Rep. Jack Rader, a Republican from Jackson Township, has secured a fifth term in the state House of Representatives, according to unofficial general election results.

Rader tallied 12,207 votes, besting Democrat Hope Christman, who had 4,919 votes, and Libertarian Autumn Pangia, who totaled 1,131, with 99% of the vote counted.

The 176h State House district includes the townships of Chestnuthill, Eldred, Hamilton, Jackson, Polk, Ross, Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock, and represents 62,863 residents.

“I’m very happy, but this doesn’t happen without the help of people who supported me during the campaign and also during my term,” Rader said. “The whole district is a part of the process and part of the winning aspect of it. I try and listen to the people in my district and try and respond to their needs and I think that was reflected in vote totals this past election.”

Rader is a member of the House Local Government, Tourism and Recreational Development, Children & Youth and Finance committees.

Constituent services, he said, has always been up there on the list of things most important to him and heating costs, gas prices and inflation are the items he hears most about when residents visit his office.

“They’re all things people are concerned about, especially older people on fixed income, what are they going to do?” Rader said. “And so those are concerns that I take to Harrisburg and we try and get some help for them. And then I think they appreciate that we listen to them, and try and do something about their needs. And that’s going to be reflected in my next term. For me, it’s all about the people who live in my district. That’s why I’m there.”

One of the keys over the next two years, Rader said, is cutting down on overspending in Harrisburg.

“Budgets are very important,” he said. “People don’t really think about that but if we overspend in Harrisburg, then taxes are going to have to go up to cover that. And that’s something that we can’t do, especially in this economy.”

Helping to control inflation and assist small businesses, Rader added, will be a focal point of his fifth term.

“Small businesses are, I think, the driving force of the Pennsylvania economy as they are throughout the nation,” he said. “If businesses are doing well, especially the small businesses, then generally people who work for them are also doing well. We have to control gas prices and electric prices. Especially the gas prices because that impacts everything that is bought and sold. Those items are moved by truck. Prices are going higher and we have to be concerned about that.”

Preliminary election results show that a Democrat, Josh Shapiro, will be Pennsylvania’s governor for at least the next four years, but Rader said that shouldn’t preclude important items from being addressed at the state level.

“I’m not somebody who needs to get everything on every issue,” Rader said. “I think we have to move the ball forward to help Pennsylvanians and I didn’t see that in the previous governor. I hope I see that in our future governor. As long as he will work with us and we talk about our issues and we compromise and move the ball forward for Pennsylvania, I think we’ll be in a better spot. But if we don’t, that hurts Pennsylvanians.”