ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Democrat Sarah Fevig flipped a swing seat on Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night, a victory that will add to the commissioners' Democratic majority.
Fevig defeated Republican Patrick Leonard by 21 points — a 4,223-vote margin of victory with all precincts reporting in the District 5 race, according to complete but unofficial election returns.
The district, which represents the southern tier of Lehigh County, has been held by Republicans for more than a decade but is the most competitive district seat on the board.
Incumbent Republican Jeffrey Dutt did not seek re-election.
Fevig may have spent a record amount for a single county commissioner candidate in her campaign.
County documents show her campaign spent more than $84,000 heading into the election, with nearly $74,000 of it coming from in-kind contributions.
Of that amount, $44,919 came from DemocracyFirst PAC, a bipartisan group that supports candidates that protect election integrity, and $28,420 from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
"I'm very humbled and honored to serve as the next Lehigh County commissioner," Fevig said in a text Tuesday evening. "The mandate is a compelling one with a 20-point margin of victory, and I'm ridiculously excited to get to work."
Meanwhile, Democratic incumbent Zach Cole-Borghi secured a second term with a 5,044-vote victory over Republican Jacqueline Rivera. He garnered 69% of the vote to Rivera's 31%, according to the results.
While the District 3 seat heavily favors Democrats, uncertainty hovered over the race after Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced drug charges against Cole-Borghi in August.
In the weeks since, prosecutors released no new details in the investigation, and Cole-Borghi's criminal docket has been sealed for months.
The secrecy surrounding the charges is highly unusual, leading LehighValleyNews.com and other media outlets to file an emergency petition calling for the documents' release.
"I want to thank Lehigh County District 3 voters for their confidence," Cole-Borghi said in a text. "I strive to continue representing my district candidly and unabashedly."
In the other three district seats, Democrat Geoff Brace and Republicans Ron Beitler and Antonio Pineda, all incumbents, ran unopposed.
Democrats now hold a 7-2 majority on the board.
