The 61st state House seat will send back a familiar face for another term.
Early vote totals posted by Montgomery County Wednesday morning indicate incumbent Democrat Liz Hanbidge has won a fourth term, holding off Republican challenger Michelle Rupp.
“While ballots are still being counted, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who worked inside and outside at the polls and everyone who came out to vote,” Hanbidge said Wednesday.
“Many of the precincts in the 61st had over 90 percent turnout and I’m grateful to all of you who made your voices heard,” she said.
Hanbidge, a former child advocate who defeated then-incumbent Kate Harper in 2018, was well ahead in the first round of vote totals posted by Montgomery County on Tuesday night, totaling 3,627 votes versus 1,280 for the challenger in an 8:40 p.m. update. A Wednesday morning update widened that lead, reporting a total of 24,634 votes for Hanbidge to 15,869 for Rupp.
The 61st Legislative District includes Lower Gwynedd, Towamencin, and Upper Gwynedd townships and North Wales Borough and part of Whitpain Township.
Rupp, who ran for a seat on Upper Gwynedd’s board of commissioners in 2021, and for seats on the North Penn School Board in 2019 and in 2017, had not responded to a request for comment.
