Shusterman, Otten Unseat GOP Incumbents To Win 155th, 157th

Political newcomer and Democrat Melissa Shusterman defeated Republican Warren Kampf on Tuesday, ending the incumbent's eight year tenure as the 157th's representative and becoming only the second Democrat to lead the district since it was formed in 1969.

Out of the past 50 years, Democrats have held the 157th, which covers much of the Phoenixville area, for just two of them.

Shusterman earned 17,603 votes to Kampf's 13,543, according to unofficial tallies and with all precincts reporting after midnight Tuesday. It's a significant turnaround from 2014, when Kampf won the district by 5,000 votes.

In the neighboring 155th District, which also includes part of Phoenixville, Democrat Danielle Friel Otten unseated Republican State Rep. Becky Corbin. The 155th's been red since 1991.

Shusterman and Otten's victories were among several major Democratic wins in nearby state Senate and House seats that have been fully red or largely red for decades. In the state Senate, Maria Collett won the 12th and Katie Muth won the 44th, while in the House, Steve Malagari took the 53rd, Liz Hanbridge took the 61st, and Joe Ciresi took the 146th.

9:30 a.m.

Things got off to a rough start in the 155th and 157th early Tuesday, as the first hundred voters at a Phoenixville precinct were incorrectly given the same ballot.

This is a problem because the precinct — Phoenixville's Middle 1 — is split between the state legislature's 155th and 157th House districts. Yet the first 108 voters mistakenly received ballots for the 155th, regardless of which district their home fell under, according to sources at the precinct.

"I really hope that it doesn't come down to the wire because otherwise this will have to go to the courts and we won't have a winner tonight," said Michael Kuznar, former Phoenixville borough councilman who was at the polls.

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

The ballot issue only impacted one polling place: the Phoenixville Senior Center, located at 153 Church Street. Phoenixville Mayor Peter Urscheler told Patch that voter receipts for impacted voters would read "467 Phoenixville MID-1 155th (numbers 0001-0108)."

"Any affected voter should return to the poll before they close at 8 p.m. and speak to the Judge of Elections," Mayor Urscheler said.

It's not yet clear exactly what caused the error.

In the 157th, incumbent Republican Warren Kampf is facing Democratic challenger Melissa Shusterman. Kampf won the 2016 election a margin of around 4,000 votes. Meanwhile, Becky Corbin, Republican state representative for the 155th, is facing Democrat Danielle Otten. Corbin won the 2016 race by around 5,000 votes.

On an encouraging note, Kuznar added that the turnout in the Middle 1 precinct has been strong, with around 200 voters already by around 10 a.m. Those numbers are comparable to what the precinct received on the morning of the 2016 Presidential election, which is typically a stronger voting year.

The error will only effect the state legislature races in the 155th and the 157th. Residents of Phoenixville's Middle-1 have the same ballot otherwise.

Original story: Incumbent Republican Warren Kampf faces off Tuesday against Democratic challenger Melissa Shusterman in the race for Pennsylvania's state representative in the 157th District. The seat has been Republican for 48 of the last 50 years.

Kampf, a former Tredyffrin Township supervisor, has held the office since 2010, and leans to the middle and even the left on numerous issues. He supports a bump stock ban, universal background checks, and a ban on high capacity magazines, all points which Shusterman agrees with him on.

Shusterman, a Schuylkill Township resident and Conestoga graduate, has worked as a media professional, and founded her own business, Fedora Media. She announced her candidacy in Sept. 2017 to "offer the voters a determined citizen not a career politician."

>>On The Issues: Shusterman Vs. Kampf, State Rep. 157th District

The similarities between the candidates stated positions don't end with the gun question. Both have advocated for increased education funding. Both say they see raising taxes and "unneccessary spending" as the problem. Shusterman says she'd institute a severance tax and close tax loopholes, while Kampf points to controlling property tax increases as a priority.

There has been controversy on the campaign trail, however. In October, Kampf filed for an injunction against a group called "PA Fund for Change" for alleging that he had accepted large per-diems, which he denies. Before Election Day, the organization, labeled by Chester County Republicans as a "dark money funded" organization, issued a retraction.

In 2016, Kampf soundly defeated Democratic challenger Hans Van Mol, 19,144 to 15,156. Aside from one term of Democratic control in 2009-2010, the 157th has been red since 1969.

The district includes parts of Chester and Montgomery County and much of the Phoenixville area. The east, middle and west wards of the borough are in the 157th, as well as the Oaks, Mont Clare and Mingo sections of Upper Providence. Tredyffrin and Schuylkill townships are also part of the 157th.

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Images via Kampf and Shusterman campaigns