Democrat Muth Unseats Rafferty For State Senator In PA 44

Democrat Katie Muth has unseated incumbent Republican John Rafferty in the state Senate's 44th District.

Muth, just 34, was neck and neck with Rafferty, who has been in office since 2003, for much of the night. However, she always held a slight lead, and pulled away by a comfortable margin in the final hour of counting for an unofficial total of 62,444 votes to Rafferty's 57,733.

It's a remarkable turnaround in a district which voted Republican for Rafferty by a huge margin of more than 18,000 votes just four years ago.

Royersford mayor Jenna Antoniewicz congratulated Muth, also a Royersford resident, in the wake of her victory.

"She (Muth) came onto the scene only recently and has been unapologetically straightforward about how she wants to be a voice for working class folks in our communities. We are so proud of her and can't wait to work with her for all of you, Royersford!

Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial District includes Limerick, Collegeville, Royersford, and much of the surrounding area.

11:41 p.m.

All but four precincts in Chester County and one precinct in Montgomery County have reported (285 out of 290).

Muth: 61,600

Rafferty: 56,867

11:23 p.m.

About 90 percent of precincts have reported. It's still a nail-biter. Here's where things stand:

Muth: 53,800

Rafferty: 49,308

10:57 p.m.

Nearly an hour later, Muth has extended her lead. All Berks precincts are in, with 35 of 42 in Montgomery in as well. But Chester County only has 143 of 228 precincts in, meaning this is still too close to call.

Muth: 38,008

Rafferty: 34,995

10:03 p.m.

UPDATED RESULTS

With 93 of 280 precincts reporting all told, Muth retains her narrow lead over Rafferty. This race could go down to the wire.

Muth: 24,043

Rafferty: 22,446

Results from Chester County are beginning to trickle in, with 58 of 228 precincts reporting. In Montco, 25 of 42 are in, and in Berks County, all 10 precincts are reporting.

9:55 p.m.

37.54 percent of precincts in Montgomery are reporting.

Muth: 15,395 (52.87 percent)

Rafferty: 13,715 (47.10 percent)

9:28 p.m.

Muth and Rafferty are neck and neck in the early going, though only 12 percent of Montgomery County precincts have reported, and none of the district's Chester County results are in yet. The newcomer holds a 900 vote lead over the veteran legislator.

Muth: 5,123 (54.55 percent)

Rafferty: 4,264 (45.41 percent)

>>Click here to follow along with Election Day developments, including voter turnout, polling place issues, and other news as it comes in.

Looking at things from the surface, you'd be hard pressed to find two candidates more unalike. Rafferty, 65, a former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania and current Chairman of the Transportation Committee, is the eighth longest-serving Republican in the senate. He's a native of the area and once served on the Methacton School Board.

Muth, a Royersford resident from Western Pennsylvania, is running her first campaign, and works as an adjunct professor of kinesiology at Eastern University. She's part of national movement of very young people — especially young women — running for office for the first time in 2018.

While Rafferty presents himself as a seasoned legislator who sticks to core conservative values, Muth has run as a candidate of the working class aiming to take special interests out of the picture.

>>On The Issues: Katie Muth Versus John Rafferty

Yet despite these cosmetic differences, Rafferty has a reputation as something of a moderate who has reached across the aisle on a wide range of issues. He did eventually endorse Trump, in the 11th hour, in 2016, but his public statements and centrist politics bare little similarity to the president. Whether swing voters will see that nuance is another matter entirely — but it may not matter.

Rafferty soundly defeated his last challenger, Kathleen Cozzone, in 2014, earning 48,655 votes to Cozzone's 30,597.

Bolstering Rafferty's position over the past decade and a half is the fact that much of this district is solidly red. Limerick sided with Donald Trump in 2016 (49.4 to 45.3 percent), as did Worcester (48.7 to 46.6). Those may seem to be insignificant margins, but considering that Montgomery County as a whole overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 (64.9 percent to 30.4 percent), it actually shows that the 44th contains some of the highest concentrations of GOP supporters in the Philadelphia area.

The senate has long held a heavy GOP majority, and that's no different heading into the midterms, with 33 Republicans and just 16 Democrats.

Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial District covers a diverse swath of land in three different counties, including Montgomery, Chester, and Berks. Local municipalities within the 44th include Collegeville, Limerick, Royersford, Lower Providence, Upper Providence, West Norriton, Worcester, Lower Pottsgrove, West Vincent, and more.

A map of the 44th District is included below.

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First photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images (Muth on left), Second photo via State Sen. John C. Rafferty Jr.'s Office