Democrats sweep Bucks County House races
Republicans lost three of five state House seats in the county Tuesday, leaving Democrats with a commanding lead in local representation.
By Chioma Brooks ·
Bucks County voters ousted three Republican state representatives on Tuesday, handing Democrats control of at least seven of the county’s ten House districts. The results mark a sharp decline for the local GOP, which now holds only two seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The defeat extends a pattern of losses that began in 2025. That year, Republicans lost all county row officers and most municipal and school board positions. They also saw their judicial slate shrink. Despite these local setbacks, the county’s Republican congressional delegation and seven state lawmakers retained their seats. Tuesday’s election eroded that remaining state-level power.
Bryan Allen defeated K.C. Tomlinson in the 18th Legislative District by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent. Tomlinson, a funeral home director and seven-year incumbent, lost her seat in Bensalem and Hulmeville. Allen, a former legislative aide and Bensalem Township Council member, now represents the district.
In the 142nd District, Kristin Egan beat two-term incumbent Joe Hogan 59 percent to 41 percent. Egan is a teachers’ union official and Neshaminy School Board member. Hogan, a lawyer and former government program director, represented the Langhorne and Southampton area. His loss follows his move to the State Senate in a previous cycle.
The race in the 144th District remained too close to call near midnight. Republican incumbent Shelby Labs trailed Democratic challenger Tim Hayes by fewer than 200 votes. Hayes is the Dublin Borough Council President. The other two Republican seats survived the night. Kristin Marcell in Richboro and Craig Staats in Upper Bucks both retained their positions.
Marcell defeated Democrat Monica Weninger. Staats won against independent Rebecca Prendergast. Andy Warren, a former Republican county commissioner, attributed the party’s losses to economic pressures and national polling trends. He described the challenges as cyclical but noted that Republicans struggle with mail-in ballot operations.
“The Republicans have not, try as they will, mastered the art of the mail-in ballot,” Warren said. “The mail-in ballots that were sitting there for the last month [were] just an insurmountable mountain, and until Republicans figure out how to overcome insurmountable mail-in ballots, they’re going to be playing catch-up for a number of cycles, I’m afraid.”
Democrats also held their existing seats. Incumbents Tim Brennan, Perry Warren, Tina Davis, Jim Prokopiak, and Brian Munroe all won reelection. Munroe faced the toughest challenge from critical care nurse Mike Murphy but secured a decisive victory. Murphy said he appreciated the community support despite the result. “What I did is from the heart and it’s about our community; it’s not about one party or the other party,” Murphy said.
