Democrats flip deep-red Pennsylvania district in special election shocker

No Democrat had ever won this ancestrally Republican seat, but it's now the second Democratic pickup of the year.

Pennsylvania Democrat James Andrew Malone (at right) (credit: James Andrew Malone Facebook)

Democrats pulled off an astonishing upset in a special election for the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday night, as East Petersburg Mayor James Andrew Malone defeated Republican Josh Parsons by a 50-49 margin to flip a district Donald Trump carried by 15 points last year.

Those toplines, however, don't tell the complete story of just how ancestrally Republican Pennsylvania's 36th District is. Since taking its present form in Lancaster County 40 years ago, the district has always been held by the GOP, and the county as a whole has gone for a Democrat at the presidential level just once since 1856 (Lyndon Johnson just barely won it in 1964).

Local Democrats, however, were undeterred, taking heart—and advice—from their counterparts in Iowa, who flipped a comparably conservative legislative seat in January. That district, though, had gone blue as recently as 2018; the 36th never had.

Despite the district's history, one conservative activist, Scott Presler, warned last week that Parsons, a Lancaster County commissioner, was "currently losing this special election" and complained that Republicans "aren't taking special elections seriously."

Presler's tweet caught the attention of none other than Elon Musk, but it doesn't appear that Musk followed up his comments (in full: "!!") with any sort of cash infusion. (Afterwards, Presler lamented, "I asked for help in Pennsylvania & no one helped us," adding, "-482 votes"—Parson's losing margin.)

Malone, meanwhile, raised nearly as much money as Parsons and got a boost from a prominent Pennsylvania Democrat, Pittsburgh-area Rep. Chris Deluzio, who trekked across the state to campaign with Malone before the election. (Lancaster County is about 90 minutes west of Philadelphia.)

Malone focused his message heavily on education and cuts to the federal government that he's had to deal with as mayor of a small town, specifically calling out Musk for slashing “benefits for veterans, retirees, and students."

He also did not shy away from popular positions on reproductive rights and touted an endorsement from Planned Parenthood. And he specifically urged voters to back him as "an extra Democratic voice" who would bring greater balance to the GOP-controlled Senate.

Parsons, meanwhile, emphasized low taxes and grocery prices, but he failed to show up at a recent candidate forum—the same mistake that the Republican candidate had made in the Iowa race.

Democrats in both Pennsylvania and Washington exulted in the stunning outcome.

"This is a referendum on the chaos Washington Republicans have brought to our state and the silence and inaction Harrisburg Republicans have responded with,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. "Voters are fed up, and they showed up tonight in Lancaster."

"It's only March, and Democrats have defied the odds again with another upset victory in Republican territory," said Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. "Democrats are on a roll in state legislative races in 2025, from flipping red seats to defending one-seat majorities, which should put Republicans on edge."

Malone's shock victory shrinks the GOP's margin in the state Senate to 27-23. It also improves Democratic odds of winning the chamber in 2026, when half of its seats—including Malone's—will be up.

Separately, Democrat Dan Goughnour easily won a special election for the Pittsburgh-area 35th District in the state House, restoring Democrats' 102-101 majority.

Including both of Tuesday's contests, Democratic candidates in 14 special elections across the country are outperforming their district's presidential margins by an average of 10 points. You can keep tabs on all of these races by bookmarking our continually updated tracker.