a “Second Amendment champion.”

In campaign materials, he indicated his support for smaller state government, cutting wasteful spending, lowering energy costs and ending the broken school property tax system.

Brandon Dukes

Dukes is a native of Pittsburgh. He lives in Cranberry Township with his wife and daughter and is expecting a second child.

His work with TD Bank as a commercial loan administrator gives him a “deep understanding of how and why places grow quickly.”

Affordability and cost of living are a big concern for the Dukes campaign.

“I think cost of living going up affects everybody. You see high gas prices affecting everybody,” Dukes said.

Dukes said he is focused on the treatment of older adults and the communities where they live.

“A lot of these seniors are on fixed incomes,” he said. “When cost of living goes up, it hurts them. I would fight for them in Harrisburg.”

Dukes said he is opposed to funding for school vouchers and wants to focus on supporting public schools.

Other issues Dukes cares about are election reform, moving Pennsylvania from closed to open primaries and allowing same day voter registration; a minimum-wage increase; supporting unions; going after price gouging and supporting renewable energy to reduce dependency on oil.