24th Senate District Candidates Visit Polls, Chat With Constituents

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Candidates vying for the 24th Senatorial District seat up for grabs due to the upcoming retirement of incumbent Sen. Bob Mensch were out in the community Tuesday speaking with folks who took the time to come out to vote.

Jill Dennin had run for the 147th House District back in 2020 but came up short, and this time around decided to throw in her hat for the 24th Senatorial District after she learned of Mensch's retirement.

Dennin, a former school director in Boyertown, is one of the two Democrats hoping to win voter support in the primary election. She resides in western Montgomery County just a stone's throw from Berks County.

The 24th District includes communities in both counties.

"Every seat that the Democrats can pick up are crucial with what's going on," Dennin told Patch during an interview outside the polling place at Collegeville Borough Hall.

She mentioned issues such as reproductive rights and mail-in voting, saying that, "we need to have our Democratic values heard."

She said the Republicans representing parts of southeastern Pennsylvania no longer reflect those constituents who they govern because of changing demographics in the region.

"Areas morph," she said. "I think there's been a switch in certain areas like Trappe and Collegeville and North Wales and Upper Gwynedd. Some of those places have become very Democratic."

She said she is the best person to represent the Democratic Party in the primary because she has knocked on many doors and knows many voters in the area since she previously ran for the 147th House seat, which is included within the 24th Senate district.

Some areas included in the new 24th include places like Upper Gwynedd, North Wales, Collegeville and Limerick, communities that were previously part of another district before the recent legislative redistricting process.

Of course another candidate who feels she is the best person for the job is Tracy Pennycuick, who currently serves as the legislator representing the 147th House District, and the person who beat Dennin in the race for that seat two years ago.

"We need people to step up and to make sure that we're taking care of our constituents but also making good decisions for our state and also being fiscally responsible but also ensuring election integrity," Pennyciuck told Patch in a phone interview Tuesday while she was driving from one polling location to another.

Pennycuick, 56, is a 26-year U.S. Army veteran with three combat tours under her belt. She is a small business owner — she co-owns, with her husband, a custom gunsmithing shop — who resides in Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County.

Pennycuick said the polling sites she visited on Tuesday were "overwhelmingly Republican," and she said the vibe of the day was "really positive."

Pennycuick said she decided to run for the senate seat as opposed to running for reelection to the House since she was asked to do so by Mensch, and due to the fact that she said she has a good candidate lined up to fill her shoes in the House.

She said she would like to see the seat remain Republican-controlled.

Emanuel Wilkerson, however, would like to see the senate seat flipped blue.

Wilkerson, who recently turned 25 — you must be at least 25 to run for state senate in Pennsylvania — said "the time is now that we start having representatives that not only look like the people they're serving but also understand the issues."

He mentioned things like student loans that he has firsthand experience with — "I'm a recent graduate - Sallie Mae still asks me for my money" — and, of course, climate change.

"My generation is going to be saddled with a lot of the decisions that are made now, or the thing is, the inability to make decisions now," he said.

Wilkerson said that distinguishes him from his opponent, Dennin, who is just shy of 60 years old.

"We're talking about flipping the seat, it's going to take more than just your every day voters," he said. "We need to galvanize the vote."

"We need to start putting candidates forward that understand," government, said Wilkerson, a Pottstown resident who previously worked for Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Montgomery County.

"I'm in a unique position, not only being young and having the experience I do have in this realm, but I know the people," he said. "I'm a community guy."

Wilkerson also said it is important to secure the votes of young people and get a younger generation interested in becoming involved with the political system.

One young person who supports Wilkerson is Jack Flynn, who is with the Ursinus College Democrats. He said it is great that Wilkerson is in his 20s since he can relate to a lot of the younger voters.

"All government needs to be a lot younger than it is," Flynn said.

The second Republican running in the contested race is David Moyer, a Berks County resident. More about Moyer's campaign can be found here.

Patch did not see Moyer while a reporter was visiting polling sites today.

The polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Pennsylvania.

Patch will bring you election results as they become available.