Rep. Gary Day Retains 187th House Seat

The 187th House district seat will remain under GOP control as state Rep. Gary Day defeated Democrat Joseph Haas on Tuesday, according to unofficial results.

Day received 4,840 votes compared to 2,446 for Haas. All vote tallies are unofficial until certified by county election officials.

Day's victory helps Republicans maintain control of the state House, which has 203 districts.

Nearly half of the districts had one candidate on the ballot Tuesday, and many others are essentially one-party districts thanks to demographics and years of creative mapping by state lawmakers who want to secure as many seats as possible for their parties, according to a Pennsylvania Independent report.

The 187th House District seat has been held by Republicans since 1982, according to a Reading Eagle report.

Day, 45, of Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County, was the director of marketing and human resources for Service Electric Cablevision before he was elected to the House in 2008.

Haas, 31, of Kutztown, works in client relations in technology for voter outreach systems in the Philadelphia area.

Differences between the candidates were clear at a forum hosted by PBS 39 in October. The men hold opposing views on jobs, schools and Pennsylvania's burgeoning Marcellus Shale gas drilling industry.

Day's experience includes serving as executive assistant to the mayor of Allentown. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in business.      

Day and his wife, Susan, have three children - Erynn, Samuel and Claudia. They are members of the Saint Joseph the Worker Church, according to his website.