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Incumbent Crushed In Dem 22nd District Primary

By Bob Small

The saga of the Pennsylvania House 22^nd District in 2026 is a bit twisty, so bear with me. Democrat Josh Siegel resigned from the seat Dec. 17 because he had been elected Lehigh County Executive. The area Dems initially chose Julian Guridy to be the candidate, but questions were raised about his residency. They next chose Ana Tibuerico, though her petitions were challenged (see below). When the Feb 24 Special Election was held, she defeated GOP candidate Robert E. Smith with 67 percent of the vote.

All of this led to the May 19 Democrat Primary where Tiburico lost to Ce-Ce Gerlach 56 to 44 percent.

Gerlach and Smith, who won the GOP primary are now slated to face off in the Nov. 3 General Election.

The 22^nd House District. covers parts of Lehigh County, including parts of Allentown and Salisbury Township.

Gerlach has been leading the “Allentown Jobs First” initiative and advocates for affordable housing. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Cedar Crest College.

“The problems that we face are systematic, so there must be systematic solutions,” she said.

It turns out that the local chapter of the Working Families Party supported Gerlach in the primary. WFP almost always supports Democrats in the general.

The challenge against Tibrucio’s Petitions — this is Pennsylvania, after all –was withdrawn on March 24.

The 22^nd District “is the most partisan state House seat in the Lehigh Valley. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district 2.5-to-1, giving them a sizable advantage in the district. “

Gerlach became an Allentown City Councilperson in 2019. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Cedar Crest College.

See also:

MEET CE-CE | State Rep Site
Incumbent Ana Tiburcio concedes 22nd House District …

Humble Win In 50th District Primary

By Bob Small

In the third of four Pennsylvania house incumbents to lose to a Primary Challenger, Republican Bud Cook lost by over 300 votes to Waynesborough Council President Ben Humble in the primary for the 50th District.

Humble is the project manager with Humble Flooring and Decorating Center.

Cook, first elected in November 2016, was seeking his sixth term.

The 50^th District consists of Greene County, along with four townships and 20 boroughs of Washington County.

The Democratic candidate will be Lois Bower-Bjonson of Scenery Hill.

Cook sponsored legislation that would Primary results spell the end for four PA House incumbents, “bar public officials from lobbying if they’re convicted of a crime”.

Humble wants to create a state-level DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency.

Cook also sought to replace property taxes with “alternative funding models” to raise money.” He previously was a council member in West Virginia, etc.

Cook echoes many with his concerns “ about the strain large data centers can place on our energy grid, water resources, and local infrastructure, especially in rural communities. “

Ben Humble has a diploma from Jefferson-Morgan High School and 30 years experience as a businessman, and a volunteer fireman.

State Senator Camera Barlotta (R- 46) gave the Humble campaign $1,030, but the money was returned. See also below.

In 2020, Bud Cook was among 26 Pa House Republicans who called for“the reversal of Joe Biden’s certification as the winner of Pennsylvania’s 2020 electoral votes in the 2020 United States Presidential election”.

For a discussion of the Barlotta “alleged influence” for Ben Humble, see Why is local politics in Washington County so cutthroat?

Also see

I had high hopes for Ben Humble. He screams he is not …

Meet Ben Humble

Was Keith Harris Too Conservative For The 195th?

By Bob Small

Keith Harris (D-195) becomes a one-term state representative following this year’s primary. He was defeated by social worker Sierra McNeil. The third candidate was Kenneth Walker, Jr, formerly a public school teacher and an assistant program manager for the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Public Safety.

McNeil received 53.4% to Harris’s 27.3%. .This is the general election in that the GOP has neglected to run anyone for this office and any alternative party candidate has little chance.

According to his campaign website, Harris “earned a certificate in Liberal Arts education through the Act Now program at Philadelphia Community College from in 1982.” He also mentions his work on the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. He was previously sergeant at arms for The Philadelphia City Council.

Sierra McNeil had the support of the Philadelphia Working Families Party, which masquerades as an independent party, but actually votes with the Democrats.

Harris stopped following the party line on Immigration and other bills, which may have led to his defeat.

McNeil is Pennsylvania President of the The National Association of Social Workers.

She supports HB 554 which would allow the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the Social Work Licensure Compact . There are seven states in the SWLC, with twenty others having pending Legislation. This could eventually allow social workers to apply for multi-state licenses.

Not everyone thinks this is a good idea. The Social Work Compact is bad public policy .“ Psychotherapynotes.com feels that this removes participating states’ ability to ensure that a social worker has state-specific legal knowledge before being allowed to practice there. “. There are a number of other concerns brought up in this article,

For instance, would a Social Worker from Iowa know what a Wawa on “the pike” means, what a “Booth’s Corner” is, and wouldn’t they expect Delaware County to have a few hospitals?

Similarly, what would a Pennsylvania Social worker not know, that you don’t want to work in Vermont because they’re the only state without a Dairy Queen?

See also

Sierra McNeil

Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans .

Greg Vitali loses!

By Bob Small

In one of the most stunning 2026 Primary upsets, the three -decade-plus legislative career of Greg Vitali comes to an end. He lost to Judy Trombetta, who is almost half his age.

The 69-year-old Vitali was backed by The Pennsylvania House Democratic Committee . However, the Delaware County Democratic Committee endorsed his challenger. She raised twice the amount Vitali did, $60,000, and spent $45,000, compared to the $14,000 he spent.

Greg Vitali has a BS (Cum Laude) in Economics from Villanova Rep. Greg Vitali | Homepage and a J. D, from The Villanova University School of Law. He then worked as a sole practitioner for a dozen years in Havertown. In 1992, he became the first Democrat ever elected to the 166^th.

At their forum, Vitali proposed that “climate change is the issue of our time”. Trombetta argued that “now is not the time for a single-issue candidate”. Trombetta is the president of the Haverford Board of Commissioners, the latest post in her 15 years of public service.

Judy Trombetta has a BSW from Temple and MSW from the U of. Pittsburgh. She has a past history of working to ban Marcellus Shale Drilling, while also being involved in marijuana legalization efforts. She lives in Haverford with her husband Brandon, a son and a cat.

PA District 166 includes Haverford Township along with parts of, Lower Merion, and Radnor.

Even AI couldn’t uncover any relationship information on Greg Vitali albeit a non-AI source with a good memory can say he was divorced shortly after his legislative career began.

See also

Greg Vitali

‘Grateful’ Trombetta talks about victory as Delaware County …

Vitali vs Trombetta: The Debate Recap and a Moment That …

Lastly, Joe Walker will be her GOP opponent in November.