Pennsylvania Balance of Power: Midterm Election Results 2026

HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Voters on Nov. 3 will decide more than who sits in the governor’s office. Both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly are in play. Democrats are defending a slim majority in the state House and trying to take a State Senate that Republicans have controlled for years.

A narrow House majority

Democrats have held the state House by the thinnest of margins this session. Special elections earlier this year didn’t change that. In February, Democrats kept two seats when Ana Tiburcio won in House District 22 in Lehigh County and Jennifer Mazzocco won in House District 42 in Allegheny County.

Republicans held two seats of their own in March. Catherine Wallen won the 193rd District in Adams and Cumberland counties with almost 60% of the vote. Andrea Verobish won the 79th District in Blair County with more than 57%. Those results left Democrats in control of the House, 102-100. Republican George Margetas then filled the last vacancy in May, winning the 196th District in York County. That seat could be up for grabs again.

Both parties say they see momentum. “Tonight’s victories demonstrate that 2025 was just the beginning,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale said after the February wins. House Republican Leader Jesse Topper, R-Bedford/Fulton, said after the March races that his party’s strategy “will lead to a new Republican majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.”

Democrats eye the Senate

Republicans now hold a 27-23 majority in the state Senate. Democrats have made flipping the chamber a top goal. Gov. Josh Shapiro is seeking a second term and is also trying to deliver Democratic control of the Legislature to advance his agenda.

Even a tie would matter. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and generally votes only to break ties. The lieutenant governor can’t cast the deciding vote on final passage of a bill, a joint resolution, a conference report or concurrence in House amendments. Still, a 25-25 Senate could give the lieutenant governor more influence.

“Even in the tie circumstance, being able to set the agenda would be a real difference from what we’ve experienced for a long time,” said Berwood Yost of Franklin & Marshall College.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is campaigning for Democratic Senate candidates. He said that if Democrats gain control or the chamber splits evenly, he would use his position to push long-stalled priorities, “like raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, passing the governor’s housing action plan and making owning a home more affordable here in Pennsylvania.” His Republican opponent, Jason Richey, is running with state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Richey said he would draw on his experience as a lawyer to negotiate agreements.

Susquehanna Valley races in the spotlight

The 36th Senate District in Lancaster County could help decide which party controls the Senate. Democratic Sen. James Malone won the seat in a 2025 special election. He faces Republican state Rep. Tom Jones, as Republicans try to win it back.

In the 48th Senate District, Republican Sen. Chris Gebhard is seeking reelection. The district covers all of Lebanon County and parts of Berks and Lancaster counties. His opponent, Democrat Wayne Moyer, qualified for the ballot with write-in votes in the May primary. Moyer hopes to become the first Democrat to represent the district.

Why it matters

Yost said the party in control decides which proposals get considered. “People underestimate the value of having control of the chamber,” he said.

A change in power could bring back stalled ideas, especially a higher minimum wage.

“That’s hugely popular among the voters, and it’s something that has always won when it’s gone to the ballot in other states,” Yost said.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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