Democrat Dan Goughnour won a special election last night in Pennsylvania's 35th District State House special election, with 63.4% of the vote. The win gave House Dems a one-point majority. The chamber has been tied at 101 to 101 since incumbent Rep. Matt Gergely, an Allegheny Democrat, died in January.
But the real shocker is that Democrat James Malone won a real squeaker for a state Senate seat in the 36th District special election with 50.0% of the vote. This is Amish country, where Trump won by 15%. The Republican majority in the state Senate didn't change. But damn, this is a historic win. Republicans have held this seat for 46 years.
Democratic candidates in 14 special elections across the country are outperforming their district's presidential margins by an average of 10 points. Woo hoo!
The times, they are a-changing!
Congratulations to Dan Goughnour for winning his special election for Pennsylvania’s HD35!
This win secures the State House majority for @padems.org so that they can stand up to Trump’s mayhem in Washington and continue to deliver for Pennsylvania families.
— Ken Martin (@kenmartin.bsky.social) 2025-03-26T01:52:17.312Z
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING
Democrat James Malone DEFEATS Republican County Commissioner Josh Parsons in the special election for Pennsylvania SD-36 — FLIPPING a district Trump carried by 15.4% in the 2024 election.
A huge upset victory for the Democrats.
— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) 2025-03-26T02:18:15.709Z
HOW IT HAPPENED: James Andrew Malone, the mayor of a town of 5,000, ran on education, abortion rights, and opposing Elon Musk—in a district that had *never* voted Democratic.
Until tonight.
Our complete write-through of his astonishing special election win in Lancaster County →
— The Downballot (@the-downballot.com) 2025-03-26T03:27:40.020Z
