Democrat Now Slightly Ahead In PA 151st House District Race

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — One of two races that could possibly tilt the balance of power in favor of the Democratic Party in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives continues to be left uncalled, as ballots continue to be counted.

Currently, Democratic challenger Melissa Cerrato is slightly ahead of incumbent Republican State Rep. Todd Stephens in the district, which includes communities in eastern Montgomery County.

At last count, Cerrato was ahead of Stephens by 37 votes, according to county election returns that were last updated around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon.

The race was looked at as crucial for the Democrats, as a Cerrato win could help cement Democrat majority in the state House.

There were reportedly around 56 votes left to be counted as of Thursday morning, Cerrato told Patch.

Forty-four of those were Democrat ballots that were being challenged by Stephens' legal team and 12 of those were Republican ballots that were being challenged by Cerrato's lawyers.

Stephens' attorneys ultimately withdrew their objections, and the process will now move forward with the counting of the outstanding 56 ballots, Cerrato said.

She said Stephens would need to secure 46 of those 56 votes in order to win the race, she said, which appeared unlikely at this point.

Stephens was not yet ready to make a statement.

The race had been neck-in-neck since election day last week.

More about the race can be found in this link.

Another nearby race that could impact who takes over majority of the House of Representatives is the 142nd race in neighboring Bucks County.

Related: 47 Votes Challenged: Hearing In Key 142nd Election Set For Tuesday