BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — The township has always been a Republican stronghold. Until the last year or so.
GOP Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo has won re-elections to maintain his grip as the township's top administrator for 30 years.
Meanwhile, State Rep. Kathleen "KC" Tomlinson has been re-elected as state representative in the 18th legislative district —which represents Bensalem and Hulmeville — in the same position that her father Tommy Tomlinson held for years.
But the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction in the past few years.
In the last municipal and school board elections, the Democrats have taken control.
On the Bensalem Township Council, three Democratic newcomers were elected, knocking off two Republican incumbents.
The Democrats now hold a 3-2 majority on the council in working with the Republican mayor.
Meanwhile, the Bensalem Township School Board — locked under Republican control that led the school district to suffer "severe financial issues" — has seen a transformation to the Democratic party.
With three weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3, Tomlinson is trying to hold Democrats back as she runs against Bryan Allen, a former township council member.
Tomlinson — who recently had a baby — has kept campaigning, recently posting on Facebook that she has visited 10,000 homes in the township.
One of the main campaign issues has centered around school funding and the school district's financial crunch, which reached a deficit of $16 million.
How voters decide on their next state representative could be a toss-up, according to recent election voting statistics.
Bensalem Township is politically balanced.
About 51 percent of voters go for Democrats while 49 percent vote for Republicans, according to election statistics.
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