Rep. Glenn Thompson Wins Reelection in 15th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, is headed back to Congress for an eighth term.

Thompson defeated Union County Democrat Mike Molesevich in Tuesday’s election for Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race just before 11 p.m.

With 92% of precincts reporting, Thompson had 70.4% of the vote in the district spanning 18 counties. In his home of Centre County, Thompson’s lead was much smaller, with 30,769 votes to Molesevich’s 30,012 as of the county’s last update at 10:38 p.m.

Thompson, who is Republican leader of the House Agriculture Committee and a senior member of the House Education and Labor Committee, will once again represent all of Centre County in Congress. In 2018, the county was split into the 15th and the 12th districts, the latter covering d the southeastern part of the county, including State College and the Penns Valley Area.

Redistricting earlier this year, however, resulted in new congressional maps for the commonwealth, with Centre County reunited under the 15th District.

The sprawling district of north-central counties now includes Centre, Armstrong, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union, Warren, and parts of Indiana, Lycoming and Venango.

Thompson first won election to the House in 2008. Prior to running for Congress, he spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator, and he served on the Bald Eagle Area School Board. He has a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and a master’s degree from Temple.