CRANBERRY TWP, Pa. — Tuesday’s special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th State House District brought a shift in power for the party that controls the seat.
Brandon Dukes, a Democrat, upset Scott Timko, a Republican, for the seat vacated by former State Representative Stephenie Scialabba in the spring.
It’s the first time a Democrat will hold that seat in the State House since the 1990s, and it belongs to a district that helped carry President Donald Trump to victory in 2024 by 18 points.
“We took a Trump+18 District, and we flipped it,” said Representative-elect Dukes. “The previous, in 2024, the previous State Representative, they won by 30 points.”
Unofficial results of the special election show Dukes winning by just 88 votes.
It’s receiving national attention.
“I do think a lot of people are looking at this race and seeing how he flipped a red district that’s been red since the 90s,” Dukes told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek.
Representative Aaron Bernstine, a Republican from the neighboring 8th State House District, said Tuesday night’s special election result was disappointing to him and other Republicans, but, it hasn’t shaken his optimism for the midterms.
“Special elections aren’t typically indicative of a district. Very low turnout and those types of things,” Bernstine said. “I’m confident that when more people come out to the polls, they’re going to understand and see the fact that Republicans are the one holding the line on taxes. Republicans are the one making sure that we have affordability across this county.”
But political analyst Jim Burn, the former chair of the state’s and Allegheny County’s Democratic Party, said this race fits in a nationwide shift.
As of May of this year, Democrats have flipped 12 state legislative seats in special elections across the country since President Trump took office in January 2025.
“It’s a continued sign of what we’re seeing nationally at all levels,” Burn said. “Seats that for decades have not been in play for democrats. Not only are they now in play, but polling shows us that we have good chances of winning.”
The midterm election is November 3. Dukes and Timko will also be head-to-head again for a full term for PA House District 12’s seat.
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