Republicans were dealt a surprise blow in one of Pennsylvania’s most reliably red state House districts after Democrat Brandon Dukes pulled off a razor-thin special-election upset in territory President Donald Trump carried by more than 18 points.

But the fight isn’t over.

Dukes defeated Republican Scott Timko by just 88 votes in Pennsylvania’s 12th House District in Butler County, flipping a seat Republicans had controlled for decades.

Now Republicans will get an immediate opportunity to take it back when Dukes and Timko face each other again in November.

The special-election result immediately drew attention because of just how Republican the district has historically been.

Trump carried the district by more than 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, while former Republican state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba won the district by roughly 30 points that same year.

Scialabba’s resignation earlier this year created the vacancy and triggered the special election.

Dukes’ victory broke a Republican hold on the seat dating back decades and gave Democrats a significant pickup just months before the November midterms.

But Republicans are pointing to one major factor that could make the rematch very different: turnout.

Participation in the special election was unusually low, producing an electorate far smaller than the one expected to vote in November.

That leaves both parties preparing for a dramatically different contest when a much larger group of voters returns to the polls for the general election.

The Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee made clear that it considers Tuesday’s result only the first round.

“The General Election starts today with Scott Timko reaching out to voters, building a winning coalition, and holding Brandon Dukes accountable for his extreme positions that he continues to hide from voters.”

The special-election reporting did not specify which positions Republicans were referring to.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper also sought to put the loss in perspective, describing the result as “disappointing but unsurprising” while pointing to changing demographics, the summertime election date and the unpredictable nature of special-election turnout.

“There is much more yet to unfold in the final months of the 2026 election cycle and we will continue carrying out vision for positive growth in Pennsylvania through November,” he said.

The district itself underscores why the result is attracting attention.

Pennsylvania’s 12th House District covers portions of Butler County north of Pittsburgh, including Cranberry, Adams and Jackson townships and several surrounding communities. Republicans also hold a substantial voter-registration advantage in the district.

Yet Dukes managed to overcome those structural advantages in the low-turnout special election and capture the seat by fewer than 100 votes.

The result gives Democrats control of a district that had long been considered safe Republican territory — at least for now.

Republicans will have their chance to reverse the upset on November 3, when Timko and Dukes meet again to determine who will represent the district for a full two-year term beginning in 2027.

With the special election decided by only 88 votes, the rematch is shaping up to be a closely watched Pennsylvania House contest heading into November.

President Donald Trump unloaded on the U.S. Supreme Court on Sunday after the justices blocked Missouri from using its controversial 2025 congressional map in the upcoming midterm elections — a decision with potentially significant consequences for control of the U.S. House.

The map, which Missouri used during this year’s primary elections, was designed in a way that could have given Republicans an opportunity to pick up another congressional seat. But after months of legal battles and conflicting court rulings, the Supreme Court put an end to its use in the November 3 general election.

Trump wasted little time responding.

“The Supreme Court of the United States will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory. They continuously, three times now, overrule Judges who came to the correct decisions,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

The president then praised Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and those who fought to keep the new congressional districts in place.

“Thank you to the Governor, and all of the Great People of Missouri, who are fighting so hard for Fairness and Election Security. Such tremendous Spirit and Love of our Country. I won Missouri BIG, all three times, and I couldn’t be more proud of doing so. A great place — I love you all,” the president continued.

The Supreme Court’s Friday order brought another dramatic turn in a redistricting fight that has bounced between state and federal courts.

The order, issued without noted dissents, halted a federal appeals court directive that would have required Missouri to use the 2025 congressional map.

Timing proved critical.

According to the Supreme Court, ballots based on Missouri’s 2022 congressional districts had already been printed and mailed, while absentee, military and overseas voting was already underway.

Changing maps at that point, the justices wrote, “would usher in electoral chaos.”

The court consequently directed lower courts not to prohibit Missouri from using the 2022 map or require the state to implement the 2025 map for the 2026 congressional election.

The dispute traces back to Missouri Republicans’ decision to enact a new congressional map, known as House Bill 1, during a special legislative session.

Governor Mike Kehoe signed the measure on September 28, 2025.

The map significantly reconfigured congressional districts, including the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. The redraw was intended to create another Republican-leaning congressional district in a state where Republicans currently control six of eight U.S. House seats.

But opponents quickly launched an effort to stop it.

People Not Politicians gathered signatures seeking a statewide referendum on the new map, relying on a provision of the Missouri Constitution that allows voters to review certain acts passed by the legislature.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins declined to certify the petition, and the state’s August 4 primary elections proceeded using the 2025 congressional boundaries.

Then came another major reversal.

On September 3, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely.

That decision meant House Bill 1 had never taken effect and would remain suspended unless Missouri voters ultimately approved it.

What followed was an extraordinary series of conflicting court decisions.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh initially denied an emergency request seeking to block the Missouri Supreme Court ruling.

Minutes later, however, a federal district judge issued an order requiring Missouri to use the 2025 congressional map.

The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently stayed that order.

A federal appeals court then entered the fight, concluding that conducting the primary and general elections under different congressional maps would violate the Constitution. The appeals court directed Missouri to return to the 2025 map.

Once again, the Supreme Court intervened and blocked the ruling.

The result is now clear for November.

Missouri will conduct its November 3 general election using the state’s 2022 congressional districts, despite having conducted its August primary under the newer boundaries.

At the same time, Missouri voters will decide the referendum determining whether the 2025 congressional map should be approved for future use.

Governor Kehoe has said Missouri will comply with the Supreme Court’s order, bringing the immediate legal fight over which map will govern the upcoming general election to a close.

A Democratic congressional nominee who defeated a sitting member of Congress earlier this year was arrested Thursday during a major protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the United Nations in New York City.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for New York’s heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District, was taken into custody as demonstrators gathered near U.N. headquarters ahead of Netanyahu’s address to the General Assembly.

Avila Chevalier defeated five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat in June’s Democratic primary after campaigning as a critic of U.S. support for Israel and receiving the backing of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Now, just months after that upset victory, she was among the politicians, activists and entertainers arrested during Thursday’s demonstration.

The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, drew roughly 250 people to First Avenue and East 39th Street, just blocks from U.N. headquarters.

Demonstrators sat in the roadway while protesting Netanyahu’s appearance and U.S. support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

Police arrested protesters who blocked the road and refused orders to move.

Video of the moment congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, New York City Council Member Chi Ossé and comedian Caleb Hearon were arrested by NYPD while protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UNGA speech today. pic.twitter.com/Oe5OEb5t2A

— Shannon Ryan (@_shanryan) September 24, 2026

Avila Chevalier defended her decision to participate and sharply condemned Netanyahu.

“As the Democratic Nominee for New York’s 13th Congressional District, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged,” she said.

“I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars.”

The description of Netanyahu as a “war criminal” reflects Avila Chevalier’s position. Netanyahu and the Israeli government have rejected accusations that Israel’s military campaign constitutes genocide and have maintained that Israel is targeting Hamas while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu and Israel reject the allegations and dispute the court’s jurisdiction.

Avila Chevalier’s arrest comes after a Democratic primary campaign in which U.S. policy toward Israel emerged as a significant dividing line between her and Espaillat.

She has advocated ending U.S. military support for Israel and has aligned herself with the Democratic Party’s democratic-socialist and pro-Palestinian wing.

Espaillat’s support for Israel became one of the issues Avila Chevalier used to challenge the longtime incumbent.

She ultimately defeated him in the June Democratic primary, securing the nomination in a district covering parts of northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

Thursday’s demonstration showed that she has no intention of softening her position after winning the nomination.

As police led her away, Avila Chevalier told reporters:

“We’re standing against war. Stop the genocide. U.S. dollars for health care, for housing, for education. Not for bombing children.”

She was not the only New York political figure taken into custody.

New York City Council Member Chi Ossé was also arrested during the demonstration.

Ossé similarly condemned U.S. financial support for Israel.

“I’m sick and tired of my taxpayer dollars going towards an active genocide,” Ossé said.

Council Member Alexa Avilés was also among those arrested.

The protest attracted a number of prominent activists and entertainers as well.

Actor Hannah Einbinder and whistleblower Chelsea Manning were among those taken into custody, while other reports identified actor Susan Sarandon among those arrested.

The NYPD said more than 100 people were arrested during the protests surrounding Netanyahu’s appearance.

The demonstration unfolded as Netanyahu addressed the United Nations amid intense international criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Netanyahu used his appearance to defend Israel’s conduct and push back against allegations surrounding the war.

The Israeli government maintains that its military campaign is directed against Hamas and points to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, as the catalyst for the war.

Palestinian health officials say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing Israeli military campaign. Those figures do not distinguish in their topline count between civilians and combatants.

The political fight over the war has increasingly spilled into Democratic electoral politics in the United States.

Avila Chevalier’s primary victory over Espaillat was one of several 2026 races in which candidates critical of U.S. support for Israel defeated established Democratic politicians.

Her victory also positioned her to potentially become another democratic-socialist voice in Congress if elected in November.

Thursday’s arrest underscored how central the issue remains to her political identity.

Avila Chevalier did not merely issue a statement condemning Netanyahu’s appearance.

She joined demonstrators in the street outside the United Nations and was taken into police custody alongside other protesters.

For a congressional nominee only months away from the general election, it was an unusually visible act of protest.

And it offered voters a clear look at the kind of politics Avila Chevalier intends to bring to Washington if she wins the seat in November.