Dallas City News

Jamie Walsh was officially certified Monday as the Republican primary election nominee in the 117th Legislative District state representative race. The primary was held on April 23.

Walsh had a four-vote lead over incumbent Mike Cabell.

County Assistant Solicitor Gene Molino told the board it is free to proceed with the certification because he did not receive any notification of Cabell filing a recount request.

Walsh again thanked the board during public comment.

“Throughout this entire process you’ve been fantastic,” Walsh told the election board and election bureau leaders. “I had no idea the time and effort you put in until I went through this myself.”

Cabell issued a statement expressing disappointment in the outcome, thanking his supporters and reaffirming his commitment to “values that guided his campaign.”

“While this was not the outcome we had hoped for, I am incredibly grateful for the journey, the support and the honor of serving this amazing community,” Cabell stated. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my wife, Chelsea, and my two amazing boys. Your unwavering support and encouragement have been my strength throughout this campaign. I could not have come this far without you by my side.”

His statement included a comment from campaign attorney Shohin Vance.

“While the ultimate result of this election means that Mike has come up just short, I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish. Mike’s principled stance on ensuring that election laws are enforced as written has resulted in important precedent from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that will help ensure the integrity of our elections for years to come,” Vance said.

Cabell said the state Supreme Court’s decision to uphold his efforts to count one provisional ballot and accept another “underscores the importance of consistently enforcing election rules as they are written.”

“Election boards must adhere to legal procedures without discretionary actions that could favor particular candidates. This ruling reinforces the integrity of our election laws and ensures that no activist boards override statutory requirements,” Cabell said.

The Supreme Court ruling also highlighted concerns over the Shapiro administration’s expansion of non-legislated Motor Voter policies through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Cabell added.

“The expansion of these non-legislated policies has jeopardized the franchise of voters across the state. The integrity of our election processes must remain paramount, and this ruling is a critical step toward maintaining the fairness and consistency we expect in our elections,” he wrote.

Cabell also thanked the election bureau and county officials “for their hard work in ensuring a fair and transparent election process.”

He said serving residents in the 117th District has “been the greatest honor of my life” and that he remains “committed to our community’s prosperity.”

In closing, Cabell congratulated his opponent, Jamie Walsh.

“I congratulate Jamie on his victory and wish him well as he takes on the responsibility of representing the 117th District,” he wrote.

Walsh won’t have a ballot opponent in the Nov. 5 general election because no Democratic contenders ran in the primary election.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.