County and state voters align on Kelly’s likely opponent
With the primary complete, unofficial election night returns in Butler County showed Democratic voters leaning toward Dan Pastore in their bid to unseat U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly.
Kelly, a Butler resident, is seeking his seventh term as the 16th District representative, which is now Butler County's sole representation in U.S. Congress.
The county was formerly split by the 15th and 16th districts, but redistricting has changed the boundaries.
In Butler County, Pastore, of Fairview, Erie County, was the more popular choice with 8,017 votes. His opponent Richard Telesz of Washington Township, Lawrence County, received 5,718 votes.
Pastore is a practicing attorney in the Erie area, and he also owns FishUSA, a fishing store based in Erie.
Despite his unopposed status in the primary, Kelly still received a total of 29,585, which outpaced even the total Democratic ballots cast: 13,841.
In addition to Butler County, the 16th District also includes Mercer, Erie, Crawford, Lawrence, and part of Venango Counties. All results are unofficial until approved by the Election Boards of those counties.
