Republican Bob Mensch Wins Re-Election For PA Senate 24

Republican Bob Mensch won a close battle in the 24th Senatorial District Tuesday night, keeping a Montgomery County GOP stronghold intact on a night that saw Democrats execute several historic flips.

Mensch earned 54,374 votes to Fields' 48,289, according to unofficial tallies. The pair split Montgomery County fairly evenly, but Mensch pulled ahead with around 3,000 more votes in each of Berks and Bucks counties.

Nearby Democrats won seats in the state Senate and House that had been red for decades, including Maria Collett in the 12th and Katie Muth in the 44th in the Senate, and Steve Malagari in the 53rd, Liz Hanbridge in the 61st, and Joe Ciresi in the 146th in the House.

Original story:

Republican incumbent Bob Mensch will face Democratic challenger Linda Fields in the battle for the state senate seat in Pennsylvania's 24th District that has been red for nearly 60 years.

9:40 p.m.

With 3 out of 19 Berks precincts reporting, and 43 of 64 Montgomery County precincts reporting, Fields is holding onto a narrow lead. No Bucks County precincts have reported yet.

Mensch: 21,724

Fields: 23,634

The 24th District includes numerous municipalities from across north and western Montgomery County, southern Bucks County, and eastern Berks County.

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Fields faces an uphill battle: Mensch has held the office since 2009. A Repulican has held the seat since it was created in 1959.

>>Everything To Know About The Pennsylvania 2018 Midterm Elections

Mensch, 73, of Pennsburg, is a former Pennsylvania state representative in the 147th District who is the co-founder of the Unami Watershed Conservancy and chairman of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Fields, a Pottstown resident, is an experienced political activist and field organizer who has worked for nearly three decades wiht the AFL-CIO.

Municipalities in the 24th in Berks County include Bally, Bechtelsville, Boyertown, Colebrookdale Township, District Township, Earl Township, Hereford Township, Longswamp Township, Pike Township, Rockland Township, and Washington Township.

In Bucks, the district contains Bridgeton Township, Durham Township, Milford Township, Nockamixon Township, Quakertown, Richland Township, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Springfield Township, Tinicum Township, and Trumbauersville.

And in Montgomery County, the 24th has Douglass Township. East Greenville, Green Lane, Lansdale, Lower Frederick Township, Lower Salford Township, Marlborough Township, New Hanover Township, Pennsburg, Perkiomen Township, Pottstown, Red Hill, Salford Township, Schwenksville, Skippack Township, Towamencin Township, Trappe, Upper Frederick Township, Upper Hanover Township, Upper Pottsgrove Township, Upper Salford Township, and West Pottsgrove Township.

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Image via Fields and Mensch campaigns