2020_Pennsylvania_Senate_election
The 2020 elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate were held on November 3, 2020, with 25 of 50 districts being contested. Primary elections were held on June 2, 2020.[1] The term of office for those elected in 2020 began when the Senate convened in January 2021. Pennsylvania State Senators are elected for four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every two years.[2] The election coincided with the 2020 United States presidential election, United States House of Representatives elections, and the entirety of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
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All odd-numbered seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold Republican gain No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republicans have controlled the chamber since the 1994 election (26 years).
48th senatorial district
A special election for the 48th senatorial district was held on January 14 following Republican State Senator Mike Folmer's resignation after being arrested for possession of child pornography.[3] Democrats selected Lebanon Valley College associate professor Michael Schroeder as their nominee, while Republicans nominated Lebanon County District Attorney Dave Arnold.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Arnold | 18,234 | 68.70 | |
| Democratic | Michael Schroeder | 9,950 | 35.30 | |
| Total votes | 28,184 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Lean R | October 21, 2020 |
| Affiliation | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats before | Seats up | Seats won | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 20 | 1,636,593 | 50.87 | 28 | 15 | 15 ( ) |
28 | |
| Democratic | 24 | 1,580,922 | 49.13 | 21 | 10 | 10 () |
21 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 () |
1 | |
| Total | TBD | 3,217,515 | 100 | 50 | 25 | 25 | 50 | |
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Six district races had winning margins of less than 15%:
| District | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| District 9 | Democratic (flip) | 3.9% |
| District 13 | Republican | 11.26% |
| District 15 | Republican | 3.46% |
| District 19 | Democratic | 14.90% |
| District 37 | Republican (flip) | 4.14% |
| District 45 | Democratic | 0.06% |
- "Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Members of the Senate". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- Nguyen, Tin (January 21, 2020). "Pennsylvania state senator Mike Folmer arrested for child pornography". WTAJ - www.wearecentralpa.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- Cole, John (October 21, 2019). "SD48: Arnold, Schroeder Nominated in Special Election". PoliticsPA. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- "October Overview: Handicapping the 2020 State Legislature Races". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- "Pennsylvania Elections – Official Results". Pennsylvania Department of State. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- Fernandez, Cynthia (February 10, 2020). "Longtime Pennsylvania State Senator Andy Dinniman is retiring". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- Micek, John (February 12, 2020). "Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati is not seeking re-election". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- Electionreturns.pa.gov, Pennsylvania Department of State
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Pennsylvania", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Pennsylvania: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- National Institute on Money in Politics; Campaign Finance Institute, "Pennsylvania 2019 & 2020 Elections", OpenSecrets