According to a Fox News report, Pennsylvanians re-elected state Rep. Tony DeLuca on Tuesday night, even though DeLuca passed away early last month; DeLuca was battling lymphoma, a disease he twice previously beat.
Before his death, DeLuca was Pennsylvania’s longest-serving state rep.
“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously. A special election will follow soon,” Pennsylvania House Democrats said in a tweet.
Local government reporter Charlie Wolfson shared the news on Twitter, saying “AP calls HD32 race for Tony DeLuca. DeLuca died in October, and there will be a special election to fill this seat. Some folks commenting that the voters here were oblivious. Some certainly were. But for others, they likely preferred the idea of a special election over electing the third-party candidate on the ballot.”
Some folks commenting that the voters here were oblivious. Some certainly were. But for others, they likely preferred the idea of a special election over electing the third-party candidate on the ballot
— Charlie Wolfson (@chwolfson) November 9, 2022
From Fox News:
DeLuca was a resident of Penn Hills for over 60 years. He got his start in politics serving on the Penn Hills Government Study Commission, then five years as a Penn Hills Councilman, followed by two years as Penn Hills Deputy Mayor before running for his legislative seat and defeating the Republican incumbent.
He graduated from Westinghouse High School and the Community College of Allegheny County. He had four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In addition to his late wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Larry and his parents.