Shapiro earns re-election, one-party control of legislature
Shapiro earns re-election, one-party control of legislature
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Voters handed Gov. Josh Shapiro four more years in office early Tuesday night. By the time the dust had settled, voters had handed Shapiro and the Democratic Party control of both houses of the state Legislature, too.
The Associated Press called the race for Shapiro shortly after the polls closed. Early returns, with 5% of the votes counted, showed Shapiro leading Garrity 83% to 15%. The gap narrowed, according to unofficial results Wednesday morning, to 60.3% for Shapiro to 38.4% for Garrity.
"But tonight, the people of Pennsylvania are speaking with resounding force," Shapiro said. "You've left no doubt -- you are done with leadership that fails to make life better. Done with waiting around for real results. Done with hearing politicians talk about how bad the other guys are, when you're spending on groceries what you used to spend on a car payment. Done with being sold big lies from one side, and fifteen-point plans that never deliver from the other. That's why you elected not just me, but a whole bunch of folks who actually want to Get Stuff Done. Because here in Pennsylvania, you want leaders who deliver results - not just rhetoric."
Democrats already held a slim edge in the state House of Representatives. They held that edge on Tuesday while flipping control of the state Senate for the first time since 1993, when Sen. Frank Pecora switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, shifting the Senate for a short time to a 25-25 tie.
Democrats added three seats in the Senate. Incumbent Republicans Frank Farry, Jarrett Coleman, Tracy Pennycuick and Rosemary Brown all lost their seats. In Bucks County, Eileen Hartnett Albillar defeated Farry. Mark Pinsley defeated Coleman in a district that includes part of Bucks and Lehigh counties, Chris Thomas defeated Pennycuick in Montgomery and Berks counties and Brian Wrightson defeated Brown in Monroe County. Republican challenger Tom Jones defeated Democrat James Malone in Lancaster County, meaning Democrats picked up three seats.
Shapiro had made significant donations to the Democratic House and Senate election committees in an effort to bolster Democrats' ranks in the legislative branch. Shapiro told his supporters on Tuesday night that Election Night gave Democrats a mandate to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, invest in infrastructure, kids, police and communities, and enshrine abortion rights for women in the state Constitution.
"We're still waiting on the final tallies. But because you made your voices heard, it looks like we will continue to have a strong Democratic majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, led by our history-making Speaker, Joanna McClinton, and Majority Leader Matt Bradford," Shapiro said during his remarks late Tuesday. "And once all the votes are counted, my hope is that Jay Costa and Vince Hughes are going to be leading a Democratic majority in the Pennsylvania Senate."
Garrity, who faced a significant fundraising deficit compared to Shapiro, wished Shapiro well even while criticizing his past four years in office after the race was called in Shapiro's favor on Tuesday.
"Tonight, I wish the governor and his team, my sincere best, as we all should, you guys, because his success is our success," Garrity said, according to The Center Square. "And it is my hope that the campaign we’ve run, the issues we’ve addressed, and the solutions that we presented are a reminder to him that Pennsylvania just doesn’t deserve, but needs, a full-time chief executive. Pennsylvania's best days are ahead of us, and that is not because of any politician of any party - it's because of our people."