— Daniel Squadron, TSP Founding Partner“If a state legislative special election happens in February and the political world doesn’t notice, does it matter? When it’s a victory that locks in the historic flip of the Pennsylvania House, it absolutely does! The victories of Reps. McAndrew, Salisbury, and Gergely are another reminder that we must continue to invest and work to build governing power. I’m proud that The States Project was able to support building this great majority from day one.”
It’s the morning after Election Day in Pennsylvania and – in case you missed it during the State of the Union address – Democrats in Harrisburg just won three crucial special elections to hold seats that secured them the governing majority in the PA House for the first time in 12 years.
What Just Happened
With the death of a lawmaker and two elected representatives resigning to take other offices, three seats won by Democrats in the November election were left vacant. On Tuesday, all three candidates won special elections to secure the Democratic majority.
- In HD 32, Joe McAndrew won by 50 points, 75%-25%.
- In HD 34, Abigail Salisbury won by 75 points, 87%-12%.
- In HD 35, Matt Gergely won by 49 points, 74%-25%
Why It Matters
These crucial special election victories ensure that Democrats will maintain a razor-thin 102-101 majority in the Pennsylvania House and retain control of the chamber.
Most importantly, this new Democratic majority is now well positioned to safeguard democracy in the Keystone State — protecting the integrity of our elections and standing up for the will of the voters when it comes under attack by the radical rightwing.
The States Project’s POV
Those stakes are why The States Project invested heavily in Pennsylvania in 2022, even when others told us that flipping the House was a pipe dream. We invested 80 times more to caucuses and candidates than the next largest group in the state.
These special election results provide the final confirmation that our strategy of investing in data-backed strategies and tactics on behalf of candidates in even the toughest races can yield transformative results.
