State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, has won a 14th term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The current House majority leader defeated Democratic challenger Robert Zeigler, of Millheim, in Tuesday’s election for the 171st legislative district.
Benninghoff had 72% of the vote in the district covering parts of Centre and Mifflin counties as of 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, including about 65% of the vote in Centre County.
In Centre County, the 171st District includes Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Millheim boroughs and Gregg, Haines, Miles, Penn, Potter, Spring and Walker townships.
Benninghoff, who has held the No. 2 leadership position in the House since 2020, said in a C-NET interview with StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton this fall that his priority is seeing Pennsylvania become “the envy of the East,” by capitalizing on its workforce, higher education, research institutions and natural resources, including natural gas and petroleum.
“Pennsylvania has an opportunity to be a leader in this country in many areas, and my goal is to try to get there and keep Pennsylvania’s job market strong, business market strong so families can make whatever wages they desire,” he said. “… And at the end of the day keep our young people here in Pennsylvania. We educate them; they go somewhere else to live. I want them here and by building strong safe communities we can do that.”
Prior to his first election as state representative in 1996, Benninghoff was elected to two terms as Centre County coroner in 1991 and 1995 after serving as deputy coroner for six years.
Zeigler, a Millheim Borough Council member, said earlier in the evening during an election night party at Cafe 210 West in State College that regardless of who won, all of the communities in the 171st district need a voice in Harrisburg.
“If it’s not my voice that’s fine,” he said. “But be a voice for them. Don’t leave them voiceless. It doesn’t benefit them and they get neglected and their communities are possibly in trouble because of that neglect. No one deserves that. No one deserves to be othered just because it’s not the person in office’s priority. Everyone should be the priority.”
He added that he is considering a future run for higher office but remains focused on his local community.
“The focus is going to obviously be on my community for now,” he said. “I’ll serve my community as best as I can.”
