Democratic candidates emerged victorious in two special elections held in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, which filled vacancies in both chambers of the state legislature.
Former law enforcement officer Dan Goughnour won the race House District 35, giving the Democrats a 102-101 majority and breaking a tie in the state House of Representatives.
In the state Senate race for District 36, the Democrats scored a major upset victory with James Andrew Malone winning by 482 votes. According to AP News, President Donald Trump carried the district, which is located in and around the town of Lancaster, with 57% of the vote during the 2024 presidential election last November.
Pennsylvania SD 36 Special Election Results
With 100% reporting:
🔵 James Andrew Malone (D): 50.0% (26,951)
🔴 Josh Parsons (R): 49.1% (26,469)
🟡 Zachary Moore (Lib.): 0.9% (480)This is a 16 point overperformance for Democrats from 2024, when the district was Trump +15.
— VoteHub (@VoteHubUS) March 26, 2025
AP also reported that a Democrat hasn’t been elected to represent the district in 136 years. The Republicans still control the state Senate, but their majority has shrunk to a 27-23 advantage. Malone cited Trump’s chaotic first two months in office — where he and his party has taken aim at health care and medical research and blamed diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for plane crashes — as a major boost to his campaign.
“If President Trump were trying to accomplish his agenda in a very methodical and cohesive and by-the-book way, we wouldn’t have as much vitriol as we do right now,” Malone said in an interview.
