Pennsylvania’s 12th legislative district is gearing up for a special election on Aug. 18, giving voters a chance to weigh in before the upcoming midterms.
The district covers much of Butler County, including Cranberry, Mars and Zelienople. For Democrats, it presents a chance to gain ground in the suburbs, while Republicans hope to continue their 26-year hold.
The vacant state house seat was held by Republican Stephanie Scialabba from 2022 until she stepped down in late March. She resigned in part to focus on her family, calling on legislators to consider expanding childcare options in Harrisburg for lawmakers who are also young parents.
During her tenure, Scialabba led the state’s task force on artificial intelligence, served on the House’s education committee and helped overturn Butler County’s designation as a “sanctuary county.” Before Scialabba, the district was represented by Republican Daryl Metcalfe since 1999.
Scialabba’s departure set up the state’s sixth special election of the year, including one in a blue part of southern Allegheny County in which the Democrat won decisively. The House now includes 102 Democrats and 100 Republicans, meaning the special election could narrow or enhance the majority, but won’t flip it.
Democratic nominee Brandon Dukes believes his party has momentum going in.
“The national mood is in our favor now,” said Dukes, who noted that Democrats have flipped 30 state legislative districts across the country since January 2025.
Dukes is running against Republican Scott Timko who hopes to keep the seat in his party’s hands.
Republican Scott Timko: ‘Everything revolves around energy’
Standing on his lawn, about to feed the deer by his property, Timko spoke about his love for Southwestern Pennsylvania. The former U.S. Air Force captain and current commercial pilot has traveled the world but chose to make Cranberry home. His children and new grandson also live nearby.
“I’m never leaving the district. I’m all in on Southwestern PA,” said Timko.
Timko has run for elected office in the past, including unsuccessful primary campaigns in 2020 and 2022, which he self-funded.
“Before you ask somebody else for a dollar, you should be willing to spend your own money first, which is what we did,” he said, adding that he is seeking donations for the special election.
Timko said door knocking and talking to voters has shaped what he would prioritize if elected, including swelling traffic in areas like Zelienople.
“We have traffic that’s on roads that were not designed or built for the volume of traffic that they’re getting and as a result they’re breaking down and they have to be repaired,” he said.
At 61, Timko said he wouldn’t intend to hold the seat for decades but sees the vacancy as an opportunity to solve critical local problems. He said his military training has hardwired him to identify problems and formulate solutions. As a former pizza shop owner, he wants more business owners to feel like they can turn to the state and see it as a “partner.”
He spoke about his support for school choice in the region, saying that “parents know best what their children need.”
School choice means support for policies that help families pursue alternatives to traditional public schools, whether parochial, charter, or home schooling. Timko said he does not want school choice to funnel money away from public schools in the state, but he wants families to have more options.
“I don’t like one size fits all,” he said.
Timko said elected officials should be responsive to the will of the people. Asked about data centers, he said his personal opinion is “irrelevant.” Should a data center proposal land in the district, he said he would listen to the needs and wants of the community.
He wants to make things more affordable, and argues that Pennsylvania should use more of its natural resources to lower the tax burden and generate wealth.
“Everything revolves around energy and Pennsylvania is the number two exporter of energy, ” said Timko. “We should be using that revenue to reduce the tax burden on the citizens here. That would drive down the cost of everyday goods.”
Democrat Brandon Dukes: ‘Fund some of these school districts’
Dukes grew up in Pittsburgh’s Brookline but now lives in Cranberry with his wife and toddler. He grew up middle class and struggled financially when he graduated from Pitt during the financial crisis of 2008, which he says helps him relate to the struggles of young families in the district.
“I felt like it was time for a change and I felt like I could be the best person to do that,” said Dukes.
Working as a loan administrator for the past 16 years, he sees people struggling financially and called it “heartbreaking.” He wants to make sure the district is affordable, especially for growing young families like his. He described himself as a “big proponent” of raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, currently $7.25 an hour.
Dukes plans to send his children to public schools in the area and opposes school choice, which he said takes away money from public schools. He also raised concerns about funding for rural school districts throughout the state.
“It’s important for the state to step up and fund some of these school districts,” said Dukes.
Dukes said Pennsylvania’s closed primary system, in which only voters registered to a party can choose its nominees, “disenfranchises non-party affiliated voters.” He’d favor open primaries. He would also like to see the state adopt same day voter registration and early in person voting.
Like Timko, Dukes emphasized the district’s infrastructure needs, such as improving the Route 228 corridor, which he campaigned on last year during his narrowly unsuccessful bid for Cranberry Township supervisor.
“We have an outdated traffic system that needs to be updated,” said Dukes. He said he would work with PennDot and other local elected officials to get infrastructure projects moving in the district’s growing communities.
Dukes said he would be in favor of “heavy state regulation” of data centers. He supports a taxation on data center developers and strict fines for environmental violations.
“My slogan is ‘believe in better’ because I believe we can and we have to,” he said, adding that as a parent trying to make ends meet he hopes he can improve life for other young people in the district. He thinks voters are ready for a change.
Voters: Address growing pains, affordability
Lounging and taking in the live music at a Christmas in July event, Cranberry resident Suzanne Machek said she tends to vote conservative but isn’t sure who she will support in the special election.
A retired nurse, she said that the rising cost of living will inform her vote in August. She’s watched housing prices climb over the years, and her young neighbors can’t find anything under $300,000.
Resting at a picnic table while his wife shopped at the local vendors, John Ostermann said, while he leans Republican, he usually votes for the person, not the party.
A former project manager from Seven Fields, Ostermann expressed concern about the Route 228 corridor and named infrastructure as a major issue for the area. He said that while the growth has been “phenomenal,” there needs to be proper infrastructure to support new developments such as the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Other voters shopping at the local market also highlighted affordability concerns.
Will the district flip?
Chris Borick, a professor of political science at Lehigh University, said Democrats have had lots of success in special elections over the past few years, making races more competitive.
“That’s unquestionably a reflection of the cycle and the mood,” said Borick, adding that it’s a “reach” for Democrats to flip some conservative districts.
He said that special elections can be “an indicator of where we might be, come November.”
Jennie Sweet-Cushman, a professor of political science at Chatham University, said that while there has been some realignment of people’s political preferences during President Donald Trump’s second term, she doesn’t think it is significant enough to swing most races.
“It’s less a question of ‘Are voters souring on the Trump administration or souring on Republicans,’ and more a conversation about who’s going to turn out,” said Sweet-Cushman. She’s skeptical that District 12 will flip but thinks Democrats will make progress compared to other years.
This month’s election will determine who holds the seat until the end of year, with Dukes and Timko set to face off again in November.
Timko said the seat is critical to his party’s prospects.
“I don’t know that there’s any path to [state House] majority that doesn’t include PA-12,” said Timko. He said volunteers have been coming from outside of the district to door knock because they understand the importance of keeping the seat.
Dukes said that in the course of his door knocking he’s encountered Republicans and Democrats alike who say they want change.
“I think people are really turned off by what they’re seeing from the federal level,” he said.
Ada Perlman is an editorial intern at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at ada@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Cilia Catello.
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