Democrats seek to strengthen majority in Pennsylvania House as voters cast ballots

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats have an opportunity to strengthen their hold on the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in a suburban Philadelphia district that has been leaning more Democratic, after a Republican lawmaker’s resignation last week shifted the balance back to them.

Voters will decide between a Democratic school board member and a Republican political newcomer in the Bucks County election that could give Democrats a slightly larger advantage in the House.

Democrats controlled the House by one vote until Rep. John Galloway resigned in December to become a magisterial district judge. A Republican lawmaker’s resignation last week broke the partisan tie, creating a 101-100 Democratic majority until voters in northeastern Pennsylvania select his replacement in another special election on April 23.

The Bucks County seat has long been reliably Democratic and shares a county with longtime Republican areas where the GOP has been losing power over two decades. Democratic presidential candidates have won the county since the 1990s, and President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 10 percentage points in 2020 in Galloway’s district, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 2.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the latest Pennsylvania House special election </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Gov. Shapiro seeks school-funding boost to help poorer districts, but