Primary Challenger Leads 33-Year State Rep. In PA-166 Race

Editor's note: This article was last updated at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — The 166th seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is slated for its first leadership change of the century.

The Democratic primary pitted longtime State Rep. Greg Vitali against Haverford Board of Commissioners President Judy Trombetta, who entered the race saying it was time for a change in district representation.

With all precincts reporting results, Trombetta has finished Election Night with 5,842 votes (61.8 percent), while Vitali holds 3,603 votes (38.1 percent).

Trombetta — a Haverford Township commissioner since 2022 and the board's president since last year —is now slated to face Republican Joe Walker in the General Election. Walker, an insurance broker, ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

Vitali has held the State House seat since 1993, when Trombetta was a child. Trombetta says she and Vitali aren't far apart on the issues. But in a questionnaire with Patch, she claimed Vitali has had limited success advancing bills in Harrisburg.

Trombetta doesn't believe that Pennsylvania state legislators should have term limits. But she said longevity "should never be viewed as an entitlement."

"Communities change over time, and leadership must change with them," Trombetta said. "If a legislator becomes stagnant, complacent, disconnected from constituents, or unwilling to evolve with changing circumstances, then it may be time for new leadership and fresh perspectives."

Vitali's campaign did not respond to Patch's questionnaire.

The Democratic Party has held this seat since Vitali was first elected. And in recent years, those General Elections haven't been close — Vitali has secured at least 60 percent of the vote in the general since 2012.

All results remain unofficial until certified on a later date.

Here are the latest numbers:

PA-166, Democratic primary

(36.2 percent of precincts reporting)

• Greg Vitali: 3,603
• Judy Trombetta: 5,842