Pennsylvania Democrats pad narrow state House advantage with special election win

Democrats won a state House special election in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, preserving the party's narrow majority in the closely watched battleground state, The Associated Press projected.

In the race for the open seat in the 140th state House District, Democrat Jim Prokopiak, a school board member in Bucks County, defeated Republican Candace Cabanas.

Prokopiak's victory gives Democrats a narrow 102-100 majority in the state House, preventing another tie in the chamber.

The party had a one-seat majority, 102-101, before Democratic Rep. John Galloway resigned after he won a judgeship in November.

His departure created a tie. But another resignation Friday, by Republican Joe Adams, gave Democrats a fresh 101-100 advantage.

Republicans control the state Senate, while Democrats hold the governorship.

The win in Bucks County — a purple slice of the northern suburbs of Philadelphia — was hailed as positive news by national Democrats, some of whom had viewed the contest as an early bellwether of the party’s fortunes among suburban voters ahead of the 2024 election.

Even the Biden campaign weighed in on the victory, touting it as evidence that Bucks County voters would reject Donald Trump in the fall.

"With control of the state House on the line, Pennsylvanians again defeated Republicans’ anti-abortion agenda and voted for Jim Prokopiak, a Democrat who has stood up for women and working people," Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.

Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said that "this victory is a promising sign for Democrats up and down the ballot this year — it’s clear that momentum is on our side."

"Voters want representatives who protect their