Pennsylvania state legislative special elections, 2023

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In 2023, seven special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

House special elections called:


How vacancies are filled in Pennsylvania


If there is a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution on when a special election can be held.[1]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Pennsylvania Cons. Art. II, §2


About the legislature

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is Pennsylvania's state legislature, seated at the state's capital, Harrisburg. It has been a bicameral legislature since 1790. The General Assembly consists of an upper house, the Pennsylvania State Senate, and a lower house, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2023. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Pennsylvania State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 21 22
     Republican Party 28 28
     Independent 1 0
Total 50 50
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 88 101
     Republican Party 113 101
     Vacancy 2 1
Total 203 203

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

January 31, 2023

February 7, 2023

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives special elections (February 7, 2023)

On February 7, 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives held elections to fill vacancies in Districts 32, 34, and 35. The districts opened up following the November 8, 2022, elections when one incumbent died and the other two were elected to different offices. Click here to read more about those elections.

May 16, 2023

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives special elections (May 16, 2023)

September 19, 2023

Historical data

There were 902 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2022. Pennsylvania held 58 special elections during the same time period; the second-most of any state. The largest number of special elections in Pennsylvania took place in 2015 when eight special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2023

In 2023, 53 state legislative special elections were scheduled in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2022, an average of 68 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2023 special elections

In 2023, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 10 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 32 due to resignation
  • 9 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 2 due to removal from office

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

As of December 1st, 2024, Republicans controlled 55% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.12%. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 41 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 837 1,117 3 16
State houses 2,421 2,944 19 29
Total: 3,258

4,061

22

45


The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2023. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2023)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 33 33
     Republican Party 20 20
     Independent 0 0
Total 53 53

Flipped seats

In 2023, four seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D



See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution," accessed February 15, 2021 (Article II, Section 2)
  2. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, "Calendar for the Special Election to be Held January 31, 2023 Senator in the General Assembly For the 27th District In the Counties Of Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, And Snyder," accessed December 12, 2022
  3. ↑ NorthcentralPA.com, "Pa. Senator John Gordner resigns from Senate," November 29, 2022
  4. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, "Calendar for the Special Election to be Held February 7, 2023 Representative in the General Assembly for the 32nd District In the County of Allegheny," accessed December 12, 2022
  5. ↑ Politics PA, "Rep. Tony DeLuca Passes Away at 85,"October 10, 2022
  6. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, Calendar for the Special Election to be Held February 7, 2023 Representative in the General Assembly for the 34th District in the County of Allegheny," accessed December 12, 2022
  7. ↑ PA House Democrats, "State Rep. Summer Lee resigns from Pennsylvania House of Representatives following historic election to Congress," December 7, 2022
  8. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, "Calendar for the Special Election to be Held February 7, 2023 Representative in the General Assembly for the 35th District in the County of Allegheny," accessed December 12, 2022
  9. ↑ Rep. Austin Davis, "Rep. Austin Davis resigns from Pennsylvania House," December 7, 2022
  10. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, "CALENDAR FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD MAY 16, 2023 REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE 108TH DISTRICT IN THE COUNTIES OF MONTOUR AND NORTHUMBERLAND," accessed March 20, 2023
  11. ↑ pennlive.com, "Schlegel Culver seated in Pa. Senate, leaving House with an open seat," February 28, 2023
  12. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Elections, "CALENDAR FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD MAY 16, 2023 REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE 163TH DISTRICT IN THE COUNTY OF DELAWARE," accessed March 27, 2023
  13. ↑ Spotlight PA, "Pa. House lawmaker accused of sexual harassment says he will resign," March 8, 2023
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 WESA.fm, "Sara Innamorato resigns from state House to focus on Allegheny County executive bid," July 19, 2023
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