After Uncontested Primaries, Here’s Where State House and Senate, Congressional Races in Centre County Stand for November

There wasn’t much drama to be found in the state General Assembly and U.S. Congress positions on the ballots in Centre County for Tuesday’s primary election.

The primary nominations for the three state House districts, two state Senate districts and one U.S. House district representing Centre County, as well as for Pennsylvania U.S. senator, were all uncontested, meaning the ballots for the general election were, barring unforeseen circumstances, already mostly set in those races. In both state Senate districts, no Democrat appeared on the ballot at all, though one candidate mounted a write-in campaign.

Voters did have options in statewide races, including the Democratic and Republican nominations for attorney general and Democratic nominations for auditor general and treasurer. The presidential nominations were also contested, with President Joe Biden and Dean Phillips on the Democratic ballot and former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley on the Republican ballot, though Biden and Trump are already the presumptive nominees and easily won the Pennsylvania primaries by large margins.

With Tuesday’s primary in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at what Centre County voters can expect for the General Assembly and congressional races in November.

STATE HOUSE 77TH DISTRICT

Part of State College, and all of Philipsburg and Port Matilda boroughs and Ferguson, Halfmoon, Huston, Patton, Rush, Taylor and Worth townships.

Democrat – Scott Conklin (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (86 of 87 precincts partially reported): 4,663

Conklin, of Rush Township, is seeking his 10th term representing the 77th District. He currently chairs the House Commerce Committee. Prior to his election as state representative in 2006, Conklin served as a Centre County commissioner for seven years and owned a carpentry business.

Candidate website: scottconklinpa.com

Watch Conklin’s C-NET primary interview:

Republican – Marie Librizzi
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (86 of 87 precincts partially reported): 3,199

Librizzi, of Ferguson Township, is running for state House for the first time after an unsuccessful Centre County commissioner campaign in 2023. She is the retired former owner of Old Main Frame Shop and Gallery, held ownership in several State College area restaurants and has served in the Coast Guard Auxiliary for 15 years.

Librizzi did not participate in a C-NET primary interview and does not have a campaign website or campaign social media accounts.

STATE HOUSE 82ND DISTRICT

Part of State College and all of Howard, Milesburg, Snow Shoe and Unionville boroughs, and Benner, Boggs, Burnside, College, Curtin, Harris, Howard, Liberty, Marion, Snow Shoe and Union townships.

Democrat – Paul Takac (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (86 of 87 precincts partially reported): 4,511

Takac, of College Township, is running for a second term representing the 82nd District. He currently serves on the committees for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Education, Environmental Resources & Energy, Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness and Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development. Prior to his election in 2022, he was a College Township Council member and worked in educational technology for three decades.

Campaign website: paultakac.com

Watch Takac’s C-NET primary interview:

Republican – Therese Hollen
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (86 of 87 precincts partially reported): 3,675

Hollen, of Benner Township, is running for state House for the first time. She has owned Hollen Enterprises LLC, a medical sales and business development company, since 2014.

Campaign website: electhollen.com

Hollen did not participate in a C-NET interview.

STATE HOUSE 171ST DISTRICT

Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Millheim boroughs and Gregg, Haines, Miles, Penn, Potter, Spring and Walker townships. The district also includes part of Mifflin County.

Republican – Kerry Benninghoff (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (Centre and Mifflin counties): 6,884

Benninghoff, of Bellefonte, is running for a 15th term in the Pennsylvania House. He currently serves as Republican chair of the House Transportation Committee. Prior to his first election as state representative in 1996, Benninghoff was elected to two terms as Centre County coroner.

Campaign website: benninghoff171.com

Watch Benninghoff’s C-NET primary interview:

Democrat

No Democrat filed to be on the primary ballot.

STATE SENATE 25TH DISTRICT

Eastern and central Centre County, part of Jefferson County and all of Cameron, Clinton, Elk, McKean and Potter counties.

Republican – Cris Dush (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (district-wide): 23,110

Dush, of Jefferson County, is seeking a second term. He currently chairs the Senate State Government Committee and is vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee. He previously served three terms representing the 66th District in the state House. An Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, he retired from the state Department of Corrections in 2012.

Campaign website: dushforsenate.com

Dush did not participate in a C-NET interview.

Democrat

No Democrat filed to run in the primary, but William McGill, of Clinton County, launched a write-in campaign. A U.S. Army veteran, McGill managed central Pennsylvania auto dealerships for 35 years and is semi-retired. He last managed a full-service repair business, and is also licensed in insurance and real estate.

He will need 500 write-in votes district-wide to appear on the general election ballot. Write-in names and totals have not yet been released as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Campaign Facebook page

McGill did not announce his write-in campaign until after C-NET primary interviews were produced.

STATE SENATE 35TH DISTRICT

Western Centre County and all of Cambria and Clearfield counties.

Republican – Wayne Langerholc Jr. (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (district-wide): 22,017

Langerholc, of Cambria County, is running for a third term. He currently chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and serves on the Appropriations,
Judiciary and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committees. Prior to his first election to the state Senate in 2016, Langerholc was an assistant district attorney in Cambria County, an attorney in private practice and a Richland Township Supervisor.

Campaign website: langerholcforsenate.com

Langerholc did not participate in a C-NET interview.

Democrat

No Democrat filed to run.

U.S. House 15th District

All of Centre, Armstrong, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union and Warren counties and parts of Indiana, Lycoming and Venango counties.

Republican – Glenn Thompson (incumbent)
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. (district-wide) 75,405

Thompson, of Howard Township, is seeking a ninth term in Congress. He currently chairs the House Agricultural Committee and is a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee. Prior to running for Congress, Thompson spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator.

Campaign website: friendsofglennthompson.com

Watch Thompson’s C-NET primary interview:

Democrat – Zach Womer
Primary votes as of 11:15 p.m. (district-wide): 35,225

Womer, of Philipsburg, is running for Congress for the first time. While a law student at Penn State, he serves on the Centre County Mental Health, Intellectual Disability and Early Intervention Advisory Board. He is also a political writer and an independent construction contractor, and became the first person in his family to earn a college degree when he graduated from Denison University.

Campaign website: womeforpa.com

Watch Womer’s C-NET primary interview: