CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A pair of state House races in Western Pennsylvania could help determine the balance of power in Harrisburg, where Democrats currently hold a narrow three-seat majority. Candidates in Butler and Beaver counties are competing in key districts that could decide control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
In PA-12, centered in Cranberry, Democratic State Rep. Brandon Dukes faces Republican challenger Scott Timko. Dukes previously defeated Timko by 88 votes in an August special election in a district where Donald Trump won by 18 points in 2024 and Republicans held the seat since the 1990s.
State Rep. Dukes, a Democrat representing PA-12, has served in Harrisburg for 49 days following his special election victory.
“Even before the special, it was a roller coaster, but now it’s more intense,” Dukes told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek.
Dukes noted that maintaining his seat and building on the current party majority could increase legislative impact.
“If we expand our house as well as flip the Senate, we can do a lot more for the district and make it even more viable,” Dukes said.
Timko is seeking to reclaim the state House seat for Republicans. Timko pointed to party registration figures in Butler County as a major factor in the race, saying the special election outcome doesn’t necessarily paint the full picture of the desire of the district’s voters.
“Butler County has always been a traditional Republican stronghold and we certainly have a registration advantage,” Timko said. “For better, for worse, the Democrats, the socialists, the people on the left, they had their hair on fire to come up and show up on August 18th, which was the first day of school in the middle of the summer and our side quite frankly didn’t show up to the numbers we expected.”
In neighboring Beaver County, State Rep. Robert Matzie, a Democrat representing PA-16 from Ambridge, is also running in a race that could influence legislative control in Harrisburg.
Matzie described the election as a reflection of national political sentiment.
“I have to tell you Republicans are fed up and a lot of the Republicans we’ve spoken to said they’re voting Democrat and they’re voting for me and they’re voting for other Democrats up and down the ballot, including the governor and our congressman,” Matzie said.
Republican candidate John Costanza, a political newcomer challenging Matzie, rejected the focus on national politics.
“Trump is not in this area. He’s not running in this state; this is for us here in Beaver County, and we can make a difference. We can make a difference right now, and we have to look: do we want the same old politics for 16 to 18 years, or do we want a change?” Costanza said.
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