Natalie Mihalek will represent the South Hills in Harrisburg after winning Tuesday’s election for the state’s 40th House district.
Her win ensures that the seat stays in Republican hands, as it has since the 1960s. The district spans Bethel Park, as well as Peters and Upper St. Clair townships.
Mihalek, of Upper St. Clair Township, defeated Democrat Sharon Guidi.
Mihalek is a Navy veteran who has worked as a prosecutor for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
During the campaign, she said addressing the opioid epidemic was one of her top priorities after she visited babies in the hospital facing withdrawal symptoms because their mothers abused opioids during their pregnancies. She said she wanted to expand in-patient addiction treatment facilities to give more people the ability to remove themselves from their social circles while recovering to prevent relapse.
Mihalek’s challenger, Guidi, lives in Peters Township and is a retired teacher.
