In Delco, close call in GOP stronghold
In a district that has remeained under Republican control for more than six decades, GOP state Sen. Tom Killion on Tuesday barely beat a challenge by Democrat Marty Molloy.
In a district that has remeained under Republican control for more than six decades, GOP state Sen. Tom Killion on Tuesday barely beat a challenge by Democrat Marty Molloy.
With nearly 97 percent of precincts reporting, Killion - who won the seat handily in April in a special election against Molloy - had 51.5 percent of the vote, compared with 48.5 percent for his Democratic opponent.
The tightness of the race for the office - which represents parts of Delaware and Chester counties - came as a surprise for the GOP, which has held its grip on the seat since 1949. From 2002 until 2016 it was occupied by former Senate Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi, who resigned in January when he was elected a county court judge.
Running against Molloy in April, Killion, a seven-term state representative from Glen Mills, won the special election by 18 percentage points, having name recognition, a 30-1 campaign funding advantage, and the backing of the well-organized Delaware County Republican Party on his side.
Molloy's run for the seat marks the Democrat's first foray into politics. The candidate has worked for nonprofits and is a director of YouthBuild Philadelphia, a job-training program for at-risk young adults.
The Democratic Party in Delaware County, where about two-thirds of the district's residents live, has made tremendous gains in registrations in recent years. But in most races, the GOP has held the upper hand in party organization.
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