Majority control of Pa. House hinges on special election in steel region near Pittsburgh

Voters in a western Pennsylvania district will determine Tuesday, March 25, 2025, if Democrats will hold onto a bare one-vote majority and keep control of the state House of Representatives.

The special election pits Democrat Dan Goughnour against Republican Chuck Davis. Goughnour is a police officer who supervises detectives and serves on the school board in McKeesport. Davis is a fire chief who also serves as president of the White Oak Borough Council.

The chamber has been tied at 101 to 101 since incumbent Rep. Matt Gergely, an Allegheny Democrat, died in January.

A Democratic win would keep Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia as the chamber’s presiding officer. But if Republicans pull off a win in the Democratic-leaning district, they will be able to replace McClinton and install their own members as committee chairs.

The race will provide a glimpse of voter sentiment in the state that Republican President Donald Trump won narrowly in November. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris easily won the state House district last year and a GOP flip would be a major upset.

There’s also a special election on Tuesday for a vacancy in the state Senate created when Sen. Ryan Aument, a Lancaster Republican, quit to take a job working for U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick. Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons is running against Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg. No matter which candidate wins, the Republican majority in the state Senate will not change.