Shuster declared winner
Both candidates in the 9th Congressional District hunkered down with family, friends and staff Tuesday and spent the night hours watching election returns that kept the race too close to call and the hopes of each candidate alive. But when the dust settled early Wednesday morning, with all 508 precincts in the district reporting, incumbent Bill Shuster narrowly defeated newcomer Michael DelGrosso.
According to unofficial results, with 100 percent of the vote counted Wednesday, Shuster received 42,967 votes, trailed closely by DelGrosso with 40,784 votes.
In Fayette County, according to unofficial results with all 21 precincts reporting, Shuster handily defeated DelGrosso earning 1,134 votes to the challenger’s 410.
Democratic candidate Paul Politis, who ran unopposed Tuesday, received 1,336 votes in the county, nearly equaling the total of both Republican candidates. At 1:01 a.m. the Associated Press reported Shuster had won the primary battle, and all returns were not counted until after 2:30 a.m.
Shuster could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
At a 10:30 a.m. press conference Wednesday, DelGrosso conceded the race and endorsed Shuster in the November election.
“Don’t ever leave yourself wondering,” DelGrosso said. “Be passionate about what you do, and know that a life spent pursuing worthwhile goals is the biggest victory of all.”
DelGrosso nearly toppled Shuster with a door-to-door campaign strategy that saw him visit more than 10,000 district homes.
DelGrosso also campaigned heavily on an economic revitalization plan and said, if elected, he would focus on building a new foundation for business growth through the formation of a districtwide economic development council, an idea that struck a chord with jobless rates high across the county.
Shuster campaigned on similar issues but relied heavily on his growing clout in Congress and his financial returns to the district.
Shuster grew up in Bedford and lives there now, after a brief hiatus, with his wife, 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. He owned and operated a small business for 12 years and grew up in and around the political scene while his father served in public office for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee and is assistant majority whip in the House. Shuster received a bachelor of arts in political science and history from Dickinson College in Carlisle and a master’s of business administration from American University in Washington, D.C.
Shuster, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the key to economic success in the district is simply good transportation and established infrastructure. Additionally, he said he supports cutting taxes and supported putting a portion, 3 percent, of incoming Social Security funds into a private account for the individual, preferably in a government-certified mutual account.
The congressman formed a task force and is working to develop associated health plans that will create competition and drive down costs.