The results narrow the Republican majority in Pennsylvania’s State Senate.
Incumbent Republican Ryan Aument resigned from the State Senate to take a position with new U.S. Senator Dave McCormick. This triggered a special election in Pennsylvania’s 36th state Senate District.
Democrats flipped a state Senate seat during Tuesday’s special election, with the race being called for James Malone on Wednesday afternoon.
Malone secured just 482 votes more than Republican Josh Parsons. The election marks the first time a Democrat has held the seat in the 36th District in decades.
The last Democrat elected to the state Senate from Lancaster County was John S. Hoover. He won a special election for the seat in 1890 and served for one year. In 2024, President Trump won the 36th State Senate District by 15 points.
Malone said, “One of the biggest things we did was go from the ground, reach out to everybody and let them know what we were running, why we’re running. And I think that made all the difference.”
On Tuesday night, Parsons released a statement, saying, “Obviously we are disappointed in the numbers. We are still reviewing them, but it appears we will come up a little short. We will have a further statement tomorrow. We appreciate all those who worked hard, supported our campaign, and came out to vote today.”
The following day, Parsons released another statement. “Having reviewed the numbers from last night, including the fact that there are not enough provisional or other outstanding ballots to change the overall result, I have called Mayor Malone to congratulate him and wish him the best. Again, I truly appreciate those who supported us, contributed or worked hard in our senate run. I love Lancaster County and feel blessed to know so many wonderful people here in our community.”
Tuesday’s results bring the Republican Senate majority to 27-23 seats.
