Voters in Cranberry headed to the polls Tuesday for a special election to fill a vacant state House seat, choosing between Democrat Brandon Dukes and Republican Scott Timko. The winner will serve the remaining months of former state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba’s term, after she resigned in March. The two candidates are set to face off again in November for a full two-year term.
The race has tightened in its final days, with both campaigns receiving backing from state party organizations and intensifying their advertising. But a late revelation has added a cloud of controversy over Timko’s fiscal record. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, a business tied to Timko, GotGumbo LLC, owes more than $42,000 in unpaid taxes, with three liens filed against it — two from 2021 and one from January 2026. Timko disputes the finding, calling it an administrative error.
“I believe that the Democrats‘ attacks you referenced will be tied to a state administrative error that will be resolved after conferring with the appropriate offices,” Timko said in a statement. He dismissed the report as a distraction from what he called the extreme views of his opponent. Dukes, however, seized on the news. “My opponent is somebody who’s running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and as a fiscal conservative, and he wants to manage taxpayer dollars in Harrisburg. But by the look of it, he can’t even manage his own,” Dukes said.
The tax lien story first appeared in the American Journal News, a publication owned by True Blue Media, written by Jesse Valentine. It has since been shared widely on social media. Timko’s campaign has labeled the article a last-minute attack by Democrats.
The heated rhetoric extends beyond taxes. In a recent campaign ad placed in the Butler Eagle, Timko accused Dukes of wanting police put in harm’s way, opposing benefits for families of first responders who die from job-related cancer, and supporting allowing men in girls’ sports, bathrooms and locker rooms. Dukes denied the claims. “That is very bizarre. I have nothing but the utmost respect for law enforcement. I have family members who are law enforcement and I have friends who are law enforcement,” Dukes said, noting the district has one of the lowest crime rates.
Both candidates have stepped up their visibility in the final stretch, with ads appearing in print and on television. The special election is the latest test of political strength in the district, though the outcome will only last a few months before the November general election.
