Democrats have control of the Pa. state House within their reach

[RandySF]

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrats are in striking distance of taking control of the state House, strategists in both parties say, as President Donald Trump’s unpopularity in the suburbs threatens down-ballot Republicans, and Democrats pummel GOP incumbents on the airwaves.

Democratic candidates and outside groups are outspending Republicans by a margin of more than three to one across the most competitive battleground districts, according to data from the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Democrats need a net gain of nine seats to win a majority.

Republicans have a tighter grip on control of the state Senate, though Democrats are also spending heavily in their bid to flip the four seats necessary for an effective majority.

A takeover of either chamber would boost Gov. Tom Wolf’s agenda during his final two years in office on issues like infrastructure spending, the minimum wage, and protections for the LGBTQ community. That would be a stark contrast from the first six years of his tenure when the legislature often brawled with Wolf, a Democrat, on taxes and spending. During Wolf’s early years in office, the state went months without passing a budget. More recently, the governor and GOP majority have clashed over the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

But the stakes are even higher this year: The next General Assembly will draw new congressional district boundaries that will shape Pennsylvania politics for years to come.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last week switched its rating for control of the 203-member state House from Lean Republican to Toss Up. Cook kept the 50-member Senate at Lean Republican.



https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2020/10/pa-election-state-house-flip-democrats-republicans/

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

1. Come on, fellow Democratic Pennsylvanians!

We are the majority in this state. It is BS that RWers control our legislature. It is rightfully ours, and we need to take it. GOTV!!!

[Fyrefox]

2. Turn PA blue again!

Wolf has been a great governor, so unlike his Republican predecessor. I'd love to see Democrats gain control of the state House so Wolf's agenda could be further advanced. Hearing the sweet sound of conservative brains exploding would be icing on the cake!

[DeminPennswoods]

3. I would be quite surprised if Dems took the state house

The legislative districts here are heavily gerry-mandered. In 2018 it was pretty amazing Dems netted 11 seats in the state house and 6 in the state senate, breaking a GOP super majority.

In my neck of the woods, there's a possibility Dems could pick up HD10 as videos of the incumbent R surfaced of him making his adolescent son smoke a cigar and using crude language in front of his son
and trying to get son's friend to play some sort of adult-themed game. The county GOP withdrew its endorsement of him and both parties called for him to resign. Interestingly, there's a 3rd party center-right candidate on the ballot who, given the above videos, may split off enough votes to allow the Dem candidate to win with a plurality.

The other nice thing is that with a Dem gov, on the ballot Dem candidates are listed first. This is advantageous because some voters will just fill in the first circle for each office..