R. Lee James defended his state House seat in convincing fashion Tuesday.

James, the Republican incumbent for the 64th Legislative District, won 62 percent of the vote overall.

“I anticipated winning,” he said. “I think I worked very hard for all my constituents and tried to provide services that they needed and required.

“And I look forward to returning to it for eight more years, not just two. I compliment my Democrat and Green Party opponents for their efforts.”

John Kluck, the Democratic candidate, got 35 percent of the vote, while Green Party candidate Michael Bagdes-Canning got 3 percent of the vote.

In Butler County, James won nearly 72 percent of the vote, while Kluck won just under 20 percent of the vote and Bagdes-Canning won a little under 9 percent of the vote.

James commented on the impact Donald Trump’s surprisingly strong voter turnout may have had on his and other Republican candidates’ campaigns.

“I think the support in Western Pennsylvania for Donald Trump clearly would help all Republican candidates, no question,” James said.

James, who is finishing his second two-year term, is the representative for all of Venango County, as well as Allegheny, Concord, Parker, Venango and Washington township, and Bruin, Cherry Valley and Eau Claire boroughs, all in Butler.

James also outlined his priorities for his second term in office.

“I think the Legislature over the next two years needs to focus on pension reform, number one,” he said. “Number two, I’m always going to be an advocate for small business. That’s where I came from. I believe in them, and of course something like 70 percent of new jobs come from small business, so I think that’s a good place to put your focus.

“I’m going to try to, where possible, help the oil and gas people, and get pipelines so we can get our product out of the ground and into the market wherever I can do that.”

Democratic candidate

John Kluck commented on his finish.

“We lost but that’s OK,” he said. “We’re going to run again in two years and I’ll absolutely be more experienced again in two years.”

Kluck, who garnered the highest percentage of votes of any Democrat running in Venango County (37 percent), also spoke of Trump’s impact on the election.

“The Republican candidates were riding on Trump’s coattails,” he said. “That (37 percent) tells me that people are ready for change, but with there being so much excitement over the presidential race this year, that worked against us. In the next election cycle, there won’t be a presidential race.”

He also was grateful to his supporters.

“I want to thank all of the people who did support me, and I look forward to their continued support in the next election cycle,” he said.

Green Party candidate

Bagdes-Canning also reacted to the finish.

“I’m not too surprised at the result,” he said. “I was really encouraged today. From the very beginning I’ve said, ‘It’s not about the race, it’s about building a movement,’ and I had very nice conversations with people who worked polls with me today and I had people who want to move forward with that.”

Bagdes-Canning was glad to get nearly 9 percent of the vote in Butler County, which he noted was more than he got when he ran for Butler County Commissioner in 2015.

He said he’s not sure if he’ll run again for office, but hopes the Green Party continues to grow.

“I hope we’re going to fill the slate for all the seats that are open that we can find candidates for, and that we’ll also be able to build both the Green Party in Butler County and Venango County,” he said.