State Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Moon, fought off Democratic challenger Ayanna Lee, also of Moon, to hold his District 44 seat by a wide margin.

Mr. Mustio received 20,497 votes, or nearly 63 percent, to 12,118 votes for Ms. Lee, according to unofficial results.

Mr. Mustio said yesterday he will continue working to reform government and to encourage economic development in his district, particularly around Pittsburgh International Airport. With more and better jobs, residents can buy homes, pay for school and invest in the community.

"It goes to my core belief that if people work at good-paying jobs, in most cases that creates an opportunity for good benefits and most problems take care of themselves," he said.

Ms. Lee did not return a call seeking comment.

Mr. Mustio, president of HHM Insurors since 1981, earned his bachelor of arts degree from Grove City College in 1979. Elected to the state House in 2003, he previously had served as a Moon supervisor.

Ms. Lee, a commercial real estate lawyer at Reed Smith, Downtown, graduated from Sewickley Academy on scholarship. She then earned her bachelor of arts degree from Point Park University in 2000 and her law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2004.

Both candidates advocated for the size of the Legislature to be cut by 20 percent, and its budget reduced. They also said access to health care should be expanded for all Pennsylvania residents. Mr. Mustio, though, also wants damages capped at $500,000 in medical malpractice cases to help reduce medical costs and make insurance more affordable.

Like Ms. Lee, Mr. Mustio supports the idea of government helping to develop local properties; attracting new companies would create well-paid jobs with good benefits that expand the local tax base and provide property tax relief

Mr. Mustio, however, advocated for immediate property tax relief. School property taxes, he said, should be eliminated and replaced with a sales tax at its current rate, but expanded to include food and clothes. He also believes income taxes should be reduced by about 10 percent and the Corporate Net Income tax by 2 percent.

On social issues, Mr. Mustio opposes abortion except to save the mother's life, and he supports Second Amendment rights. He also said state government should fully fund special education costs for school districts, rather than requiring local residents to pay those costs through school property taxes.

He also plans to continue efforts to reform government by reducing the size of the Legislature, cutting perks and budgets, and making the legislative process more open and accessible to constituents. Those efforts were among the reasons Democrats tried so hard to oust him this year, he said.

"The opposition targeted me because I've been very vocal on downsizing and on the excessive benefits members receive that in no way compare to the reality of what our constituents receive," said Mr. Mustio, who uses his own cell phone and car for legislative business and is one of just three representatives to contribute toward the cost of his health care.