Erie County voters are sending Republican State Senator Dan Laughlin back to Harrisburg for a third four year term.
It was a long Tuesday night for Laughlin, his campaign team and supporters as they waited for the vote count to come in. Early numbers showed democratic challenger Jim Wertz leading, but as results from more precincts came in, Laughlin surged ahead, by about 11,000 votes. Both candidates raised, and spent a lot of money in this race, more than $3-million dollars combined.
Laughlin told our Lisa Adams the win feels good, and although it was a contentious campaign, he gave credit to Wertz for running a tough race. "I think it's partly because I have a lot of unfinished work to do. I mean we've got a lot done for this district over the last 8 years for sure, but I'm really looking forward to the next four to get more done for this district."
Laughlin is proud of the additional funding he brought to Erie's Public Schools. He is also proud of his role in helping Erie apply for the CRIZ, the "City Revitalization and Improvement Zone," which is expected to super charge development.