In a quiet Allegheny County contest, Lindsay Powell, a former city staffer turned nonprofit worker, won an open seat vacated by Sara Innamorato, who stepped aside to run for county executive. The win returns the Pennsylvania House to Democratic hands by a thin margin of 102 to 101, a reminder of how fragile a single seat can be in a divided statehouse. It arrives at a moment when the state's politics are tilting toward the national contests of 2024, and when lawmakers are once again wrestling over how public money should follow children into schools.
Democrats Regain Pennsylvania House Majority After Powell Wins Allegheny County Special Election
A seat everyone expected Democrats to win still decided who runs the chamber
In a quiet Allegheny County contest, Lindsay Powell, a former city staffer turned nonprofit worker, won an open seat vacated by Sara Innamorato, who stepped aside to run for county executive. The win returns the Pennsylvania House to Democratic hands by a thin margin of 102 to 101, a reminder of how fragile a single seat can be in a divided statehouse. It arrives at a moment when the state's politics are tilting toward the national contests of 2024, and when lawmakers are once again wrestling over how public money should follow children into schools.
Lindsay Powell, a nonprofit worker who once served on the staff of the city of Pittsburgh, won a special election in Allegheny County on Tuesday, and the Associated Press called the race for her. The seat was one Democrats were expected to hold, since the district reliably votes blue. It had been left open when state Rep. Sara Innamorato resigned to run for Allegheny County executive.
The victory matters for arithmetic. With Powell seated, Democrats will hold 102 seats to the Republicans' 101, returning control of the chamber. The majority has been fragile: Democrats won the House in 2022 for the first time since 2010, but vacancies soon cost them control, and special elections in February restored it before this win secured it again.
Powell enters the middle of a budget dispute. Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate disagree over parts of a $45 million package, including whether public money should help students attend private schools. Her opponent, local party chair Erin Connolly Autenreith, had campaigned for those vouchers. The House is expected to return at the end of September and take up the budget, voucher provisions included.
Democratic control has already produced results this year, including House-passed bills on the minimum wage, collective bargaining rights, and mental health funding. On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro also announced automatic voter registration for people who obtain a driver's license or state ID.
Lindsay Powell, a nonprofit worker who once worked as a staffer for the city of Pittsburgh, won a special election in Allegheny County on Tuesday. The Associated Press projected her victory, and with it Democrats took back control of the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives.
Powell won a Democratic-leaning district left open by former state Rep. Sara Innamorato. Innamorato resigned to run for Allegheny County executive and will be the Democratic nominee for that office in the November general election.
The result was expected, given how reliably the district votes Democratic. Its weight comes from arithmetic. Once Powell is seated, Democrats will hold 102 seats in the chamber to the Republicans' 101.
The majority has been difficult to hold. Democrats won the state House in 2022 for the first time since 2010, running on maps drawn by a state court. But vacancies in three seats soon cost them full control of the chamber. In February, three special elections in Allegheny County put them back in the majority. Tuesday's win restores it again.
The result leaves Democrats holding one chamber of the legislature and the governorship in Pennsylvania, a key battleground heading into 2024. Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat there last year. Next year the state will host the presidential race and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey's re-election bid, so it is likely to figure prominently in the coming political fights.
Powell arrives in the middle of a dispute. Democrats in the House and Republicans in the state Senate are at odds over parts of a $45 million state budget package, including whether public money should help some students attend private schools. Her Republican opponent, Erin Connolly Autenreith, a local party chair, had campaigned in support of vouchers that would help send some public school students to private schools. The state House is expected to reconvene at the end of September and will likely take up the budget package.
The effects of Democratic control of the House alongside a Democratic governor are already visible. This year the House has passed bills to raise the minimum wage, to enshrine the right to collective bargaining in the state Constitution, and to allocate funding for mental health aid. And on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania will now automatically register people to vote when they get a driver's license or state ID.
The next test comes when the House returns at the end of September and the budget fight, voucher provisions included, moves back onto the floor.
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Leia o original em NBC News ↗
Politics & Governance