PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Fern Leard has won the Democratic nomination for the 120th State House District.
Leard ran away with the nomination, amassing 61% of the vote with 65% of the district reporting.
Leard will face Republican Brenda Pugh, who notched the Republican nomination minutes earlier. The incumbent, Republican Aaron Kaufer, is not seeking re-election.
Leard, from the Back Mountain, lost to Representative Kaufer in November of 2022. What makes this time different, she said, is she is not running as a write-in candidate.
"This time we've had more time to prepare," Leard said.
Leard bested John Morgan, who sought the the Democratic spot on the November ballot in the place his family has called home for generations. Morgan is the vice chairman of Exeter Borough Council and the EMA director for the borough.
Both Morgan and Leard have experience in politics, just in different ways. Morgan points to helping in the creation of the Wyoming Area Regional Police Force and revamping aging infrastructure in Exeter borough.
Leard has worked in advocacy for the past decade on Capitol Hill, working to get a health care bill passed.
With a divided state legislature and an evenly divided district, the two democratic candidates say they're willing to reach across the aisle, if elected.