Elections 2026

Pa. election 2026: What to know about the 160th House District race in Chesco and Delco

Republican incumbent state Rep. Craig Williams is facing a challenge once again from Democratic candidate Elizabeth Moro.

Kenny Cooper

September 10, 2026

Incumbent state Rep. Craig Williams, who represents parts of Chester and Delaware counties, faces Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro in the race for Pennsylvania's 160th House District. (Carl Weiss Communications; Luigi Ciuffetelli Photography)

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Pa.’s 160th House District: What’s at stake | The path to victory
State Rep. Craig Williams: About | History | Top priorities | Endorsements
Elizabeth Moro: About | Top priorities | Endorsements

In the 2026 midterm elections, Pennsylvania voters will decide who will serve as governor and lieutenant governor for the next four years. State House and Senate seats are also on the ballot.

Here’s everything voters need to know about the race for the 160th House District seat in Chester and Delaware counties, from who’s running and what’s at stake to where the candidates stand on key issues and beyond.

What’s at stake in the race for the 160th House District seat?

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What does a state representative do?

All 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are up for election in November. The margins are rather thin. Democrats hold a three-seat majority in the lower chamber, following a Butler County special election upset in August.

The state House, like the state Senate, is responsible for drafting bills and helping the governor craft a budget. Each member is elected to serve a two-year term.

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Where is Pennsylvania’s 160th House District?
- Chester County (part)
  - Birmingham Twp.
  - Pennsbury Twp.
  - Thornbury Twp.
  - Westtown Twp.
- Delaware County (part)
  - Bethel Twp.
  - Chadds Ford Twp.
  - Chester Heights Borough
  - Concord Twp.
  - Thornbury Twp.
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What will it take to win?

Following the introduction of a new legislative map, Democrats wrested control of the state House in 2022 for the first time in more than a decade.

Many of Pennsylvania’s legislative races are not expected to be competitive. Therefore, a handful of toss-up races will determine which party will control the chamber.

Democrats hold a 103-100 majority in the state House. Williams has held the 160th House District seat since 2020.

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What to know about incumbent Republican state Rep. Craig Williams

Williams, 61, grew up in a military family. He graduated from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1983. He earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University in 1987.

After college, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a combat pilot in the Gulf War, flying 56 combat missions. During his time as a Marine, he earned a law degree from the University of Florida.

Williams served as a chief prosecutor for the Marine base. He left active duty in 2000 and took a position as deputy legal counsel for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in former President George W. Bush’s administration.

In 2001, Williams received a master of law degree in jurisprudence, virtue ethics and criminal law from the Columbia University School of Law. He also served as a prosecutor on the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

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He then spent time as a federal attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Philadelphia, where he met his wife, Jennifer Arbittier Williams, who at the time was also a federal prosecutor. They eventually moved to Delaware County.

In 2008, Williams unsuccessfully ran for Congress against former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak. From 2009 to 2020, Williams worked as assistant general counsel for PECO. He was elected to the state legislature in 2020.

In 2024, Williams lost to Dave Sunday in the Republican primary to become Pennsylvania’s attorney general.

He currently resides in Concord Township. His campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

What has Craig Williams done as state representative?

He currently serves as the Republican chair of the Government Oversight Committee. Williams holds other committee assignments on Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities, Energy, Gaming Oversight and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness.

Williams is also the Republican subcommittee chair for Utilities as well as Military & Veterans Facilities. In the 2025-2026 legislative session, Williams sponsored or cosponsored a combined 36 bills and resolutions.

In 2024, he led an unsuccessful endeavor to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

On his campaign website, Williams touts his record of fighting “wasteful spending policies” and local overdevelopment. He also noted his part in passing legislation to combat human trafficking and strengthen protections for drug users in treatment.

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What are Craig Williams’ top priorities?

His website emphasizes his record of not increasing taxes and protecting the rights and benefits of veterans as well as their families.

In his most recent state House campaign in 2024, William loudly decried crime and promised to improve public safety.

Williams, whose brother died from a drug overdose, has also previously expressed an interest in addressing addiction.

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Who has endorsed Craig Williams?

What to know about Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro

Moro, 53, was born and raised in Port Huron, Michigan. She is one of 12 children. Her father was a Korean War veteran.

“My mom and dad always stressed the importance of working together, learning to get along and most importantly, to be of service for your community,” she said.

She graduated from Western Michigan University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy and women’s studies. Moro initially wanted to be a teacher, but decided to get into politics and policy.

“I truly love the political process,” she said. “I love the fundamentals of our democracy and how it brings us together at the table to work on making things better for the next generation.”

Moro was a program coordinator at the Fetzer Institute from 1996 to 2001. From 2009 to 2017, she was a real estate associate at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Kennett Square, where she earned her state broker’s license. Since then, she has been in real estate in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

She ran for Congress in 2018 in Pennsylvania’s old 7th congressional district, however, her bid was cut short when the district was redrawn and party leaders asked her to drop out of the race.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote a book called “The Civil Graces Project,” which is a memoir that also tries to define what unites people. After her book was released, Moro opened Centreville Place: Cafe + Market in November 2021.

“The whole point of this cafe is to bring people around the table, around good food, good conversation so that we can remember that we are neighbors and that we can work together,” she said.

Moro was also active in a local effort to preserve Crebilly Farm in Westtown Township. Motivated by threats to abortion rights, she ran against Williams for the 160th House District in 2024. Moro lost, but she has decided to give it another shot.

“I spent those months right after the election all the way to before the primary just listening to my neighbors saying what is it that’s working, what’s not working,” Moro said.

She lives in Chadds Fords with her husband. The blended family has five kids.

What are Elizabeth Moro’s top priorities?

Moro said her neighbors are being crushed by an affordability crisis. As a small business owner, she said economic instability and tariffs are making it harder for people to take care of their families.

Another one of her priorities is tackling Chester County’s health care crisis. She said the collapse of Crozer Health and subsequent closure of the flagship Crozer-Chester Medical Center has put an immense strain on access to medical care.

“People need to have access to doctors and health care providers who can keep us well so that we can take care of the people we love and do the things that we need to do,” Moro said.

Moro also focused on boosting education funding and creating more affordable housing.

“We’re not building enough homes — affordable homes — but we’re also not protecting homes from predatory investors, who come up, buy it up and sit on it,” Moro said. “They don’t even rent it out, but they hold on to it as an asset and we need to make sure we’re not limiting first-time home buyer housing in that way.”

She’s also calling for a moratorium on data centers.

“You cannot come on and take our open space and our quality of life away from us,” Moro said. “And I stood up to big developers before. I’ll do it again.”

Moro called herself a community builder.

“It’s the 250th anniversary of our nation and we are in a history-rich area,” Moro said. “We want to continue to build that democracy and opportunity for the next generation.”

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Who has endorsed Elizabeth Moro?
Moro has received the following endorsements:
- Change PA
- Chester County Democratic Committee
- Committee to Protect Healthcare
- Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Action Fund
- Delco Democrats
- EMILY’s List
- Everytown for Gun Safety
- Moms Fed Up
- National Democratic Redistricting Committee
- Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
- Penncrest High School Democrats
- Pennsylvania American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
- Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates
- Protect & Elect
- PSEA-PACE Pennsylvania State Education Association-Political Action Committee for Education
- Represent PA
- Sierra Club Pennsylvania
- States Win
- Transport Workers Union Local 234
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Part of the series

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at a polling place at Rowan College in Mount Laurel, N.J., Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Elections 2026

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About Kenny Cooper

Kenny Cooper is WHYY’s suburban reporter covering Chester and Delaware counties. He joined WHYY in November 2020.

@Kenny_Cooper_Jr kcooper@whyy.org

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