GOP Keeps PA Senate: Dems Expect to Keep PA House

As the final ballots are counted up across the state, Pennsylvania’s General Assembly is expected to keep it’s divided legislature status quo.

Unofficial results show that Republicans kept control of the Senate— Republican senators Dan Laughlin (Erie) and Devlin Robinson (Allegheny) kept their seats.

After a Democrat senator resigned, the party won the open seat in the Pittsburgh area. Democrats flipped a seat in Harrisburg, but Republicans flipped a seat in Philadelphia—keeping the chamber the same numbers wise as before (28-22)

In the Pennsylvania House races— all 203 seats were up for election—Democrats are expected to keep their one seat majority.

A House seat in Philadelphia (172) and one in Bucks county (144) were close as ballots kept trickling in, but did get called for Democrats this afternoon.

In Cambria county, Rep. Frank Burns (D-72) has been a Democrat hold out in an otherwise Republican leaning district. The county is hand counting ballots after disruptions in yesterdays elections. Analysts expect the race to be close, but for Burns to stay in office.

“If you were a betting person, and you went into yesterday's election saying the state senate and the state house will have the same exact party makeup the day after the election as the day before— I don't think anyone would have believed you,” said Christopher Nicholas, a republican campaign strategist. "So you had all these big races at the top of the ticket, but they didn't necessarily filter down to the legislative races. That we know of so far.”

There was a lot of partisan gridlock in Pennsylvania’s legislature during the 2023/24 session. With many of the same faces returning, we’ll be tracking how relations evolve for another two years.