Special election in Pennsylvania swing county to decide control of state House

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — Voters in a slice of Philadelphia's northern suburbs on Tuesday will decide control of Pennsylvania's House of Representatives state delegation, possibly providing clues about the attitudes of notoriously unpredictable suburban voters ahead of November's presidential election.

The special election to replace a former Democratic lawmaker in the 140th state House district, with its nearly 50,000 voters, is the first significant vote in the swing state, and it comes in Bucks County, where slim electoral margins are the norm, although the district itself is more Democratic than the county overall.

Republican Candace Cabanas, who has worked in health care and hospitality, is running against Democrat Jim Prokopiak, a lawyer and member of the Pennsbury school board.

The winner will break the 101-101 deadlock in the Pennsylvania House (Democrats control the governorship and the state Senate).

Both candidates in interviews with ABC News emphasized their focus on local issues in an attempt to stay removed from national politics and the relatively unpopular candidates likely to lead their parties' tickets, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The state candidates say that focus is in response to what voters want.

«At many of the doors, the presidential race doesn't really come up,» Prokopiak said.

«Mostly it's the inflation and school district stuff, taxes,» Cabanas said of the topics voters bring up most as she campaigns.

While voters in the district did bring up local issues in conversations with ABC News, some also cited their feelings about the presidential candidates as a reason for voting.

Meanwhile, Prokopiak and the Democrats are keeping a focus on abortion, arguing that a Republican majority in