This is a five-alarm political disaster for Pennsylvania Republicans.
Democrat Brandon Dukes appears to have flipped the deep-red 12th Legislative District in Tuesday’s special election, edging Republican Scott Timko by only 88 votes in a district President Donald Trump carried by 18.4 percentage points in 2024.
According to unofficial Butler County returns, Dukes received 8,434 votes to Timko’s 8,346, with 35 write-in votes. All 27 precincts reported. Turnout was 31.9%, with 16,825 ballots cast among 52,745 registered voters.
The result is not yet certified. Cranberry Eagle reported that 73 provisional ballots remain outstanding, and Butler County Elections Director Chantell McCurdy said officials were consulting attorneys about whether Pennsylvania’s automatic recount provision applies to this special election.