The 2020 elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate were held on November 3, 2020, with 25 of 50 districts being contested. Primary elections were held on June 2, 2020.[1] The term of office for those elected in 2020 began when the Senate convened in January 2021. Pennsylvania State Senators are elected for four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every two years.[2] The election coincided with the 2020 United States presidential election, United States House of Representatives elections, and the entirety of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
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All odd-numbered seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold Republican gain No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republicans had controlled the chamber since the 1994 election (26 years).
Special election
edit48th senatorial district
editA special election for the 48th senatorial district was held on January 14 following Republican State Senator Mike Folmer's resignation after being arrested for possession of child pornography.[3] Democrats selected Lebanon Valley College associate professor Michael Schroeder as their nominee, while Republicans nominated Lebanon County District Attorney Dave Arnold.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Arnold | 18,234 | 68.70 | |
| Democratic | Michael Schroeder | 9,950 | 35.30 | |
| Total votes | 28,184 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Lean R | October 21, 2020 |
General election overview
edit| Affiliation | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats before | Seats up | Seats won | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 20 | 1,636,593 | 50.87 | 28 | 15 | 15 ( )
|
28 | |
| Democratic | 24 | 1,580,922 | 49.13 | 21 | 10 | 10 ( )
|
21 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 ( )
|
1 | |
| Total | TBD | 3,217,515 | 100 | 50 | 25 | 25 | 50 | |
Close races
editSix district races had winning margins of less than 15%:
| District | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| District 9 | Democratic (flip) | 3.9% |
| District 13 | Republican | 11.26% |
| District 15 | Republican | 3.46% |
| District 19 | Democratic | 14.90% |
| District 37 | Republican (flip) | 4.14% |
| District 45 | Democratic | 0.06% |
Results by district
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Members of the Senate". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Nguyen, Tin (January 21, 2020). "Pennsylvania state senator Mike Folmer arrested for child pornography". WTAJ - www.wearecentralpa.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Cole, John (October 21, 2019). "SD48: Arnold, Schroeder Nominated in Special Election". PoliticsPA. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "October Overview: Handicapping the 2020 State Legislature Races". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Elections – Official Results". Pennsylvania Department of State. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ Fernandez, Cynthia (February 10, 2020). "Longtime Pennsylvania State Senator Andy Dinniman is retiring". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Micek, John (February 12, 2020). "Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati is not seeking re-election". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
External links
edit- Electionreturns.pa.gov, Pennsylvania Department of State
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Pennsylvania", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Pennsylvania: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania". (state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- National Institute on Money in Politics; Campaign Finance Institute, "Pennsylvania 2019 & 2020 Elections", OpenSecrets