Updates, 9:55 p.m.
Only a few hundred more ballots have been counted, but it's good news for Malagari, as he has extended his lead by several hundred votes.
Two hours into election night, no in-person precincts have yet reported. The latest results:
Montgomery County officials believe they saw excellent turnout Tuesday night, citing long lines and voter engagement around the county.
8:38 p.m.
The first results of the night are in, and it's the incumbent Democrat off to a big lead from all mail-in ballots:
Original story: Polls are closed in Pennsylvania and results are starting to come in for the 53rd legislative district race between incumbent Democratic State Rep. Steve Malagari and challenging Republican Yanni Lambros.
Live results will be posted here as they come in to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Check back to Patch throughout the evening for the latest updated totals.
The balance of power in the state legislature could once again come down to just a handful of races, meaning that statewide attention is on any election with the potential to be close.
Malagari has been in office since he first ran in 2018.
While Malagari has won cleanly in recent years, it was not a blue district for a very long time. Long tenured Republican State Rep. Robert Godshall held the office from 1983 until 2019. And the GOP also held it for 10 years before Godshall entered office.
In 2019, Malagari became the first Democrat to represent the 53rd since 1972.
However, results in the past four elections have indicated a clear changing of the guard. In 2018, Malagari won by about a thousand votes; in 2020 his margin of victory was 3,000 votes, in 2022 it was a lopsided 6,000 votes, and in 2024, he extended his margin to more than 7,000.
The 53rd legislative district covers a significant chunk of the greater North Penn area.
Communities in the district include Hatfield, Lansdale, Souderton, and Telford, along with portions of Franconia and Montgomery townships.
It has a total population of 64,733, according to census data.
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