Dems Win Big, Joe Gale Keeps Seat In Montco Commissioners Race

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners is projected to stay exactly the same. Republican Joe Gale held on to his minority seat, defeating Fred Conner by a small yet clear margin, unofficial results show. Incumbent Democratic Commissioners Valerie Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence Jr., meanwhile, won huge victories.

11:55 p.m.

The board is projected to stay the same. Arkoosh and Lawrence are the projected winners, to be joined by Gale, according to unofficial results, with 422 out of 425 precincts reporting:

• Arkoosh: 125,262
• Lawrence: 122,492
• Gale: 73,106
• Conner: 67,349

10:54 p.m.

The race appears to be drawing to a close, with 347 of 425 precincts reporting and no significant change to the results.

• Arkoosh: 99,390
• Lawrence: 97,299
• Gale: 63,265
• Conner: 57,814

10:29 p.m.

With 290 of 425 precincts reporting:

• Arkoosh: 81,785
• Lawrence: 79,985
• Gale: 51,952
• Conner: 47,477

10:12 p.m.

The race is now more than halfway over. Gale has edged some 4,000 votes ahead of Conner, with the Democrats holding a huge lead. 229 of 425 precincts have reported.

• Arkoosh: 62,210
• Lawrence: 60,949
• Gale: 43,731
• Conner: 39,478

9:48 p.m.

Nearly a third of precincts have now reported, with 123 out of 425 in. Gale has inched ahead of Conner:

• Arkoosh: 30,906
• Lawrence: 30,919
• Gale: 21,292
• Conner: 19,171

9:32 p.m.

With 25 precincts out of 425 around Montgomery County reporting, Gale and Conner are neck and neck in the race to earn the third spot on the board.

Here are the early returns:

• Arkoosh: 11,909
• Lawrence: 11,647
• Gale: 7,856
• Conner: 7,117

8:40 p.m.

Live results of this race will be posted here as soon as they become available. Polls officially closed in Pennsylvania at 8 p.m., and a tally of votes is underway.

As of 8:40 p.m., no Montgomery County precincts had yet reported results. Continue to check back for updates.

Original story

A link to an overview of the race, including profiles for all four candidates and key issues facing the new board, is included below:

>>2019 Election Preview: Montgomery Co. Commissioners Race

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Libertarian John Waldenberger is also running as a write-in candidate.

Lawrence and Arkoosh ran together on the same platform.

"We are proud of the broad coalition of support we have built," Arkoosh said in a statement Monday night, noting endorsements the pair had received from local organizations.

Gale, who has been in office since 2015 and is a vocal supporter of President Trump, has cast himself as an anti-establishment candidate over the past year or so, leveling accusations of misconduct at leadership on both sides of the aisle and urging for greater transparency in government. It's a criticism he's extended to Conner as well. Conner defeated Gale's running mate and brother, Sean Gale, in the primary.

"I said (before the primary) that if I was not paired with that person that I could trust, and that shared my platform and my vision for this county, everything was gonna tank," Gale said during a meeting of the Abington-Rockledge Republicans in May. "No, I am not running as a team with Fred Conner."

The "Vote Joe Gale" Facebook page gone as far as to share messages from supporters urging Republicans not to vote for Conner, as it would "cancel out your vote for Joe."

Conner, the chair of Whitpain Township's Board of Supervisors, did not publicly returne that rhetoric during the campaign.

"Fred is not a career politician looking for a paycheck, or political stepping stone," his campaign website reads. "He is a battle-tested leader absolutely determined to start solving the problems plaguing our communities."

James Saring, the executive director of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, has tried to ameliorate the rift between Conner and Gale.

"(Conner and Gale) are running as conservatives and supporters of President Trump and have been in agreement on all of the issues in this race," he said in an email to Patch.

Indeed, it did not seem to be the issues that separate the pair, both of whom tout solidly conservative platforms. The way they ran their campaigns, and the type of support they respectively garnered, however, could not be much more different.

Royersford Council Vice President Matt Stehman, a Democrat, urged voters to vote for Arkoosh and Lawrence, or for "Fred Conner and only Fred Conner."

"Joe is a man who belongs nowhere near elected office, especially the highest in Montgomery County," Stehman said. "He has no interest in governing, choosing to do nothing but lob partisan bombs at his fellow commissioners. He has called county employees “losers” because of the positions they hold. He constantly peddles conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality."

Waldenberger, who ran as a third party, said that the modern political climate had become a "total nightmare."

"I for one am not happy with our choices for County Commissioner," Waldenberger said. "Especially when two candidates from the same party cannot seem to get along and provide a united front. It is a sign that we need a new voice of reason to lead our county into the future. I feel that I can be that voice, if given the chance."