ALTOONA, Pa. — A rumor flew across social media last week that a state house seat in Blair County, Pennsylvania, was within grasp for the Democrats to potentially flip the 79th legislative seat in a late winter special election.

Stephen Caruso, a Harrisburg-based Spotlight PA reporter, posted on X last week: “Republicans and Democrats I talk to are increasingly keeping an eye on next Tuesday’s special election in Altoona. One Pennsylvania Democratic source told me they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the race in a central PA district Trump won by 30+ points.”