Pennsylvania House Majority Whip Mike Schlossberg turned back a challenge from political newcomer Caren Lowrey on Tuesday, holding his Lehigh County seat in a race that unfolded as control of the entire state House hung in the balance. The contest in House District 132 pitted one of Harrisburg's most powerful Democrats against a first-time candidate who works as a drug educator and recovery specialist.
Schlossberg, the third-highest-ranking Democrat in the Pennsylvania House, faced off against Lowrey in a district that includes South Whitehall and parts of Allentown and Upper Macungie, according to lehighvalleylive.com. The outlet reported unofficial results showing Schlossberg with 67% of the vote to Lowrey's 33%, with all 158 Lehigh County precincts partially reporting. Separately, The Morning Call reported that as of 10 p.m., with 69% of precincts reported, the Associated Press had called the race for Schlossberg at 69.9% of the vote — a different snapshot of the count taken at a different point in the evening.
A Seat That Mattered Beyond Lehigh County
The race carried stakes well beyond South Whitehall. Democrats headed into the general election holding the state House by a slim 103-100 margin, the station's report notes, meaning every seat was a potential swing point for who controls Harrisburg. Pennsylvania's House has 203 members serving two-year terms, and the entire chamber was on the ballot this year, according to Spotlight PA.
All of the Lehigh Valley's state House and Senate seats were on Tuesday's ballot, with the balance of power in Harrisburg at stake, per The Morning Call. The newsroom's coverage placed Schlossberg's race alongside other closely watched Lehigh Valley contests playing out the same night.
Other Lehigh Valley Races on the Same Ballot
Elsewhere on the ballot, the Associated Press called the state Senate race in favor of Nick Miller as of 11 p.m., with 87% of precincts reporting and Miller taking 65% of the vote, the same account states. The AP also called the Senate race for Lisa Boscola at 11 p.m., with 76% of precincts reporting and Boscola receiving 65.8% of the vote.
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, a Democrat, faced Republican Jarrett Coleman, a conservative critic of Governor Shapiro, in a separate state Senate race.
Results across these races remain unofficial. Pennsylvania's own election-returns site notes that figures are unofficial and for informational purposes only until counties complete certification, with official results to be clearly marked once that process concludes, according to electionreturns.pa.gov.
