Haddock, Ryncavage retain their seats in Harrisburg

With all relevant precincts accounted for, incumbent State Reps. Jim Haddock and Alec Ryncavage both held their seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, according to unofficial election results on Tuesday night.

118th District

Haddock defeated Republican challenger McKayla Kathio in the General Assembly 118th District race, according to unofficial results. Haddock, the Democratic incumbent, defeated Kathio in both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. This included victories in all 23 Luzerne County precincts representated by the 118th District.

Haddock’s tally was 19,626, or 56.2% of the unofficial vote. Kathio’s total was 15,281, or 43.8% of the unofficial vote.

“I am just so grateful to the voters and my constituents in the 118th District in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties…,” Haddock said. “I think the people realize that Jim Haddock goes to work every day and works hard for them whether he’s in the Hughestown or Taylor office, or anywhere in the district, to down on the floor fighting for them in Harrisburg.”

Haddock’s victory comes in the face of major Democratic losses in Luzerne County. He and fellow Democratic State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski were the only members of their party to carry Luzerne County on the state or federal level.

Haddock attributed his overperformance in a down year for Democrats to his moderate, bipartisan credentials and accomplishments.

“The $30 million of economic development that I was able to bring back — to help our towns, to help our EMS, our firefighters, our police, our businesses — to move the district forward did not go unnoticed by the voters,” said Haddock.

The 119th District includes the city of Pittston; the boroughs of Avoca, Dalton, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Laflin, Moosic, Old Forge, Taylor, West Pittston, and Yatesville; and Glenburn, Jenkins, La Plume, Newton, Pittston, Ransom and West Abington townships.

119th District

Ryncavage sprinted to a second term as the 119th District’s representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, according to unofficial results. The Republican incumbent defeated Democrat Megan Kocher in each of the 35 precincts that make up the 119th District.

“I’m extremely excited, and I’m honored to have that opportunity to continue the job,” Ryncavage said of his reelection.

Looking ahead to his second term in Harrisburg, Ryncavage will emphasize “building upon the grants that we received for the district, building upon the community outreach events that we’ve had [and] keeping the public informed about what I’m doing as their state representative.”

Ryncavage’s unofficial vote total sits at 16,883, or 64.4% of the ballots cast in the race. Kocher’s total was 9,297, or 35.5% of the unofficial vote. His 28.9% margin of victory would be a 17.9% increase over his 2022 victory over Vito Malacari, should the results be certified at their current percentage.

“This is a seat that we flipped two years ago, and to keep it in Republican control, and to also bring all of those people [of the 119th District] under the tent is something I’m really proud of,” Ryncavage said of keeping his seat. “And I’m going to continue to offer that same perspective in the next two years.”

Multiple ballot issues came about in the 119th District race, include Ryncavage’s name being misspelled on approximately 6,700 mail ballots, and a number of those incorrect mailed ballots being mixed in with the proper ballots that were sent to voters in response.

“We are going to be entering the adjudication process with Luzerne County…,” Ryncavage said of the mail-in ballot issues that arose on Tuesday. “Coming off of the win we have, I’m keeping my head held high and I’m ready to keep the work going.”

The 119th District includes the city of Nanticoke; the boroughs of Ashley, Edwardsville, Larksville, Plymouth, Sugar Notch and Warrior Run; and Fairview, Hanover, Newport, Plymouth, Rice and Wright townships.

Other General Assembly races

Other races for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were decided on Tuesday evening, according to the unofficial results.

Dane Watro held his 116th District seat in the General Assembly, defeating challenger Deborah Adoff by a nearly 3-1 margin.

In the 117th District, Jamie Walsh ran unopposed and was declared the winner by default.

Republican Brenda Pugh defeated Democrat Fern Leard in the 120th District contest by a 57.7%-42.3% margin. The seat is currently held by state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, who announced his retirement in January 2024.

In the 121st District, incumbent Democrat Eddie Day Pashinski defeated Republican Dino Disler by a 55.1%-44.7% margin.