Cook leading in 49th District
By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
Incumbent Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run, looked to hold onto his seat as state Representative from the 49th District, fending off challenger Randi Barli, D-Coal Center, Tuesday night.
As of presstime, unofficial results in Fayette County had Cook with 1,131 votes while Barli had 305. In Washington County, unofficial results had Cook with 14,188 votes, or 62.4%, to Barli’s 8,556 votes, or 37.6%.
A victory would give Cook his third consecutive term. He took over in 2016 after the seat had been occupied by two Democrats for nearly 50 years.
“I feel good about the numbers coming in,” Cook said at a campaign party at Mariner’s Hall in Dunlevy. “When you’re campaigning, you put a year and a half into it and it all comes down to one night. The people in the Valley are great.”
Barli could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Cook said he plans to immediately go to work for the 49th District.
“My biggest concern is how everything has been so polarizing” he said. “I want to bring it all back together.
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