Monday, November 19, 2012
Justin Simmons wins re-election to the 131st District following a contentious race.
Democrat Kevin Deely has decided not to seek a recount in the 131st state House race and has conceded the race to incumbent Republican Justin Simmons, according to a post Monday afternoon on his Facebook page. Deely said he would return the money raised for the recount effort. "It's been an amazing journey!" Deely wrote. "After careful consideration, I've decided to forego a recount and return the contributions raised for that effort. The cost and time associated with it, as well as the increased vote margin, makes a recount unlikely to change the outcome. I have just called Representative Simmons to congratulate him and wish him well." Lehigh County's vote count showed Simmons edged out Kevin Deely by 16 votes in Lehigh County, and the …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Citing 'too much support for a recount,' Democrat Kevin Deely refuses to concede 131st District race to incumbent Republican Justin Simmons. But Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman Brendan Boyle says 'not enough ballots to win.'
Is the race for the 131st state House seat over? Depends on who you ask. Though Lehigh County's vote count shows incumbent Republican Justin Simmons edged out Kevin Deely by 16 votes in Lehigh County, and the Simmons camp says the Northampton County vote count put Simmons ahead by another 432 votes, challenger Kevin Deely won't concede the race anytime soon. "It's so close, we just want to make sure every vote is counted. I have so many supporters asking for a recount," said Deely in an exclusive interview. "I'm not conceding the race. There's only a little more than one percentage point [between Deely and Simmons], and the results will come soon enough. In the end, democracy will win." Deely confirmed his campaign is "strongly …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Incumbent Republican Justin Simmons edged out Democratic challenger Kevin Deely by 16 votes in Lehigh County in the 131st state House race. In Northampton County, Simmons won by 432 votes, the Simmons campaign said.
Incumbent state Rep. Justin Simmons defeated Democratic challenger Kevin Deely by 448 votes in the official count for the 131st state House seat, according to information provided by the Lehigh County election bureau and the Simmons campaign. In Lehigh County, Simmons edged out Deely by 16 votes. Simmons had 13,014 votes to Deely's 12,998, according to Lehigh County election official Tim Benyo. Northampton County's official results showed Simmons defeating Deely there by 432 votes, according to the Simmons campaign. Additional details were not immediately available. In Lehigh County, Deely won by 239 votes in ballots cast at the voting machines. But when absentee and military ballots were added, Simmons edged ahead. The race, called "one …
Monday, November 12, 2012
With almost all the votes counted, the race for the 131st district in Lehigh County is only one vote apart, and over 400 apart in Northampton County.
For the rest of the Lehigh Valley, election season is over. In the 131st district, the race for the house seat rages on. The race, between incumbent Justin Simmons (R) and Kevin Deely (D) was too statistically close for election officials certify election night. Currently Simmons is ahead of Kevin Deely by only one vote in Lehigh County and 430 in Northampton County. In Lehigh County outstanding ballots include 60 provisional ballots, six emergency responders, and four ballots where voters didn't provide proper identification and still could. In Northampton County, outstanding ballots include 16 military ballots and 17 first responders. The poll workers and election officials in Lehigh and Northampton counties have worked extremely hard to…
Thursday, November 8, 2012
In an open letter to supporters, 131st District challenger Kevin Deely looks to raise funds for a recount while incumbent state Rep. Justin Simmons calls for him to concede.
With the election less than 48 hours behind them and the race still up in the air, Kevin Deely is asking supporters for help in a possible recount of the 131st state House race. Deely, the Democratic candidate, took to social media to ask for help in covering the cost of a ballot recount. The letter, posted on his Facebook page, reads: Dear supporters, I appreciate your patience in waiting for the election results to be posted. Things are changing rapidly and it may take a week or two until we know the final results. Thank you for your support - I am humbled and honored by the support from every person who cast their vote, and I will fight to make sure than each of these votes is counted. A recount will be expensive. It costs $50 per …
Lehigh County election officials say there are still too many additional ballots left to count before they can call the hotly contested 131st District House race.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Lehigh County election officials say there are too many additional ballots left to count to call the hotly contested race for the 131st district
Election night left state Rep. Justin Simmons looking like a winner but county officials today say the outcome of the 131st House race is not yet certain. Hundreds of ballots are still to be counted. It's expected to take weeks to finalize the outcome. "I'd say there are between 750 and 1,000 ballots left to count," said Lehigh County election official Tim Benyo. A preliminary tally without those ballots shows Simmons with a 562-vote lead. "It's definitely too tight to call this race [for the 131st district] yet," Benyo told Patch on Wednesday morning. Ballots still to be counted include: Simmons, 26, of Upper Saucon Township, won the 131st seat two years ago. He graduated from St. Joseph's University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in …
Incumbent state Rep. Justin Simmons defeats teacher Kevin Deely, a Democrat, by a few hundred votes Tuesday to keep the 131st House seat under GOP control. Deely could choose to challenge results.
- ELECTIONS
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The 131st House seat will remain under GOP control thanks to state Rep. Justin Simmons' win over Democrat Kevin Deely Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Simmons received 14,226 votes compared to 13,664 for Deely with only 562 votes separating the two. Vote tallies are unofficial until certified by county election officials. At a watch party at Oliver Shakewell's in Allentown, Simmons thanked all his constituents for voting. "I am extremely humbled to be re-elected as representative for the 131st district," he said. "I will continue to do my best for all 65,000 constituents in my district regardless of whether or not they voted for me. I will always listen to them." Simmons' win helps Republicans maintain control of the state House, …
Monday, November 5, 2012
In an Op-Ed, Kevin Deely says Simmons record benefits large corporations and increases government's role, hurts local communities.
- OPINION
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Monday, November 5, 2012
When Rep. Justin Simmons ran for office two years ago, he pledged his allegiance to the Lehigh Valley Tea Party and its extreme right-wing agenda. By signing that pledge, he chose to adopt the priorities shared by only a small fraction of his constituents. Instead of being an independent leader for us all, he kept his promises to a few of his Tea Party friends. During his first term, he voted 95 percent of the time with his party’s majority leader Mike Turzai, and has stuck by the failures of Gov. Corbett. Simmons does not like to talk about his voting record, fortunately, it speaks clearly for itself. Simmons attempts to deflect attention from a record that clearly favors his special interest friends. He promised he would not vote to …
In an op-ed, Rep. Justin Simmons (R-131) claims opponent Kevin Deely has an 'out-of-touch' philosophy
- OPINION
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Monday, November 5, 2012
The recent Harrisburg Patriot News report that Yuengling Brewery is contemplating expanding its operation out of state should be troubling news to everyone concerned about Pennsylvania's job growth. In the story, President Dick Yuengling Jr. stated that, “Pennsylvania is a great location. But it’s not very business-friendly. You look for fair tax breaks, fair taxation. And the bottom line is more jobs. That’s what it’s all about.” Mr. Yeungling's concerns are real. This spring, with my support, the House of Representatives passed HB2150. This legislation reduces Pennsylvania's highest in the nation Corporate Net Income Tax from 9.99% to a national average rate of 6.9%. The bill also moves Pennsylvania’s tax apportionment system to a single…
John Reynard
7:56 pm on Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Since I expect you've never run a business before since you just watch things I'll assume you don't know then that the USPS informs the mail senders that the address changed. I am sorry I didn't remember the exact process for informing Northampton Cty for my homestead exemption. They did actually manage to forward other correspondence to me so they obviously knew I moved. I am fine with the rules… more ›