The country is a buzz right now, surrounding dramatic electoral changes across the map. Democrats have taken control of the United States Senate and House of Representatives by wider margins than pollsters had thought, and the majority of the country’s Governors are now Democrats.
Pennsylvania, which at times this decade looked to be a deep-purple state nearing on burgundy, is for the time being – deep blue. Democrats now hold the PA House, Senate & Governors Office for the first time since 1993.
But, if you watch CNN, FOX News, or whoever your favorite political internet personality is – it is doubtful that they will waste their breath talking about Philly, because there is only one story to tell out of Philadelphia: Philly is a Democrat stronghold.
There were little to no competitive races on the ballot for Philadelphians.
The Most Competitive State Senate Race
The battle for Pennsylvania’s 4th District General Assembly seat was between Art Haywood and Todd Johnson. If you thought this race would be a referendum on how Haywood’s decade-long control of that seat has gone, you’d be wrong. No more than 2,000 people voted against Haywood.
Political outsider Todd Johnson has less than 2,000 votes compared to Haywood’s 53,000 – with 173 of 175 divisions reported.
The Most Competitive State Rep Race
Unlike the three uncompetitive State Senate races, there were a handful of relatively interesting State Rep races.
First and foremost Martina White is set to remain the only Republican elected in the Philadelphia State Legislature. White represents parts of the Northeast including Somerton and Parkwood. She defeated Rob Gurtcheff (D), a Temple Alum with a healthcare and military background by less than 2,000 votes – with just one division left to report.
White’s win was notable because she’s slated to end this race with less votes than she’s ever gotten in a regular general election. In 2024 White received nearly 20,000 votes, and in 2022 she received more than 13,500 votes – it’s looking like in 2026 she will struggle to clear 11,000 votes – showing that her control over that seat may be waning.
Less notable were the two other Northeast-related races where Republicans challenged.
The race for the 173rd District saw incumbent Dem Pat Gallagher nearly double Republican challenger Bill Griffin in a similar Northeast race. In the 177th District Joe Hohenstein (D) took down Robyn Bird (R) definitively by far more than double.
Other Races
The Governor’s race was decided quickly, Governor Josh Shapiro trounced challenger Stacy Garrity by earning nearly 10 times her votes in an incredibly uncompetitive Statewide race.
For Congressional candidates, the story is the same – no Republican in the three races that touch Philadelphia won more than 20% of the vote. The only figure of interest to be seen in the Philly Congressional races is the fact that nearly 250,000 people showed up to vote for progressive Chris Rabb – who was essentially running unopposed. Rabb’s opponent was Dennis Mahoney, an unknown who amassed roughly 7,000 votes.
Ballot Questions
Even Philadelphia’s ballot initiatives passed handsomely – both questions one and two passed with more than 75% “yes” votes. Meaning that they selected “yes we should change things for small and local businesses in bidding for government contracts” and “yes, we should have this official office for the arts written into the Home Rule Charter.”
In Presidential years, Pennsylvania’s role as a swing-state and Philadelphia’s role as the bluest city in the country clash for the heart of the Commonwealth. However, in midterm years there is less drama and spectacle in the city – because midterm years in political strongholds are about fortifying your base in preparation for the next race in 2028. Philadelphia may not be the center of the political universe today, but the choices reflected today will matter in 2028 when Philadelphia is back under a microscope.
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