The results could have significant ramifications for abortion rights in the state.
Pennsylvania Democrats won a trio of state House special elections Tuesday night, handing them a clear majority.
The victories give Democrats the upper hand in a chamber that has seesawed in control since the November elections, resulting in a bipartisan “independent” speaker arrangement that quickly went sour. But with Tuesday’s wins, the Democratic Party now is in a stronger position to block GOP-led initiatives, including a potential anti-abortion ballot measure.
Democrats won in three districts, according to projections by The Associated Press:
- 32nd District: Democrat Joe McAndrew defeated Republican Clay Walker. The seat was left vacant after the death in October of Anthony DeLuca, a Democrat who had been in office nearly four decades.
- 34th District: Democrat Abigail Salisbury defeated Republican Robert Pagane. The previous seat holder, Democrat Summer Lee, resigned after she won election to Congress in November.
- 35th District: Democrat Matthew Gergely defeated Republican Don Nevills. Democrat Austin Davis resigned after he was elected lieutenant governor in November.
All three districts encompass suburbs of Pittsburgh and other areas of Allegheny County, in the southwestern part of the state. President Joe Biden carried all three districts in the 2020 election by at least 16 percentage points.
Source: Pennsylvania Democrats take back state House control with three special election wins
