Despite a slew of negative television commercials, incumbent Republican state Rep. Craig Williams defeated Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro, keeping the GOP’s fading hopes of flipping the Pennsylvania House alive.
In the ads, Moro hammered Williams as an anti-abortion absolutist despite his vote against a constitutional amendment to outlaw it.
In unofficial returns, Williams garnered 22,048 votes while Moro stood at 19,823 in the 160th District, which straddles Chester and Delaware Counties.
Williams thanked voters in a Facebook post.
“In the end, my opposition spent more than $1.5 million in TV ads with a lying message. The governor came to our district to repeat the lies and told people specifically not to believe that I’m a nice guy.
“I made a decision to trust that our community knew the truth,” said Williams. “I made a decision to run a campaign that would make you and your (and my) children proud. The vote yesterday by my widest margin yet confirms my faith in our community that you, in fact, can win by being a good person and fighting for the truth. It took bipartisan support to win by that margin.”
Williams is a two-term incumbent. He served in the Marine Corps for 28 years, flying 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle, and retired as a colonel. He served on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, was deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the War on Terror, and served as chief prosecutor with the Marines. He was a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice.
Williams says he knocked on thousands of doors during his reelection campaign.
“I’m getting a lot of positive responses at the doors relative to my work on the Pennsylvania budget, especially my work on law enforcement and keeping communities safe,” Williams told DVJournal previously. Residents also give him high marks for working with PennDOT to get roads repaired, he said.
“I had town hall [recently] with 1,900 people on the phone talking about road projects in the district,” Williams added.
Moro is a real estate broker. Previously, she had run for Congress before the district was eliminated. She wrote “The Civil Graces Project” and co-founded Neighbors for Crebilly, seeking to preserve Crebilly Farm.
Last year, Williams announced he had secured a $4 million grant to help Westtown acquire Crebilly Farm for preservation.
“I am very grateful to all of you,” Williams added. “Thank you to those who worked so hard with me on the doors, phones, and at the polls. I am humbled and promise to serve with a grateful heart.”
Also, on Facebook, Moro said, “I am grateful to all of those who have supported me during this election and believed in our shared goals of making life easier and more fulfilling for all in Pennsylvania. During this campaign, I met and spoke with voters all over the district, advocating for civil graces and against political division. While I am disappointed in the election results, I look forward to the work we can do in our community together.”
In two other closely-watched House races in the region, the House Democratic Campaign Committee declared victory Wednesday morning in the race between Bucks County Rep. Brian Munroe and Bucks County’s Recorder of Deeds, Republican Dan McPhillips. As of noon Wednesday, however, the Associated Press had not declared a winner.
Democrats have also claimed victory in the Philadelphia race between Sean Dougherty, scion of a well-known Philadelphia political family, and Aizaz Gill, the enthusiastic and community-minded president of the Burholme Town Watch and Civic Association.
