Malone won a special election earlier this year.
Democratic State Senator James Malone of Lancaster announced he will run for reelection in 2026. Malone won a special election earlier this year that gained national attention.
Formerly the mayor of East Petersburg, Malone won the special election in March to replace 36th District State Senator Ryan Aument, a Republican. Aument resigned to join U.S. Senator Dave McCormick’s staff.
On Monday, Malone formally announced his reelection bid. In a social media post, he said he spent the night talking about how he “will continue to further our communities in 2026.”
In the special election, Malone defeated Republican County Commissioner Josh Parsons by just 526 votes.
The election was an upset in a deeply conservative county in Pennsylvania. It brought the Senate from a 28-22 margin to a 27-23 margin.
At the time of the special election, Senate pro tempore Kim Ward said Republicans “remain a strong barrier against far-left legislation being passed and signed into law by the Democrat-controlled House and governor.”
“Folks are angry, folks are motivated. This is sending signals around the country that what’s happening in Washington, D.C. is not acceptable,” said Pennsylvania State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa of Malone’s victory over his Republican opponent.
“Honestly, we were just willing to listen to folks, so this is what happened,” said Malone.
Since taking office, Malone has sponsored legislation banning gifts for elected officials, public employees, and candidates for public office.
He has publicly appeared with Governor Josh Shapiro in Manheim Township to tout a summer employment program for students with disabilities.
