Pennsylvania Democrats are celebrating after a state Senate seat flipped blue in a special election in early March. James Malone won the seat over Republican Josh Parsons in the 36th Senate District, which covers part of Lancaster County, including Elizabethtown.
The district also covers Mount Joy, Manheim, Lititz and Ephrata.
Malone is an I.T. consultant and has been the mayor of East Petersburg Borough for seven years. His term will run through 2026.
The special election occurred after the seat was left vacant when former state Sen. Ryan Aument, a Republican, resigned to work for U.S. Sen. David McCormick’s office as the state director. Republicans still hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate, 27-23, a majority they’ve held since 1994.
The 36th district seat has been held by Republicans since the district was redrawn from Philadelphia in 1979. President Donald Trump won the district by 15 points in the 2024 presidential election.
“A lot of people from around the state and country said this district wasn’t competitive, and they’d never elect someone from the other party but I think that underestimates Lancaster,” Malone said in a post on X. “We are watching our values be denigrated in Washington as our leaders in Harrisburg watch silently. I talked to this district, and I listened, and we agreed it’s time to act. I am ready to get to work for our district, county, and state.”
Malone’s website says he plans to deal with hot-button issues in the state legislature, including education, housing and helping first responders. The website says he supports public education, a flat rate cyber charter tuition reform, promoting property tax relief for seniors and supporting volunteer recruitment for first responders.
Malone’s win drew national attention, with reporting from major media outlets, including the New York Times. In a Facebook post by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, state GOP Chair Greg Rothman called the election a “wake up call.”
“We can’t rest on the laurels of last November’s great victories,” Rothman said in the post. “We can’t be complacent and we must be unified. We need to keep the intensity of 2024 and fight together for every vote.”
In the state House, a special election in west Pennsylvania allowed Democrats to keep their one-seat majority, 102-101, in the chamber when Democrat Dan Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis. The seat was vacant after the death of Rep. Matthew Gergely, a Democrat.
The wins for Democrats come after Trump won the swing state in the 2024 Presidential election by 1.7%, the largest margin for a Republican candidate since 1988. “There’s been a lot of talk about Pennsylvania’s future, but tonight, voters made it clear: our values and our vision win everywhere,” Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Campaign Committee Executive Director Jalen Nix said in a statement following the election. “This race was a referendum on the chaos Republicans have brought to Washington and the silence they’ve offered in Harrisburg. Just three years ago, there wasn’t even a Democrat on the ballot, tonight, we flipped this seat.”
