Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS
Residents of Fermanagh Township, Juniata County, line up to vote as the polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning. Pennsylvania voters on Election Day chose a new governor, U.S. Senator, and voted for several state legislative offices.

LEWISTOWN — If Kerry Benninghoff returns to the state House in January, he may need to send a thank you card to Mifflin County.

Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte), the majority leader in Harrisburg, garnered nearly four times as many votes in Mifflin County as his challenger, Democrat Robert Zeigler on the way to what apparently will be another term, according to unofficial results reported Tuesday.

In the only other contested state-level race in the region, state Sen. Judy Ward (R-Blair) apparently defeated Democratic challenger Carol Taylor. The Altoona Mirror reported her lead to be “virtually insurmountable.”

In the 85th and 86th legislative districts, David Rowe and Perry Stambaugh, respectively, both Republican incumbents, were re-elected without opposition. Dr. John Joyce (R-13), who becomes the congressman for Mifflin and Juniata counties, also was unopposed in his bid to return to Washington.

Nearly 17,000 Mifflin County voters took part in the election. Juniata County counted more than 9,800 ballots — about 70% of registered voters.

All results are unofficial until certified by county elections boards.

171st Legislative District

Benninghoff defeated Zeigler, a local government official from Millheim, carrying a wide margin in Mifflin County while leading, but in a much closer vote, in Centre County.

“I’m anxious to serve some of the new parts of Mifflin County I have not had,” Beninghoff said. “They’ve always been very dependable. I’d like to think I’m more like minded with the people in Mifflin County. We’re glad to see some of the progress that’s been coming along. From the first time I went to Mifflin County I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Benninghoff outpolled Zeigler with 9,307 votes to the latter’s 2,247 in Mifflin County. Latest results available at press time showed Benninghoff with a lead of 9,642 to 5,053 in his home county.

Benninghoff earned his first seat to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1996, defeating Democrat Keith Bierly in the general election that year.

Benninghoff has been re-elected to each succeeding session of the House.

The 171st district has been expanded to include most of Mifflin County — only Burnham Borough, Derry and Decatur townships are outside his territory.

In 2018, after being re-elected to the House, Benninghoff was elected to serve as House majority whip. In June 2020, Benninghoff was picked by his colleagues to serve as majority leader.

Prior to serving as majority leader, Benninghoff served on the leadership team as majority whip and for two terms as the House majority policy committee chairman. He also previously served as chairman of the House majority finance and state government committees. He is the founder and former chairman of the bipartisan Cancer Caucus.

Prior to being elected to represent the 171st, Benninghoff worked in construction, cared for patients as a hospital orderly and served Centre County for two terms as coroner.

He said he looks forward to going back to work in the capitol.

“I guess I’m honored and frankly it’s the result of my great staff’s work. I think that’s what people want for their elected officials,” he said — someone to answer when they call and get answers to their questions.

86th Legislative District

Stambaugh, of New Bloomfield, inherited most of Juniata County after redistricting in the wake of the 2020 census.

He received 5,518 vote in Juniata County.

Stambaugh prevailed over fellow incumbent state Rep. John Hershey of Mifflintown in the race for the Republican nomination for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in May. The two incumbents were forced to face off due to legislative redistricting that took effect this cycle.

The new 86th District includes Perry County and most of Juniata County. Stambaugh owns and operates a 200-acre bicentennial family farm in Green Park, Perry County.

Before becoming state representative in 2021, Stambaugh spent his professional career as a rural and agricultural magazine editor on local, statewide, and national levels, notably with Pennsylvania Farmer magazine; Penn Lines magazine, published by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association; and RE Magazine, produced by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Stambaugh could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

85th Legislative District

Rowe takes over the three Mifflin County municipalities not in the 171st, along with Fayette and Monroe townships in Juniata County. The Union County Republican represents most of Union and Snyder counties, including Middleburg, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg and Selinsgrove, along with the Juniata Valley communities that were added to his district.

He garnered 4,316 votes in Mifflin County and 2,095 in Juniata County. As election returns continued to come in, he joked that he wanted to see them all before proclaiming victory despite being the only name on the ballot.

“It looks like it’s going to be pretty good,” he said. “I’m just very grateful that our conservative message resonated with the voters in Juniata and Mifflin counties. I share their conservative values.”

Rowe, as he did during the campaign, attacked the state Supreme Court for supporting a redistricting decision that he felt was driven by a partisan agenda.

“I’m going to make the best of the situation and do what I can,” he said.

Rowe won the 85th District after former legislator Fred Keller (R-Kreamer) ascended to Congress to fill the seat formerly held by Tom Marino of Lycoming County. Rowe was re-elected on Nov. 3, 2020.

Keller, whose 9th district shifted east due to redistricting, chose not to run against fellow Republican Dan Meuser, and will leave Congress.

Rowe has served his community through numerous roles for more than a decade while being involved with multiple charitable organizations. For nearly a decade, Rowe has owned and operated CrossFit Lewisburg.

As an active leader in the local community, Rowe served as vice-chairman of the East Buffalo Board of Supervisors; secretary of the Union County Republican Committee; a member of the Capital Campaign Council of Evangelical Community Hospital; director of the Central Susquehanna Fire and Emergency Services board; and commissioner of the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department, among other leadership roles.

He lives in East Buffalo Township, Union County.

30th Senate District

Ward was a clear favorite in the Juniata Valley over Democratic challenger Taylor; she was supported by 12,887 Mifflin County voters and 7,669 in Juniata County. Taylor picked up fewer than 6,000 votes combined in the two counties.

“I’m just grateful to everybody who supported me,” Ward said. “It’s a privilege to serve, (and) I’m honored to be re-elected.”

Previously, Mifflin County was served by state Sen. Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte), who chose not to seek re-election to the senate while pursuing nomination for governor.

With re-districting, Ward’s district includes all of Blair County and parts of Mifflin County, including Lewistown and Decatur and Menno townships, as well as Mount Union in Huntingdon County; and parts of Cumberland and Franklin counties.

Ward earned a nursing diploma at the Altoona Hospital School of Nursing. Her professional experience includes working as a medical, health and wellness coordinator at Ward Transport and Logistics, as a Registered Nurse for more than 20 years and a former small business owner.

In the Senate, Ward authored new laws providing additional resources to support Pennsylvania farmers; allow temporary nurse aides hired during COVID-19 and protected victims of domestic violence.

Taylor is a drug addictions counselor in Williamsburg.

The support that surfaced Tuesday resulted from her legislative “wins” and her efforts to help constituents, according to Ward.

Among those legislative wins: a new law that liberalized procedures that surgery centers are entitled to perform without obtaining waivers from the state Department of Health and a proposed Constitutional amendment that has passed in one session of the General Assembly, and that if ultimately adopted would declare abortion not to be a constitutionally protected right.

“I give (Taylor) credit for an issues-based race,” Ward said.

13th Congressional District

In the 13th Congressional District, incumbent John Joyce (R-13) ran unopposed, but will be new to this area because Pennsylvania lost one congressional district.

He received 13,949 votes in Mifflin County and 8,252 in Juniata County.

Joyce’s district contains all of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Franklin, Fulton and Huntingdon counties. It also includes most of Somerset County, and parts of Cambria, Cumberland and Westmoreland counties.

Joyce succeeded Bill Shuster upon his retirement from Congress and has represented the district since 2019.

Joyce serves as a Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as the Vice-Chair of the House GOP Doctor’s Caucus.

Since arriving on Capitol Hill, Congressman Joyce has prioritized and championed legislation and initiatives focused on delivering affordable, quality healthcare in rural communities, lowering energy prices, and expanding access to high-speed internet across South Central Pennsylvania.

Joyce received his undergraduate degree with honors from Penn State University in 1979 and his Doctor of Medicine from Temple University in 1983 before continuing his medical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and the U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va.

A fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Dermatology, Joyce established Altoona Dermatology Associates in 1991.

15th Congressional District

Republican Glenn “GT” Thompson was declared the winner by the Associated Press. He was opposed by Mike Molesevich of Lewisburg, a Democrat. Western Snyder County is in the new 15th, which covers a wide swath of north-central Pennsylvania.

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The Altoona Mirror contributed to this story.