Madeleine Dean Wins Re-Election, Defeats Kathy Barnette: AP

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Despite a pending lawsuit from Republican challenger Kathy Barentte, U.S. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean has won a sweeping victory in her re-election campaign to represent Pennsylvania's 4th District, the Associated Press projects.

While final, official results may not be available in Pennsylvania for days, Dean holds a huge enough lead in the heavily blue district that analysts called the race shortly before midnight.

"Thank you to the Fourth Congressional District for your trust and belief in me," Dean said on Twitter in announcing victory. "It has been the honor of my life to serve you these past two years, and I look forward to serving the district with decency and ethics for the next two years."

Get up-to-the minute election updates. Subscribe to free News Alerts.

With 286 of Montgomery County's 431 precincts reporting, and all of Berks County's 11 precincts in the 4th Congressional District reporting, Dean held a 138,501 to 94,935 lead over Barnette at midnight.

The Democratic stronghold was one of the first Congressional races called in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, as races around the state and the presidential race remained too close to call.

Dean's victory comes as her opponent filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County earlier Tuesday, alleging the county illegally "pre-canvassed" ballots for errors, allowing voters to correct mistakes. A hearing is scheduled in court for Wednesday morning. The campaign wants 1,200 votes discarded, but Montgomery County elections officials say that only 49 ballots are impacted.

"I told y'all, I'm not rolling over for felonious foolishness and dishonesty," Barnette, a businesswoman and longtime conservative commentator on Fox News, said on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. "I am a fighter. I will fight for you and your family. Each LEGAL vote matters. Period."

Barnette did not immediately concede the race on Tuesday evening.

Late Tuesday, elections officials said that it would take 40 hours for all mail-in votes to be counted in Montgomery County, meaning that a final tally may not be available until Thursday at 2 p.m.

A native of the Abington area, Dean served as a Pennsylvania state representative in the 153rd district before being elected to her first term in U.S. Congress in the 2018 midterms. She was a part of the "blue wave" which saw several first time U.S. Congresswoman elected that year in southeastern Pennsylvania, including Mary Gay Scanlon and Chrissy Houlahan. Though a member of the Progressive Caucus, she voted in line with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 100 percent of the time during her first two years in office.

Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District was newly formed when the state's district maps were redrawn a few years ago. This district now covers the entire county save for a small sliver in the north-central. It also creeps into 11 precincts in Berks County. Most of Montgomery County and this district was previously represented by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who took over the newly created 2nd district.

For full coverage of the election in Pennsylvania, go here.