2026 Pennsylvania Senate election
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The 2026 Pennsylvania Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026. Voters will elect half the members of the Pennsylvania State Senate the U.S. state of Pennsylvania's legislative districts to serve a four-year term.[1]
November 3, 2026
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25 of 50 seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Democratic incumbent Republican incumbent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This election will be held alongside other elections in Pennsylvania.[2]
Background
Republicans have controlled the Pennsylvania Senate since 1994, although Democrats have not won a majority of seats in the chamber since 1978. The state has been under divided government for much of this time, with Democrats often controlling the governorship and occasionally the House of Representatives. Since Democrats won control of the House in 2022, the Senate has become Republicans' primary force of opposition to Democratic policies. This has blocked Democratic governor Josh Shapiro from enacting many of the more liberal parts of his agenda. Shapiro and Democrats plan to invest heavily in winning control of the Senate to attempt to establish a government trifecta.[3] Republicans maintained their 28–22 majority in the 2024 election.[4]
District 36 special election
Republican Senator Ryan Aument resigned in late 2024, leading to a special election in March 2025.[5] Democrat James Malone won the election in an upset, despite the district having voted for Republican Donald Trump by 15 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
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| Democratic | James Andrew Malone | 27,034 | 49.99 | ||
| Republican | Josh Parsons | 26,508 | 49.02 | ||
| Libertarian | Zachary Moore | 483 | 0.89 | ||
| Write-in | 52 | 0.10 | |||
| Total votes | 54,077 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Lean R | January 22, 2026 |
Primary elections
Democratic primary
Source: [9] |
Republican primary
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