PA Elects a Deceased Candidate with 86% of the Vote

Surprised at the outcome of the midterm elections? Probably not as surprised as some constituents in a district in Pennsylvania. They elected a Democratic official for the state House of Representatives who is deceased. 

Democrat Tony DeLuca was the longest-serving member of the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives, he served for nearly 40 years. 

But DeLuca died last month from lymphoma at the age of 85 years old. 

That did not stop voters from reelecting him, in fact, he dominated his challenger, Queonia “Zarah” Livingston of the Green Party, by more than 70 points. With more than 95% of the vote counted, DeLuca won the election with 86% of the vote compared to Livingston’s 14%. 

Apparently election officials were not able to remove DeLuca’s name from the ballot in time for Election Day, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. And most voters must not have been aware of DeLuca’s death.

Pennsylvania Democrats decided to celebrate the victory as a way to honor DeLuca’s legacy. 

“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously,” the Pennsylvania House Democrats said in a statement.

It is also possible that some voters cast their vote for DeLuca because they did not want his far-left challenger to will the election and they knew that there would have to be a special election to fill his seat if he won the election.

A special election will surely follow this midterm election, but there has not been a date set yet. The Pennsylvania House Democrats’ press secretary, Nicole Reigelman, said DeLuca’s “seat will be filled by a special election, likely in early spring,” local news outlet WTAE-TV reported.

Watch the following clip of DeLuca: