Democrat Cerrato Victorious In PA 151st Legislative District Race

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Democrat Melissa Cerrato has claimed victory in the race for Pennsylvania's 151st Legislative District in Montgomery County, a win that would help give the Democratic Party a majority in the state House of Representatives after more than a decade being the minor party.

Cerrato confirmed to Patch that her opponent, incumbent Republican State Rep. Todd Stephens, called her Thursday afternoon to officially concede and congratulate her on the win.

Cerrato said she spoke with Stephens around 3:30 p.m.

She shared with Patch comments she posted publicly Thursday after learning of her win.

"I have spent months reminding voters of the importance of their votes and assuring them that every vote matters," Cerrato wrote. "Now that every eligible vote has been counted, it is my great honor to accept the results of this election and step forward as the next State Representative of Pennsylvania's 151st House District.

Cerrato also thanked Stephens for his past service to the community and his "gracious concession."

"I look forward to working with him to make this transition as smooth as possible for all in the 151st," Cerrato stated.

Cerrato said there was likely no way to flip the state House blue without winning the 151st, a district that, under recent redistricting maps, now includes the Montgomery County townships of Upper Dublin, Montgomery and Horsham, as well as Ambler Borough.

"I am humbled and excited to be joining an incredible cohort of new lawmakers ushering in a new era of progress in PA," Cerrato stated. "I look forward to working alongside my fellow legislators to enshrine reproductive rights into state law, finally pass equal protections for all Pennsylvanians, ensure all our schools are fairly funded, better protect our children and our communities from the plague of gun violence, and provide living wages for every single working family across our Commonwealth."

In a statement posted to Facebook, Stephens called it an "honor of a lifetime" to represent the folks of the 151st Legislative District for the past 12 years and said there were many obstacles that stood in the way of keeping his seat, including a gubernatorial candidate from the Republican party who only had 29 percent of the vote and other "tremendously unpopular Republicans at the top of the ticket."

Stephens said after all was said and done, he would be coming up about 57 votes short of winning the race.

"I want to offer my sincere congratulations to Melissa Cerrato on being elected State Representative for the 151st District," Stephens wrote. "I look forward to working with her in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition."

Stephens said while he won't be returning to Harrisburg, he looks fondly on his accomplishments while in office, including improving child protection laws, working to vaccinate the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic and "writing the most comprehensive animal protection law in the country."

"I'll certainly look back at my time as your State Representative with pride," he wrote.