Timko takes the 12th District in rematch against Dukes: unofficial results
Scott Timko, the Republican challenger, is the apparent winner in the race for Pennsylvania’s 12th state House District, Tuesday, Nov. 3, flipping the seat back to red after a short blue stint, according to unofficial election results reported in Butler County Bureau of Elections summary report.
Timko beat Democratic Rep. Brandon Dukes in a rematch of August’s special election for the then-vacant seat.
According to unofficial night-of results, Timko received 16,573 votes, 50.79% of the results. He edged out Dukes’ 15,998 votes — 49.03%. There were 55 write-in votes cast.
“I say this humbly as a professional pilot, I don’t get nervous. We had a good plan; we had a good strategy; we executed it well,” Timko told media Tuesday night. “I knew it was going to be a close election. We knew it was going to be tough, not just for me but for all Republicans, and yet, the message resonated.
“People showed up in Butler County. For anybody questioning it, it’s still a conservative, Republican county.”
Timko will now represent Adams, Cranberry and Jackson townships and the boroughs of Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Mars, Seven Fields, Valencia and Zelienople in the state House of Representatives for the next two years.
Timko is a longtime Cranberry Township resident, retired Air Force captain, commercial pilot and former owner of a Vocelli’s Pizza and J. Gumbo’s Cajun restaurant.
Timko’s campaign highlighted fiscally conservative positions such as a desire to cut taxes and wasteful government spending while “keeping our tax dollars local.” He has identified increasing tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, gas taxes and school property taxes as examples of taxation that hurts families.
Timko also campaigned on a tough stance on crime and illegal immigration while promoting his backing by pro-Second Amendment groups.
Timko was endorsed by local Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, District Attorney Rich Goldinger and Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe.
Calling the special election a “unique circumstance,” Timko said he believed “we’d get an honest assessment” in the November election.
“I think today, we got that honest assessment,” Timko said. “This seat, HD-12, is maybe not the Republican stronghold it was 20 years ago, 30 years ago. There’s a lesson in there for us.
“So we have to govern appropriately. We have to govern for everyone. If we continue to make good decisions on behalf of our citizens, then I think it will bode well for the future.”
Dukes, a Cranberry resident who worked for TD Bank in the mortgage and commercial lending sector, was strongly backed by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
Dukes spent much of his campaign focused on pushing for increased infrastructure funding for local projects like the Route 228 expansion, addressing affordability and cost of living issues and increasing public education funding for local schools like Seneca Valley and Mars Area school districts.
Dukes previously told the Eagle he would support efforts to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. He also said he strongly supports regulations for data centers and believes state government should “set guardrails that protect our energy bills and our environment.” On state spending, Dukes has said he wants to avoid taking more money from the state’s rainy day fund.
In his brief tenure as a state representative, Dukes helped introduce multiple pieces of legislation into the state House. One would establish “responsible artificial intelligence policies for schools.” He also planned a bill that would ban Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers in Pennsylvania.
Dukes’ campaign said it would not provide comment as of Tuesday night.
Timko’s victory comes at a time when Pennsylvania Republicans are fighting off Democratic efforts to achieve a trifecta control of the state government.
Going into Tuesday’s election, control of the House of Representatives was 103-100 in the Democrats’ favor. The rematch between Dukes and Timko has been seen as crucial in the fight for control of the House.
Turnout was much higher than the August special election, when roughly 32% of registered voters in the district turned out. Tuesday’s election saw 61% turnout in the 12th district, according to the bureau.
“It’s been a tough night for Republicans across the state and across the nation, but I am proud to say that we are the only seat that was flipped tonight in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Timko said. “That’s a great achievement for our team, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people who showed up and offered support.”
Election night results from the Butler Bureau of Elections are unofficial until certified by the county computation board. Not all ballots are counted on election night. Provisional ballots will be reviewed ahead of the certification process. The county computation board is scheduled to meet and begin certifying results on Friday, Nov. 6.
