Democrat James Malone won the open Senate seat for Pennsylvania Senators on the Decision Desk HQ Project, a massive upset in the district that comfortably voted for President Trump in November.
East Petersburg mayor Malone is expected to overthrow Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons and represent Senate District 36 for the remainder of his term as former state senator Ryan Ament (R). aument Resignation From his office in December he became state director for McCormick, who took over in January.
Parsons was thought to have a high chance of winning in conservative districts. President Trump had 57% of the vote in November, and McCormick won by 56%. Aument was not opposed either in his last election in 2022.
But Malone was able to overcome the odds, and Democrats have continued to perform strong under-radar elections since Trump took office. Democrats brought another major upset in the strong, conservative Iowa Senate District in January, and also won a county executive seat in New York.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin celebrated Malone's victory, calling it a “shock wave” on the system and the way Republicans run their government.
“In a district that has a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage in 2024 in Trump by the age of 15, Malone's victory is a loud and clear responsible responsibilities for the Republican threat to programs in which Pennsylvania families rely on public schools from Social Security and Medicaid,” Martin said.
“Democrats like Senator Malone compete everywhere to protect working Americans, and in special elections across the country, we will continue to be over-performing as voters join us in fighting the Trump Musk agenda,” he continued.
Malone's victory will reduce the state senator's GOP majority to 27-23.
