Politics

Pennsylvania’s 12th District Stays Red After Tom Marino’s Surprise Resignation

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Evie Fordham Politics and Health Care Reporter
Font Size:

Republican state Rep. Fred Keller won Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District special election Tuesday night, ensuring the district would stay red after Republican Rep. Tom Marino stepped down in January.

Keller took 70.3% of the vote with 64% of precincts reporting as of press time, while his Democratic opponent Marc Friedenberg took 29.9%, according to The New York Times. President Donald Trump held a rally for Keller in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, Monday to energize voters the night before the general election.

“Fred Keller of the Great State of Pennsylvania has been an outstanding State Representative. Now he is running as the Republican Nominee for Congress, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement. He will do a fantastic job — I look forward to seeing everyone tonight!” Trump wrote on Twitter hours before the rally. (RELATED: House Freedom Caucus Condemns Rep Justin Amash After Impeachment Stance)

Keller has represented voters from central Pennsylvania in the state House of Representatives since 2010, according to Ballotpedia. He will be one of only two members of Congress who never attended college, FiveThirtyEight elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich wrote on Twitter.

Keller spoke about his experience with the American dream during an interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation prior to his nomination.

“Why I’m running, to me, it’s about the sacrifice made by our veterans and the founders of our great nation,” Keller said in a phone interview. “As a kid, I grew up very poor. I would have been what people now characterize as at-risk or disadvantaged. … Had I lived in any other country on the face of this earth, I’d still be that poor, and so would my children.”

“I want to make sure those opportunities exist for generations to come,” he continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Fred Keller, Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional district, during a 'Make America Great Again' campaign rally at Williamsport Regional Airport, May 20, 2019 in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Fred Keller, Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional district. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Keller attributed Pennsylvania’s falling unemployment rate to Trump’s policies and said his campaign was pro-family and pro-veteran, reported WSKG.

The district is heavily Republican and pro-Trump, and political commentators downplayed the chance that Friedenberg could flip it like Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb did during a 2018 special election.

The Pennsylvania special election is one of several that played out long past the November 2018 midterms. North Carolina’s 3rd and 9th Congressional Districts will hold special elections Sept. 10.

Follow Evie on Twitter @eviefordham.

Send tips to evie@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.