Murt Defends Seat In PA House District 152, Defeats Boling

Incumbent Republican Thomas Murt, who has held office for 11 years, defeated challenging Democrat Daryl Boling on Tuesday night.

Boling was seeking to become the first member of his party to ever win a state representative seat in the 152nd District. The race was competitive, but Murt emerged clearly victorious.

Murt, along with Bob Mensch, was one of the few longtime incumbent Republicans in Montgomery County who defended their seat on Tuesday. Several nearby races saw districts that had been red for decades flipped to the Democrats. 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, Joe Ciresi took the 146th, Danielle Friel Otten took the 155th, and Melissa Shusterman took the 157th.

This is a breaking story. Check back for unofficial vote totals and more details.

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The 152nd, which includes Bryn Athn, Hatboro, Lower Moreland, Upper Moreland, and parts of Upper Dublin and Philadelphia, has been Republican ever since it was created in 1969. Murt has held the office since 2007.

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Boling has worked for 20 years in financial leadership positions with arts organizations, including a stint as the general manger of the Bucks County Playhouse. He's currently the COO of Pall Mall Art Advisors. He's cited his experience in the art world as teaching him how to "align often disparate ideas and converge those energies toward a common good."

Murt is a retired Staff Sgt. in the U.S. Army, and served as the Upper Moreland Township Commissioner for 10 years. He serves on four committees in the legislature: Children and Youth, Commerce, Human Services, and Urban Affairs.

Murt won the 2016 election in a landslide, earning 21,478 votes to Albert Dermovsesian's 12,439.

>>Everything To Know About The Pennsylvania 2018 Midterm Elections

Republicans have controlled both the Pennsylvania state senate and house since 2011. Going into Election Day 2018, Republicans have a very comfortable 33-16 majority in the senate, and a 120-79 majority in the house.

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Image via Murt and Boling campaigns