Democrats swept the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, unexpectedly winning control of the legislative chamber for the first time in a decade.
The Associated Press confirmed that Democrats flipped 12 seats, enough to maintain a narrow majority in the state House on Saturday, when it called a stunning final for Democratic candidate Melissa Cerrato.
Despite the result, there are three seats that will soon be vacant, as two Democratic state House members were re-elected in November while a third died. That could put Republicans back in the majority until at least a special election to fill the seats.
As in Michigan, where Democrats won majority control of both the House and Senate, the party attributed its gains to fairer legislative maps that limited the power of Republican vote-buying efforts, although Pennsylvania does not use that type of redistricting independence. commission approved by Michigan voters. in 2018.
“One thing we’ve seen after decades of filling in maps is that it looks like 50 percent of Pennsylvania voters vote Democratic,” said Congresswoman Joanna McClinton (D), who is likely to become the first black woman to serve as Speaker of the House. . . The Pennsylvania House said the day after the election, according to local television station WHYY. “It’s an incredible thing. It’s an amazing thing that they’re going to offer fair opportunities, fair maps, and fair districts.”
The shock victory also suggests that the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade has strongly motivated voters to stand up and turn against Republicans, particularly in battleground states where Democrats have argued that the future of abortion rights is at stake. vote.
Democrats will take control of the state House for the first time since 2011. Republicans will still hold the majority in the state Senate.
Originally, Pennsylvania House Democrats declared victory on November 9, when it was clear that the party had won 99 of the state’s 203 seats. Three others in the Philadelphia suburbs remained close with ballots still to be counted, but party leaders were confident all three would win by 102-101 House majorities.
State Democrats entered the 2022 midterm elections needing to flip 12 seats to eliminate the Republican majority in the Pennsylvania House. They were confident the high-profile races for the U.S. Senate and governor would help them eat into GOP margins, but the House flip was seen as a longer shot than similar efforts to win control of the Michigan and Arizona state legislatures.
However, the States Project, a progressive group that focuses on state legislatures, has poured money into Pennsylvania in an effort to boost candidates in key races. The group viewed destroying the GOP majority as a way to help protect the 2024 presidential election from potential Republican efforts to undermine it, as some GOP state lawmakers, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, tried to do after the GOP vote . “former president donald. . Trump defeat in 2020.
The effort took on even more importance, State Project research director Aaron Kleinman told HuffPost before the election, as the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could give state lawmakers more power to challenge or to annul future election results.
Democrats will still have to compromise with the GOP-controlled Pennsylvania state Senate, but they could use the chamber to advance top priorities, including efforts to expand voting rights and protect access to abortion.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) has won the race to become the state’s next governor.
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