Voters send Bernstine back to Harrisburg for 8th House District
Incumbent Republican candidate Aaron Bernstine will return to Harrisburg to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th state House District for the next two years.
Bernstine won the district, which includes parts of Butler and Lawrence counties, by a considerable margin, according to unofficial election results in summary reports from Butler County’s Bureau of Elections and Lawrence County’s Voter and Elections Services.
Bernstine beat Democrat Rick Telesz with 18,434 votes, or 62.82% of the vote, to Telesz’s 10,834 votes, or 37.02%, the results show.
Bernstine said he is grateful for the opportunity to continue serving his constituents.
“We just couldn’t be more proud and more thankful for the people of the legislative district for the faith that they’ve entrusted in us,” said Bernstine.
Telesz could not be immediately reached for comment on his reaction to the results.
Unofficial election results from Butler County Bureau of Elections’s precinct reports indicate Bernstine earned 13,136 votes to Telesz’s 7,260 in the county.
The Butler County portion of the district includes Brady, Center, Clay, Connoquenessing, Forward, Franklin, Lancaster, Middlesex, Muddy Creek, Penn and Worth townships; as well as Connoquenessing, Portersville, Prospect, West Liberty and West Sunbury boroughs.
In Lawrence County, Bernstine secured 5,298 votes to Telesz’s 3,574, according to the county’s voter and elections services department.
Bernstine, who had identified affordability as a top concern for voters, said the results of the election reflect on the voters’ focus on addressing those issues.
He had previously told the Butler Eagle his remedy would be to reduce the tax burden on Pennsylvanians. Looking ahead, Bernstine said his strategy will be shaped by how “everything shakes out” in the state Senate and the state House.
Bernstine also had brought up the issue of data centers being left to local government, and voiced opposition to Flock cameras on the grounds of privacy.
Bernstine has been a state representative for five terms. First elected to the 10th state House district, he now represents the 8th district after redistricting.
