Brewster still trailing in 45th District race

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

It’s been six days since polls closed for the general election, but the race for the 45th District state Senate seat is still too close to call.

Republican Nicole Ziccarelli is holding a narrow lead of 410 votes over incumbent state Sen. Jim Brewster, a Democrat from McKeesport who’s held the seat since winning a special election in 2010. 

The race has been close since the polls closed Tuesday night, and unofficial election results from the Pennsylvania Department of State show at least 127,900 voters cast a vote for either Brewster or Ziccarelli. 

Unofficial results show Ziccarelli had 64,187 (50.16%) votes to Brewster’s 63,777 votes (49.84%).

Brewster is leading in Allegheny County where he earned 55,555 votes (52.64%), according to unofficial results Sunday night from the Allegheny County Elections Division. Ziccarelli had 49,854 votes, or 47.24% in Allegheny County.

Ziccarelli has a commanding lead in Westmoreland County, where she had 14,333 votes to Brewster’s 8,222.

The Associated Press, which has not called a winner in the race, reported Sunday that 83.33% of precincts in the 45th District have turned in their totals.

Neither candidate had declared victory as of presstime Sunday.

The counting of provisional and military/overseas ballots are expected to resume today in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

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