By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“Pennsylvania, with your vision and your votes, you declared that we are ready to keep getting stuff done and moving this Commonwealth forward. Tonight, you declared that we are ready to keep delivering results — and that we reject the chaos, cruelty, and corruption in Washington, D.C.” — Governor Josh Shapiro on his convincing re-election win Tuesday.
A good morning to you on this post-election Wednesday. It’s a bit crazy to think how Pennsylvania’s political landscape has completely flipped in the last 24 hours or so.
Gov. Josh Shapiro won re-election in a bigger landslide than his first victory four years ago, voters appear to have given Democrats a trifecta of control over state government and Democrats flipped four key U.S. House seats to take the majority in the commonwealth’s delegation in the chamber.
When the team dusts off the cobwebs from working through the early morning hours, we’ll jump right into making sense of what comes next — on all levels of the state and federal governments.
I hope you have the time to read through our election coverage. We appreciate your trust and support of our work. — Tim.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro declares victory in his reelection bid alongside wife Lori Shapiro at an election-night event at the Penn Harris Hotel Harrisburg on November 3, 2026 in Camp Hill. (Photo by Joe Lamberti/Getty Images)
By Ian Karbal
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis handily defeated their Republican challengers in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial election, securing a second term.
The Associated Press called the race within two minutes of the polls closing. With only 3% of the vote counted, Shapiro had 85% of the vote compared to Garrity’s 14%. Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk had less than 1% of the vote with many more ballots to be counted.
Speaking shortly after 9 p.m. in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Shapiro said he’d spoken to Garrity, “who wished me well and said she wants to work together to serve the people of Pennsylvania.”
Shapiro shared a unifying, positive message that emphasized action — including raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, building housing and investing in infrastructure — alongside empathy.
The Pennsylvania Capitol dome. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
By Whitney Downard
For the first time since 1993, Democrats may have control over the governor’s office and the General Assembly.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, easily won reelection against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, while House Democrats appear on track to grow their majority in the House.
But Republicans’ 32 years leading the Senate appeared to come to an end Tuesday, with Democratic candidates claiming victory in a handful of critical races. As of 1:30 a.m., The Associated Press had not called the Senate or dozens of House races.
Having control of both chambers could shore up Shapiro’s credentials if he decides to run for president in 2028, allowing him to potentially pass his top priorities without having to negotiate with Republicans.
Democrat Janelle Stelson addresses supporters in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, after the polls closed on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Ian Karbal/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Ian Karbal
In one of the most competitive Congressional districts in the country, Democrat Janelle Stelson defeated seven-term incumbent Rep. Scott Perry, a staunch Trump supporter and a longtime target for her party.
The race was a rematch. Stelson unsuccessfully challenged Perry in 2024, losing by roughly 5,100 votes, or just over 1% of the vote. But Democrats were hopeful that, in a year where political tailwinds appeared to be on their side, she could overcome that hurdle in this year.
“Our campaign has never been about a single party,” Stelson told a crowd of supporters in Hummelstown after her race was called. “It’s been about listening, it’s been about decency, it’s been about common sense.”
Stelson’s win is part of a Democratic wave that flipped the commonwealth’s U.S. House delegation from 10-7 in favor of the GOP to a Democratic majority that will be 11-6.
Democrat Bob Brooks defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. (Photos courtesy of the Harvie and Mackenzie
By Peter Hall
Democrats flipped a Republican-held U.S. House seat Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District as firefighters union president Bob Brooks defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
The Associated Press called the race for Brooks with 57% of the vote against Mackenzie’s 43% at 10:27 p.m., when about 80% of ballots had been counted.
The race pitted Brooks, a former firefighter and president of the state firefighters union, against Mackenzie, a first-term congressman and former state lawmaker. Mackenzie defeated three-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild by a 1-point margin in 2024.
In a statement Tuesday night, Brooks drew a contrast between his congressional victory and his humble upbringing, when his house burned down, taking most of his and his mother’s belongings.
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U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti (Photos from the U.S. House and Cognetti’s campaign)
By Whitney Downard
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti handily won the race to represent Northeastern Pennsylvania in Congress, ousting first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan.
The Associated Press called the race for Cognetti, a Democrat, at 10:41 p.m. when she had 55.2% of the vote.
“Tonight, Northeastern Pennsylvania sent an unmistakable message. We’re tired of big corporations and wealthy donors calling the shots and rigging the system against the rest of us. And we’re tired of being told that this is just how Washington works,” she said. “We are ready to take on Washington corruption and build a government that works as hard as the people it’s supposed to serve.”
Bresnahan was a vulnerable Republican, who was identified early as an opportunity for Democrats seeking to retake control of the U.S. House, along with three others in Pennsylvania. Cognetti and three other Democrats flipped each seat.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, left, and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie. (Campaign photos)
By Peter Hall
Challenger Bob Harvie toppled five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to win a key congressional seat in the Philadelphia suburbs for Democrats.
According to the Associated Press, which called the race for Harvie at 12:37 a.m., 53% to 47% lead over Fitzpatrick.
Harvie is a native of Bucks County who focused on the kitchen table issues that mattered to voters, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement.
“Everyone loves an underdog story, and tonight Bob proved that a guy from Bristol Borough and a former public school teacher can make it to the halls of Congress thanks to his relentless focus on fighting for the community that raised him,” she said. “Bob is going to shake up a broken Congress and work with anyone to restore the American Dream.”
Pennsylvania’s Congressional District Map. (Pennsylvania Department of State)
By Emily Previti
Incumbents have held onto their seats in a dozen of Pennsylvania’s congressional districts, leaving the state’s delegation favoring Democrats by 11-6, due to four “toss-ups” among at least 25 seats the party flipped across the country.
Thirteen seats in the commonwealth were considered safe – but races in those districts held by Republicans were closer than the last midterm election in 2022, according to an analysis of results by the Capital-Star. The analysis didn’t include two districts – the 13th and 14th – where Republican incumbents John Joyce and Guy Reschenthaler ran unopposed in 2022.
Among the most dramatic changes for GOP-held districts was the 9th, which encompasses six counties and parts of three others stretching through the state’s coal region into the northern tier.
THE NATIONAL SCENE
The blue tsunami sweeps the US, as Democrats land huge gains: Voters across the country administered a sharp reprimand to President Donald Trump and Republicans who hold majorities in Congress, with Democrats gaining comfortable majorities in the Senate and the House.
Democrats score control of US Senate: In a stunning upset, Democrats ousted Republicans and flipped control of the U.S. Senate Tuesday night, effectively establishing a barricade for President Donald Trump’s agenda for the last two years of his term.
Democrats win sizable US House majority amid sweep of close races: Democrats will regain control of the U.S. House early next year, after voters throughout the country rejected the policies that Republicans and President Donald Trump implemented during the last two years.
Voters across the country reject data centers: In local elections across the country, Americans voted overwhelmingly to restrict the buildout of data centers in their communities. Late Tuesday evening, 33 ballot measures to restrict data centers were passed by voters or were leading in ongoing vote counts, according to the tracking website Data Centers on the Ballot.
Democrats set to win majority of governorships: Democrats are poised to control the majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years after the GOP racked up major losses across the country. The party flipped governorships in Iowa, Ohio, Georgia and Texas and defended competitive races in Maine and Wisconsin, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ.
Voters sail through a mostly smooth Election Day: After the Trump administration pressured election officials, after concerns that armed federal agents would deploy to the polls, after fears U.S. Department of Justice election monitors would intimidate voters — ballots were cast by the millions Tuesday, mostly without incident.
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