State Rep. 148th District Primary Remains Too Close To Call

>>>Follow the latest updates in the race here

Megan Griffin-Shelley holds a narrow lead early Wednesday in the 148th state legislative primary to replace long-time legislator Mary Jo-Daley.

Griffin-Shelley, a recently elected Whitemarsh Township supervisor who was endorsed by Daley, holds a 102 vote lead over environmental lawyer Jason Landau Goodman, 4,879 to 4,777.

Although all 39 precincts in the race have reported as of just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, there are still mail-in ballots to count, and the race remains too close to call.

Griffin-Shelley and Goodman pulled away early in the evening from ther other two candidates, Leo Solga (1,846) and Andrea Deutsch (1,525).

Previous updates

12:00 a.m.

The race for the 148th district remains too close to call as the clock turns past midnight, and final counting will likely continue into the early morning hours into Wednesday. Megan Griffin-Shelley maintains a narrow 93-vote lead over Jason Landau Goodman, who have separated themselves significantly from the rest of the field.

11:46 p.m.

After a few more mail-ins:

1. Megan Griffin-Shelley: 4,837
2. Jason Landau Goodman: 4,744
3. Andrea Deutsch: 1,829
4. Leo Solga: 1,508

11:04 p.m.

It's not over yet, as Goodman has again narrowed the lead with just one more precinct (25 of 39) reporting.

1. Megan Griffin-Shelley: 4,730
2. Jason Landau Goodman: 4,633
3. Andrea Deutsch: 1,778
4. Leo Solga: 1,477

10:37 p.m.

With 24 of 39 precincts reporting, Griffin-Shelley is slowly pulling away.

1. Megan Griffin-Shelley: 4,601
2. Jason Landau Goodman: 4,277
3. Andrea Deutsch: 1,665
4. Leo Solga: 1,400

10:12 p.m.

The two leaders in the field of four continue to pull away, and continue to be separated by a tiny margin. With 15 of 39 precincts reported in the 148th district, Griffin-Shelley is holding on to a 113-vote lead over Goodman.

The latest:

9:46 p.m.

9:34 p.m.

About 5,170 votes in this race have been counted thus far, all of them mail-ins. No in-person tallies are yet available.

8:44 p.m.

The first results of the night are now in, with Daley's endorsed candidate holding an early lead:

1. Megan Griffin-Shelley: 1,980
2. Jason Landau Goodman: 1,757
3. Andrea Deutsch: 723
4. Leo Solga: 565

8:22 p.m.

Polls are closed, but no precincts have yet reported in Montgomery County. No mail-in ballot results have yet been announced, either.

Original story

A four-way Democratic race for 148th state assembly seat in Montgomery County is lighting up an otherwise quiet primary election night in suburban Philadelphia Tuesday night.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. and results are now beginning to trickle in.

Check back with Patch for live results as election night continues.

Numerous Democrats lined up to replace long-time State Rep. Mary Jo Daley, who served in the House for 14 years.

The Montgomery County Democratic Committee did not endorse a candidate in the race, and without much public polling, it appears to be wide open.

Daley did endorse one of the candidates, Megan Griffin-Shelley, a Lafayette Hill native with a background as a 6th grade English Language Arts teacher. Griffin-Shelley moved into politics during the pandemic, working first for State Rep. Ben Sanchez before becoming chief of staff for nearby State Rep. Nancy Guenst.

She'll face off against Wynnewood native Andrea Deutsch, a longtime attorney in the region, Narberth borough council member, and first woman to become mayor of Narberth. She also owns her own small business in Narberth, Spot’s: The Place for Paws in Narberth.

Environmental lawyer and civil rights advocate Jason Landau Goodman is also in the race. A Lower Merion native, Goodman was previously appointed by the governor's office to work with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

They're joined on the ballot by Leo Solga, a Wynnewood native, student labor organizer, and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Carey School of Law.

The winner will be all but handed the seat in the general election in the fall in what is a dominantly blue district. No Republicans filed paperwork to appear on the primary ballot for their race, though the Montgomery County Republic Committee is calling for voters to write-in Matthew Abelson.