The Pennsylvania legislature remains split following this year’s election.
After the votes have been counted, Governor Josh Shapiro will have to navigate having the chambers controlled by opposing parties.
House Democrats narrowly maintained the chamber by just a single seat, holding a majority of 102 Democrats to 101 Republicans. Democratic Representative Frank Burns of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, secured the slim majority for House Democrats with his win.
“That was the bright spot on what was otherwise a pretty dark day for Democrats,” said Representative Dave Madsen, a Democrat from Harrisburg.
Democratic House Leader Matt Bradford said, “We have 102 seats. We are humble and we are uniquely aware. The people of Pennsylvania expect us to drop the stale political ideologies and the false fights that have not moved this Commonwealth forward. We have work to do and we’re going to do it.”
State Senate Republicans hold the opposite chamber at 28 to 22. Representative Jimmy Dillon from Philadelphia lost his Democratic seat, while Representative Patty Kim’s seat was added in Dauphin County.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said, “I’m convinced that we can continue to demonstrate that divided government is not dysfunctional government. We will work to compromise where we can, where we see fit. But we’re not going to compromise our principles in the electoral mandate that we’ve been given.”
The makeup of Pennsylvania’s legislature in Harrisburg held steady amidst political turmoil at the federal level. Democrats lost in large ways in this year’s general election, but were able to maintain the Pennsylvania State House and a divided legislature.
