As the changing dynamics of the presidential race held voters’ rapt attention for most of the election cycle this week, there were few elements of surprise regarding regional elective contests.
All the Republican incumbents whose turf includes the tri-county area easily sailed into wins on Tuesday.
Here’s a look at the unofficial total votes cast for two U.S. House seats, a single state Senate post and three state House jobs that affect voters in Venango, Clarion and Forest counties.
State Senate
21st District: Scott Hutchinson (R) of Oil City, 85,609; Shelbie L. Stromyer (D) of Cranberry Township, 24,520
The 21st District includes all of Venango, Clarion and Forest counties as well as portions of Butler and Warren counties.
State House
63rd District: Donna Oberlander (R), of Clarion, 23,232. She was unopposed on the ballot.
The 63rd District includes all of Clarion County and portions of Forest and Armstrong counties.
64th District: R. Lee James (R) of Oil City, 22,434; Michael Badges-Canning (G) of Butler County, 5,339.
The 64th District includes all of Venango County and the northern tip of Butler County.
65th District: Kathy Rapp (R) of Warren, 23,960. She was unopposed on the ballot.
The 65th District includes all of Warren County and parts of Forest and Crawford counties.
U.S. House
15th District: Glenn Thompson (R) of Centre County, 238,819; Robert Williams (D) of Clearfield County, 74,221
The 15th District includes all or parts of 14 northwestern and northcentral counties, including all of Venango, Clarion and Forest counties.
16th District: Mike Kelly (R) of Butler, 177,484; Kristy Gnibus (D) of Erie, 86,483
The 16th District includes all or parts of five northwestern counties, including Crawford and Mercer counties.
Turnout is high
Those re-election victories came on the heels of very high voter turnout Tuesday in Venango, Clarion and Forest counties.
In Venango County, the turnout rate hit 79 percent, a full 10 percent jump over the November 2016 election outing. The figure is more than double the 2016 primary election turnout.
In Venango County, there were 26,249 voters who voted in-person or cast mail-in and absentee ballots.
Clarion County listed a 69 percent turnout rate with 16,876 ballots cast in Tuesday’s election. There was a suggestion the rate could go higher with the addition of mailed-in ballot that had not yet been tabulated as of Wednesday.
Tuesday’s turnout number is less than the 74 percent rate set four years ago.
Forest County, too, saw its voter turnout rate rebound to 75 percent on Tuesday, up a full 10 points from four years ago. There were 2,631 voters who cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.
The robust turnout resulted in hefty vote totals for candidates at the top of Tuesday’s ticket.
Venango County – Donald Trump, 18,286; Joe Biden, 7,475
Clarion County – Trump, 13,346; Biden, 3,267
Forest County – Trump, 1,864; Biden, 715
Jo Jorgensen, a Libertarian Party member and the third candidate listed on Tuesday’s ballot for president, received 600 votes in the tri-county.
