By DAN KRISTIE, Staff Writer

TREDYFFRIN — As a result of a straw poll the local Republican committee people held last week, Tredyffrin Supervisor Warren Kampf has emerged as the frontrunner to challenge incumbent Democrat Paul Drucker in the 157th District state House race.

Although the outcome of the straw poll has historically given good indication of who will get the GOP endorsement, the results are unofficial and nonbinding. The Chester County Republican Committee will make its official endorsements on Feb. 20.

Also in the running at the straw poll was former Tredyffrin Supervisor Judy DiFilippo, but she received so few votes that she conceded. In 2008, she also sought the GOP endorse

ment to run for this seat, but conceded after the GOP endorsed former Tredyffrin Supervisor Guy Ciarrocchi.

Kendrick Buckwalter, a Phoenixville Borough councilman, came in second at the poll.

Buckwalter made news late last year when he won a lawsuit in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court against Phoenixville Borough Council.

The majority of Phoenixville council had voted to immediately cut their own pay, and Buckwalter argued that the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits local elected officials from changing their pay for the term in which they are currently serving.

The 157th District consists of Tredyffrin and Schuylkill townships, Phoenixville Borough, and several precincts in Montgomery County.

The majority of the district's Republican committeepersons are from Tredyffrin, and Tredyffrin's Republican Committee tends to favor candidates from that township. This puts candidates from other parts of the district at a disadvantage.

Phoenixville has a high concentration of Democratic voters, and Democratic state representative candidates tend to do well there. Buckwalter said in an interview on Friday that he does well with the borough's Democratic voters and believes he could get more Democratic votes than Kampf could.

"The electoral map is in my favor," Buckwalter said.

Kampf said that, based on the results of the straw poll, he is confident he will win the Republican endorsement.

"But until the committee makes its endorsement, I can't say," Kampf said.

DiFilippo said both Kampf and Buckwalter are qualified and she will not endorse either of them.

To contact staff writer Dan Kristie, send an e-mail to dkristie@dailylocal.com.