Chrissy Houlahan Wins 6th Congressional District: AP

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — In one of the first confirmed wins for Democrats in Chester County on Tuesday night, Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan is projected to hold on to her seat in the 6th District, the Associated Press reports.

Houlahan has a lead of 193,762 to 161,302 with about 87 percent of all precincts in her district reporting.

Earlier updates

10:48 p.m.

Some 30 percent of precincts in Chester County are now reporting. Houlahan's lead has shrunk slightly, with Young making up about two thousand votes on the incumbent in the past 45 minutes of tallying.

• Houlahan: 65,501
• Young: 55,402

10:02 p.m.

All Chester County polling places are now closed. Houlahan's lead has steadily grown, though Young is not out of reach, with plenty of in-person precincts not yet reporting.

• Houlahan: 61,512
• Young: 49,633

9:23 p.m.

Even though two polling places are not yet closed, results are beginning to be tabulated elsewhere in the county.

Houlahan holds a large early lead.

• Houlahan: 30,625
• Young: 22,664

9:01 p.m.

Polls will be open until 10 p.m. at two locations in Chester County after a bomb threat at the Government Services building Tuesday night. That building houses polling locations, and is also where the county tabulates in-person ballots.

"Chester County election officials are redirecting voters who vote at the two polling places located at the Government Services Center to neighboring polling places where they will be able to cast their votes provisionally," Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said in a statement.

No election results are yet available in any part of Chester County, and they could be delayed entirely until after the 10 p.m. closure.

8:25 p.m.

The Government Services building was being swept by dogs just before 8:30 p.m., Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said. If it is clear, vote tabulation will continue at that location. Either way, no results in Chester County races should be expected for some time.

8:00 p.m.

There has been a bomb threat to the Chester County Government Services building, where in-person votes are tabulated. The building has been evacuated. It is not yet clear how this will impact the timeliness of vote counting and final results. See more here.

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan hopes to fend off a challenge from Republican high school teacher Neil Young. Polls are now closed are results are beginning to come in for the race in Pennsylvania's 6th District.

Check back to Patch for live results as the evening progresses.

The incumbent

Houlahan holds the rank of Captain in the US Air Force Reserves. She served three years active and 13 years inactive reserve. She worked as a chemistry teacher in North Philadelphia with Teach for America, before serving as the chief operating officer of AND1 Basketball. She helped found B-Lab, a non-profit promoting good business practices.

See race preview: U.S. Congress 6th District Preview: Chrissy Houlahan Vs. Neil Young

She's held her office since 2019. During that time, she's established herself as an establishment Democrat, typically in line with President Biden and Vice President Harris on all major issues.

Her challenger

Young has been public school history teacher and wrestling coach in Chester County for 22 years. This is his first foray into politics, though he is a well known figure in the local community, and his website touts endorsements from a slew of leaders and officials, including business owners, pastors, and school directors.

Young's campaign has focused on the distinctions between himself and Houlahan that fall roughly along party lines. Like higher office Republican candidates, Young is a strong believer in school choice for parents, oil and gas development domestically, additional border security, and implementing regulations to protect women's sports.

The district

The 6th District is a entirely different animal in 2024 than was as recently as 2016. After the state's severely gerrymandered map was ruled unconstitutional in 2017, the 6th became much more Democrat friendly. It is now a more compact region that covers Chester County and part of Berks County, including the blue stronghold of Reading.

Recent results

Before the gerrymandered map was altered, the strangely designed district was held by Republican Congressman Ryan Costello. Costello was attacked by the far right for refusing to back Trump in 2016, and saw his popularity sharply wane, leading to him resigning ahead of the 2018 midterms.

That, along with the new district, paved the way for Houlahan, who won over conservative attorney Greg McCauley in 2018 by a large margin, 177,704 to 124,124.

In 2020, Houlahan won again with a very similar margin over John Emmons, 226,440 to 177,526, and then by an almost identical margin in 2022 over Guy Ciarrochi, 190,386 to 136,097.

For full coverage of the election in Pennsylvania, go here.