Madeleine Dean Projected To Win PA's 4th District

Democrat Madeleine Dean is projected to win the battle to represent Pennsylvania's 4th District in U.S. Congress, the Associated Press announced shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Dean joined fellow Democrat Chrissy Houlahan, who is projected to win the neighboring 6th District. The 4th District covers most of Montgomery County and part of Berks.

Houlahan and Dean's victories are among several across the nation that appear to have tipped the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of the Democratic Party.

10:51 p.m.

Dean is one of at least three women (alongside Houlahan and Mary Gay Scanlon) who won U.S. Congress races in southeastern Pennsylvania Tuesday night. Pennsylvania currently has no women in its Congressional delegation.

10:32 p.m.

With 10 of 11 in Berks reporting, and 320 of 366 in Montgomery reporting, Dean looks to have this locked up.

Dean: 179,411

David: 105,217

10:15 p.m.

Chrissy Houlahan is projected to win the neighboring 6th District in Chester and Berks.

9:47 p.m.

28.63 percent of Montgomery County precincts have reported, and things are still looking good for Dean.

Dean: 93,578 (61.01 percent)

David: 59,765 (38.96 percent)

Write-In: 49 (0.03 percent)

9:21 p.m.

Just under 10 percent of Montgomery County precincts have reported, and Dean's lead is similar.

Dean: 28,834 (61.61 percent)

David: 17,953 (38.36 percent)

Write-In: 11

9:14 p.m.

With 7.8 percent of Montgomery County now reporting, Dean's lead has maintained fairly steady. Nothing out of the Berks County portion of the 4th District yet.

Dean: 23,308 (62.22 percent)

David: 14,145 (37.76 percent)

8:59 p.m.

The counting has begun. With only 2.43 percent of precincts in Montgomery County reporting, and 0 percent of Berks County reporting, Dean currently leads the race.

Dean: 7,683 (65.99 percent)

David: 3,959 (34.01 percent)

8 p.m.

Polls have closed and we are awaiting results. Check back for updates.

6:57 p.m.

Hour-long waits and overflowing parking lots were reported at the Black Rock Fire Company in Oaks. One voter reported that there were heavy crowds there throughout the day, as she drove by multiple times so that she wouldn't have to wait. "I don’t think I’ve seen this many voters in the 25 years here," said Roxanne Keller.

6:13 p.m.

Voters continue to hit the polls leading up to their closure at 8 p.m. In Bridgeport, stations were quiet and voting was swift, though there was a steady flow in and out of polling places. Bridgeport voter Julia Scavicchio said that healthcare, reproductive rights, and climate change were the issues that drove her to the polls. "I'm also motivated to help elect people who will bring more positivity to our political discourse," she said.

5:02 p.m.

In Norristown, wait times were typically down very early and throughout the afternoon, with lines of 20 minutes at around 8:30 a.m., and around 45 minutes by 9:15 a.m.

3:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, David was out campaigning and speaking to individual voters at Skippack Elementary School, then in Worcester, and then over at Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale. Dean met with local organizers in Cheltenham and traveled across the county to Oaks and elsewhere.

Pennsylvania's newly redrawn 4th Congressional District will have a new representative in Congress come November, as local state representative and Democrat Madeleine Dean battles businessman and Republican Dan David.

Voters turned out in droves to the polls on a rainy Tuesday, with voters in many places reporting larger turnouts than in previous years based on the number of people that had voted ahead of them.

The new 4th District, which covers most of Montgomery County other than the main line (along with a slice of eastern Berks County), is most geographically similar to the old 13th District, represented by Congressman Brendan Boyle (D). Given the new maps, Boyle is running in 2018 in the 2nd District, leaving the 4th wide open.

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

Dean, a Glenside native, is a former trial attorney turned English professor, who has recently served as State Representative in the 153rd District.

RELATED: 2018 Election Results: Vote Is A Referendum On 'Trump's GOP'

David is a businessman who co-founded GeoInvesting and attained widespread attention when he served as a whistleblower in cases of fraud involving US investors in Chinese companies. He currently is the CIO of F.G. Alpha Management, a Montgomery County-based hedge fund.

>>On The Issues: Dean Vs. David, US Congress 4th District Of PA

The new 4th is predicted to be heavily Democratic, just as the 13th was.

There are currently no women representing Pennsylvania in U.S. Congress, and Dean is among several women running this year for the state's delegation to DC.

Patch is partnering with ProPublica’s Electionland project to report on problems voters encounter at the polls on Nov. 6 and we want to know if you see any shenanigans. Here’s how you can report what you see to Electionland:

• SMS: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 1-850-909-8683.
• Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland.
• Submit a tip through this form.

Image via Dean and David campaigns