In Senate 6th, Tomlinson Appears To Win Squeaker

BENSALEM, PA —Republican state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson appeared Monday morning to have held onto his seat by a razor-thin margin. But questions remained, and there were votes yet to be counted, in a race in which Democratic state Rep. Tina Davis fought to a statistical tie in her bid to represent much of Lower Bucks County in the Senate.

With all 129 precincts counted, Tomlinson led Davis by exactly 100 votes in unofficial results, 54,319 to 54,219. That was enough for the 72-year-old lawmaker, who has represented the district since 1995, to declare victory early Wednesday.

"I am truly honored to have earned another term as your State Senator," Tomlinson wrote in a Facebook post. "This was the toughest campaign yet, but I am humbled by the tremendous support of #TeamTommy."

On Wednesday morning, Davis's campaign wasn't going on the record about next steps in the race. Davis spokesman Aren Platt said the campaign is withholding public comment until Friday, when the Bucks County Board of Elections is expected to make the vote total official.

But, in the mean time, they'll be keeping an eye on whether provisional ballots have yet been counted in the race. And there is also the matter of military and overseas votes, which legally may arrive any time between now and Nov. 13.

The thin margin in the race, if it holds, means Davis may request a recount of votes if she chooses. Davis, 58, who has served in the House since 2010, appears to have lost by less than one-tenth of one percentage point.

Under Pennsylvania law, a candidate may request a recount if they lose an election by less than half of one percentage point. Considering the number of votes cast in the race, both Tomlinson and Davis statistically earned 50 percent of the vote.

Messages to county elections officials from Patch seeking comment for this story were not immediately returned Wednesday morning.

Davis, as is allowed by Pennsylvania law, also was seeking re-election to her House seat while seeking to knock off Tomlinson. She won that race handily, defeating Republican Anthony Sposato, 13,332 to 8,131.

Davis hails from Bristol Township, while Tomlinson is from Bensalem.

While Tomlinson had the advantage of incumbency, the numbers shaped up well for Davis in the district, where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by roughly 17,000, according to the Bucks County Board of Elections.

Tuesday morning, both candidates were making a last pitch to get their supporters out to the polls on a rainy Bucks County morning.

"This has been a tough campaign, filled with long hours and endless dedication," Tomlinson wrote on Facebook. "Thank you for all the support and commitment along the way. It has been an honor serving you in Harrisburg, I look forward to continuing to do so."

Monday night, Davis posted a photo from her campaign headquarters, where Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who is seeking re-election, stopped in for a visit.

"I couldn't think of a better way to end this campaign!" she wrote. "Thank you all for your support and your enthusiasm! Tomorrow is the day we've been working toward."

During the campaign, Davis and Tomlinson clashed over issues including property tax reform and how to spend state proceeds from legal gambling in Pennsylvania.

Before being elected to the Senate, Tomlinson was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serving the 18th District from 1991-94. Before that, he was director of the Bensalem Township School District from 1978 to 1990. He owns and operates Tomlinson Funeral Home in Bensalem.

Serving her third term in the House, Davis previously served on the Bristol Township Council. A former real estate agent, she has championed issues including cracking down on public officials taking money in exchange for services and a bill establishing legal penalties for "revenge porn." She co-owns a local trucking company with her husband, Jim.

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Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate serve four-year terms.

Tomlinson won the seat handily in 2014, defeating Democrat Kimberly Yeager-Rose, 45,361 to 27,997.

6th District (includes Bensalem, Bristol, Lower Southampton, Middletown, Northampton, Warwick, and Wrightstown townships, as well as Bristol, Hulmeville, Ivyland, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, and Penndel boroughs.)

Photos courtesy Pennslvyania state House, Senate