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The GOP has held onto Frank Ryanโ€™s seat in the state House of Representatives.

Ryan, a Republican, represented the 101st legislative district for three terms, but announced early this year that he would not seek a fourth. Two candidates โ€“ Republican John Schlegel and Democrat Catherine โ€œCaviโ€ Miller โ€“ both hoped to win his seat in the midterm election on Nov. 8.

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Schlegel, a retired educator from Cornwall, won the seat with a comfortable lead over Miller.

โ€œI wanted to have a sustainable campaign plan that enabled me to work through the highs and lows of the election process,โ€ Schlegel told LebTown. โ€œI stayed focused on the campaign and worked very hard to connect with the voters.โ€

According to poll tallies, Schlegel received 14,014 votes, or 62.29 percent, while Miller received 8,483.

Read More: Lebanon County 2022 general election results

โ€œI thought the voter turnout was steady at the polls throughout election day,โ€ he said. โ€œI was moved by the people I knew and the many that I met during the campaign. The tenor of the voters at the polls was upbeat and optimistic. It was great to see so many parents who brought their children with them to the polls.โ€

The 101st House district includes Lebanon City, Cornwall Borough, and North Cornwall, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, West Cornwall, West Lebanon townships.

โ€œIt was important to connect with the people of the 101st in a variety of ways,โ€ Schlegel said, reflecting on his victory. โ€œI believe it was key to the voters that I run a positive campaign which focused on my qualifications and experiences and draw upon that to be a strong voice in the state house.โ€

He noted that it was a challenging year to run a campaign, โ€œgiven the redistricting process that caused a short window for candidates to circulate their petition and prepare for the primary.โ€ Miller, he said, โ€œran a competitive race and put much effort into her campaign.โ€

Read More: Lebanon County politicos discuss impact of redistricting on local voting maps

Once he begins work in Harrisburg, Schlegel said he plans โ€œto focus on ways to be a good steward of the taxpayerโ€™s money and control spending. I will work hard for the people of the 101st and stay connected with them.โ€

โ€œIt is important to me that I continue to be visible and accessible to the people,โ€ he added. โ€œI look forward to working with Senator Gebhard, Representative Diamond, and 98th State Representative elect Tom Jones for the betterment of the people in Lebanon County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.โ€

โ€˜Neither confident, nor hopelessโ€™

Miller, the former executive director of the Lebanon County Bar Association, told LebTown she โ€œfelt neither confident, nor hopeless leading up to election day.โ€

โ€œThese are unprecedented times, with no incumbent, the decennial redistricting of the 101, and finally the Dobbs decision,โ€ she said, referencing the U.S. Supreme Courtโ€™s decision in June reversing Roe v. Wade. โ€œMy team and I crunched all sorts of numbers in an attempt to forecast the outcome, but agreed that this year, that was not possible.โ€

Cavi Miller

Even so, Miller said, she was โ€œvery surprised by the marginโ€ of votes between her and Schlegel.

โ€œMy team and I worked tirelessly to get our message out to the voters, utilizing, TV, radio, billboards, 6 mailers, and many other means of communication,โ€ she said. โ€œMidterm elections have notoriously low voter turnout, but for some reason, this year was different โ€” just not in our favor, in Lebanon County.โ€

She doesnโ€™t take the loss personally, however, noting that Lebanon County is โ€œa very red area,โ€ where Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman โ€“ who won their statewide gubernatorial and senate races โ€“ also lost the popular vote.

โ€œI believe in free and fair elections, and accept the results of the election,โ€ Miller said. โ€œThe people of Lebanon made it clear on Tuesday what kind of leadership they want, and I look forward to running against him again in two years.โ€

Despite local losses among Democrats, Miller said in an email that she is โ€œvery relieved that Pennsylvania flipped. Electing Shapiro as Governor, and Fetterman to the US Senate, along with flipping the PA State House blue were my three goals.

โ€œAlthough I was not individually successful with my campaign, decency and democracy prevailed and I am grateful to have been a part of that victory.โ€

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Tom has been a professional journalist for nearly four decades. In his spare time, he plays fiddle with the Irish band Fire in the Glen, and he reviews music, books and movies for Rambles.NET. He lives with his wife, Michelle, and has four children: Vinnie, Molly, Annabelle and Wolf.

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