Rep. Tony DeLuca, who died last month at the age of 85, won his seat in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday.
DeLuca, a Democrat who served in the state House for 39 years, including 20 years as party chairman of the House Insurance Committee, defeated Green Party challenger Zarah Livingston on Tuesday. A special election to fill his seat will take place at a later date.
When DeLuca died in October from lymphoma, it was too late to alter the ballots or change the candidate, according to the Post-Gazette.
DeLuca had four children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He was married for 66 years to his late wife Connie, who died from breast cancer.
Pennsylvania House Democrats said in a tweet that "while we're incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously."
DeLuca began his political career by serving on the Penn Hills Government Study Commission that helped draft the municipality's Home Rule Charter, WTAE reported. He then served for five years as a Penn Hills councilman, followed by two years as Penn Hills deputy mayor before running for his state House seat.
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