Erin Molchany is declaring victory as the Democratic Party's nominee for November's general election for Pennsylvania's 22nd House District seat, beating out Martin Michael Schmotzer in the process.

After receiving results from 70 of 73 voting districts at about 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Molchany's campaign declared victory. At the time, the unofficial results showed Molchany with 54 percent of the vote compared Schmotzer's 37 percent.

Molchany will face Chris Cratsley, a Republican, in November. Cratsley was unopposed for his party's nomination for the seat.

Schmotzer is the winner over Cratsley in Tuesday's special election to fill the remainder of former 22nd District Rep. Chelsa Wagner's term. At the time that Molchany declared victory in the primary, Schmotzer led Cratsley in the special election, 55 percent to 38 percent.

Schmotzer's special term will last through the end of this year.

Molchany thanked volunteers and voters for all of their hard work throughout the campaign.

"What we fight for is what we care about, and elections make a difference," she said to supporters celebrating at Redbeard's Bar & Grill in Pittsburgh's Mount Washington neighborhood. "We made a difference. A huge difference."

The 22nd District includes all of Baldwin Township and parts of Whitehall Borough.

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