ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Democrat Ana Tiburcio appeared late Tuesday to have locked up a special election for Pennsylvania's 22nd state House District, a victory that would secure her party's slim majority in the state House of Representatives for the rest of the year.
Tiburcio, an Allentown School Board member, and a small band of tired supporters breathed a sigh of relief when Lehigh County's election office posted the first results of the night about 9 p.m.
Initial reports showed she had a 600-vote lead over Republican Robert Smith. By the time the county completed its unofficial results by 9:52 p.m., she had secured two-third of all votes cast.
The win capped a whirlwind seven weeks for Tiburcio, who went from not being in the running for the special election to becoming Lehigh County's first Latina state representative.
She had not sought the Democratic nomination to replace former state Rep. Josh Siegel, but was tapped to enter the special election at the 11th hour.
Julian Guridy, the Lehigh County Democratic Committee's first choice, had to pull out at the last minute due to residency issues.
'I am here for it'
Speaking from her watch party at Simpatico in the city's downtown, Tiburcio said she was committed to being a resource to one of the region's most underprivileged communities.
She acknowledged she is fresh to state politics, but said she was ready to put in the hard work to serve the region.
"I'm not perfect as far as bills and policy, but guess what? My heart is into it."State Rep.-elect Ana Tiburcio
"This is a community that needs a lot of nurturing," Tiburcio said. "There's a lot of lack of knowledge, and I believe that I am here for it.
"I'm not perfect as far as bills and policy, but guess what? My heart is into it."
Outside observers anticipated extremely low turnout. District 22's population tends to be more migratory and show up to vote less when compared some neighboring district.
The last contested District 22 race saw about 10,100 votes cast in 2022.
Tuesday's contest lived up to the billing, with just 6.9% of district's 32,737 registered voters cast a ballot in the race, according to unofficial results.
The Lehigh County website showed a total of only 14 votes cast in Allentown's 10th Ward 3rd District.
The district represents the eastern half of Salisbury Township, Allentown's East Allentown neighborhood and parts of the Center City neighborhood.
'Another warning sign'
The 22nd House race was one of two special elections in Pennsylvania Tuesday night. In the other, Democrat Jennifer Mazzocco earned 81% of the vote in Pennsylvania's 42nd state House District in Allegheny County.
Both races heavily favored Democrats, and their victories guarantees that Democrats will hold at least a one-seat majority in state House.
"Democrats have the momentum as we continue to win elections up and down the ballot and expand our power across the Commonwealth and nation."Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin
While Tuesday's results reflected the districts' partisan divide, that didn't stop national Democrats from highlighting the results as a bellwether for the upcoming midterm elections.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin pointed to the results to argue that Democrats efforts to support working families were resonating with voters.
The special election fell on the same night President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union Address.
"Their victories tonight are another warning sign to Republicans that their toxic agenda has no place in Pennsylvania," Martin said in a news release.
"Democrats have the momentum as we continue to win elections up and down the ballot and expand our power across the Commonwealth and nation."
