State Rep.-Elect Carolyn Comitta
WEST CHESTER — Little changed after a formal recount was certified Friday afternoon, leaving Carolyn Comitta as the winner of the extremely close 156th District State Representative race, by a total of 25 votes.
Comitta, the Mayor of West Chester, defeated Republican incumbent Dan Truitt by an 18,261 to 18,236 margin after the recount results were certified by Court of Common Pleas Judge Jacqueline Cody Friday afternoon.
The 156th District includes West Chester, part of West Goshen, East Goshen, Westtown, Thornbury and Birmingham.
The race has sat in limbo for more than a month after election night tallies showed Truitt — who has served three terms in the house — winning by a small margin. Once absentee and provisional ballots, the latter subject to court hearings, Comitta emerged with a small lead. After the recount of more than 36,000 votes, Comitta, a Democrat emerged with the win.
The victory recalls that of former State Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, who narrowly defeated Shannon Royer for the seat in 2006.
