Pennsylvania Democrats have a chance to retake control of the State House in Harrisburg for the first time in more than a decade if three special elections scheduled for Tuesday, February 7 – all in Allegheny County districts controlled by registered Democrats – proceed as planned.
The Pennsylvania State House of Representatives has been unable to function for the past month and hopes that special elections will end the deadlock that has paralyzed operations, returning to Democrats the slim majority obtained after the November 2022 elections.
Votes by mail and absentee ballots must be returned by February 7, before the polls close at 8:00 p.m. that same night.
“We have been actively reaching out to those voters, alerting them to the fact that there is an election and asking them to vote for our Democratic candidates. I think they are actively campaigning,” Sam Hens-Greco, chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, told Action. Pittsburgh News4.
“This is a very large election, and it is quite unusual for it to be concentrated in a single county. Allegheny County played a key role in helping the Democrats achieve the balance of power in the November election,” Hens-Greco added. .
Republicans will want to get to voters before Tuesday to let them know.
Sam DeMarco, chairman of the Allegheny County Republican Committee, said awareness is the main issue heading into Tuesday.
“It is necessary that the parties and the volunteers who work on behalf of the candidates go out into the streets and make people aware that there are elections and try to get them to the polls,” he said.
“Republicans have an uphill battle, but it’s something we’re prepared for, and we’re willing to fight and looking forward to next Tuesday,” he added.
Voters in the 32nd, 34th and 35th legislative districts will vote for the three vacancies left by the death of Tony DeLuca, the election of Summer Lee to Congress and the election of Austin Davis as AP lieutenant governor, respectively.
In the 32nd district, the race is between Democrat Joe McAndrew and Republican Clay Walker, while in the 34th district, it comes down to Democrat Abigail Salisbury and Republican Robert Pagane. Democrat Matthew R. Gergely and Republican Don Nevills complete the special election in the 35th district.
The 32nd covers northeast Pittsburgh, while the 34th covers parts of Pittsburgh as well as North Braddock, Wilkinsburg, and Wilkins Township, and the 35th covers McKeesport and part of West Mifflin.
If Democrats win those districts again on Tuesday, as they did in November, they will have a one-seat majority in the House, with 102 Democrats and 101 Republicans.
The Democrats have also yet to decide who will take the House presidency and questions remain about what a divided chamber will be able to do.
State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat and current Speaker of the House, has recently indicated that he does not want to resign.
The other name in the running is that of Rep. Joanna McClinton, who would be the first black woman to be Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Rozzi spoke to the Associated Press on January 31 about McClinton’s possible candidacy.
“First of all, I know how to count votes,” Rozzi said. “So, you know, at the end of the day she still has to get the votes to become Speaker of the House.”
His responsibilities include moderating the floor debate, calling for a vote on bills, and appointing the chairmen of House committees.
McClinton has been the Democratic leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and was initially a favorite for the position of speaker in November.
Even with full Democratic support, failing to garner any significant Republican support, McClinton lacked the votes needed to become Speaker of the House at the start of the legislative session.
If Democrats win all three elections on Tuesday, as expected, it will remain uncertain whether McClinton gets the job.
For a change of president to take place, Rozzi would have to resign, or a majority of the state House could vote to remove and replace him. McClinton, come what may, will need the favorable vote of its 102 members.
If any member were to object, such as Rozzi, McClinton would need the support of the GOP.