Another bid for reelection has turned into another win for a long-tenured state legislator who represents Carbon County.

Republican state Rep. Doyle Heffley turned back challenger Christian Bartulovich on Tuesday to keep the 122nd District seat he has held since 2011.

“I’d like to thank the voters of Carbon County, (all of) the 122nd district, for their continued support,” said Heffley upon winning reelection while gathered with his family and supporters at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Weissport. “It’s very humbling to see the support.”

Heffley took 14,628 votes to Bartulovich’s 9,878, according to unofficial Carbon County returns posted at 10:13 p.m. Write-ins drew 46. The margin was 4,750 votes, or about 19 percentage points.

“I’m going to continue to work hard; there’s a lot of changes at the state and federal level,” Heffley said. “We’re going to continue to focus on the initiatives for Carbon County.”

Heffley, 56, of Palmerton, built his margin on Election Day ballots, winning them 12,754 to 7,379. Bartulovich carried the county’s mail-in vote 2,499 to 1,874.

“I’d like to thank all my volunteers and the people who work in my district offices, all the volunteers and supporters,” he said. “I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run, and will continue to stay positive and move forward.”

Heffley reiterated his appreciation to the voters of Carbon County for their support, and added he looks forward to continuing to serve as their state representative.

Bartulovich, 37, is a Penn Forest Township supervisor and the township’s vice chairman. He reached the general election ballot on the Democratic ticket through a write-in campaign in the May primary. Heffley was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Heffley chairs the House Human Services Committee.

He graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1989, earned an associate degree from Lincoln Technical Institute and spent much of his career in the trucking industry.

He previously served on the Lower Towamensing Planning Commission and chaired the Carbon County Republican Committee.

Bartulovich is treasurer of the Carbon County Council of Governments. He worked in health care as an EMT and paramedic before moving into regional operations management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Thomas Edison State University and an MBA from Liberty University, and coaches girls varsity soccer at Jim Thorpe.

In his concession to post to Heffley, Bartulovich said, “I want to thank my supporters, and donors from the bottom of my heart. This has been an incredibly humbling experience from day one, and I am infinitely grateful for your support, and confidence.”

He vowed to continue to fight for the people of Carbon County.