Timko to challenge Metcalfe in primary
CRANBERRY TWP — Scott Timko, a Cranberry Township resident and graduate of Knoch High School, filed Tuesday to run against incumbent state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, in the Republican primary.
District 12 covers a large swath of southern Butler County, including Adams, Cranberry, Forward and Penn townships as well as Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia boroughs.
Metcalfe has served in his seat since 1999 and has been reelected 10 times.
In his 10 reelection campaigns, he has faced a Republican challenger for the General Assembly only twice, both in presidential election years. He won the nomination against Gordon Marburger by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016 and by an even larger 23-point margin against Robin Redding in 2008.
Timko, 54, previously announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives against Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th. He made no public indication of his running for the District 12 seat prior to Tuesday and could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to his website, Timko would have run for the U.S. House on a traditional conservative platform, focusing on reducing taxes and regulations on business, advocating for a strong military and supporting the Second Amendment. His website has not been updated since his filing to reflect his views on more local issues and includes his stance on issues like trade, national security and energy independence.
The Republican challenger’s site states he supports environmental projects “in a comprehensive infrastructure program,” including grants to support parks and hunting and fishing lands.
He also supports longer prison sentences for drug dealers and fair trade policies to protect jobs traditional to Western Pennsylvania.
Timko was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force and served tours during the Gulf War and in Bosnia and Rwanda. Since leaving the Air Force in 2000, he has worked as a commercial pilot. According to a statement of financial interest, Timko works for NetJets, a private jet company. He also, according to the statement, holds a 50 percent stake in a business called GotGumbo, though there is no other readily available information on that business.
