Pennsylvania Democrat State Representative Reelected Despite Being Dead

A Pennsylvania state representative who died last month was reelected during the midterm elections, reports say.

Democrat Anthony ‘Tony’ DeLuca died Oct. 9 “after a brief battle with lymphoma, a disease he twice previously beat. He was 85,” the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus wrote.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, DeLuca was the state’s longest-serving state rep.

“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously. A special election will follow soon,” Pennsylvania House Democrats tweeted.

While we're incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously. A special election will follow soon. pic.twitter.com/CfLnSCuvK9

— PA House Dems (@PAHDCC) November 9, 2022

Some folks commenting that the voters here were oblivious. Some certainly were. But for others, they likely preferred the idea of a special election over electing the third-party candidate on the ballot

— Charlie Wolfson (@chwolfson) November 9, 2022

Fox News reported:

DeLuca’s opponent, Green Party challenger Queonia “Zarah” Livingston, reportedly ran on a decidedly left-wing platform, putting her three main priorities on her website as “environmental justice,” “ending the war on drugs,” and “reducing gun violence.”

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DeLuca was a resident of Penn Hills for over 60 years. He got his start in politics serving on the Penn Hills Government Study Commission, then five years as a Penn Hills Councilman, followed by two years as Penn Hills Deputy Mayor before running for his legislative seat and defeating the Republican incumbent.

He graduated from Westinghouse High School and the Community College of Allegheny County. He had four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In addition to his late wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Larry and his parents.

Breitbart added:

Pennsylvania allows early voting up to 50 days before Election Day, which means it can legally start in September, though precise dates and rules vary by county.

According to state election authorities, DeLuca crushed his Green Party opponent by a margin of about 86% to 14%, though the Green Party candidate appeared to be alive.

It is not the first time voters have chosen a recently-deceased candidate over the living alternative. The most famous example was the Senate race in Missouri in 2000, when Democrat Gov. Mel Carnahan defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Ashcroft despite having died tragically in a plane crash.