For nearly two decades Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has represented the 12th Legislative District.

CRANBERRY TWP — For nearly two decades, Daryl Metcalfe has represented the 12th Legislative District.

During that time, he's faced few challenges to his throne, often defeating his general election opponents by nearly twice the number of votes. And while recent years have seen incidents that would potentially derail a candidate, Metcalfe stands poised to potentially win re-election for the 10th time in November.

While it may seem like a phenomenon from an outside perspective, political experts believe it's simply a matter of timing and makeup of the district, which includes Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Middlesex and Penn townships, Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia.

Meri Long, a professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh, said Metcalfe's advantages are multifaceted — many of which were on display in more recent elections. She said incumbents have more financial resources, and tend to get better and greater media coverage.

Additionally, she said shear name recognition and a more fluid campaign operation, honed after years of election cycles, could be enough to keep make Metcalfe's path to keeping his seat relatively easy.

Michael Coulter, a professor of political science and humanities at Grove City College, agreed. He added that Metcalfe's often abrasive style seems to be well-received by his base, and is in-line with a national trend.

Long pointed to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics that indicates incumbents ran for four of every eight legislative seats in 2015 and 2016, with four of 10 running unopposed. Nine of 10 were re-elected.

“So, in many ways his success in the past is not unusual,” she said.

This, Coulter said, is indicative of the district's makeup, and shows the challenge any Democrat faces when running against Metcalfe.

“In a general election ... it is incredibly unlikely for voters to not vote their party identification,” he said. “The best predictor of a general election is party identification.”

As of June 27, there were 13,504 registered Democrats in the district, according to Butler County Bureau of Elections records. That compares to 27,094 Republicans and 6,774 unaffiliated or independent voters.

Read why Metcalfe has kept his position for so long in Sunday's Butler Eagle.