Democrats won control of the U.S. House and Senate in the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro was reelected over Stacy Garrity, Democrats flipped four U.S. House seats, and the party took the state Senate for the first time in 48 years.
Democrats won control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms. They needed to flip at least four seats from a 53-47 Republican majority to take the Senate. Nationwide, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 House seats were up on Nov. 3, 2026, with Republicans holding a slim majority in both chambers beforehand.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro was reelected Pennsylvania governor, defeating Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m., minutes after polls closed, and Garrity conceded. Democrats also flipped the Pennsylvania state Senate for the first time in 48 years, giving them control of the executive and both legislative chambers.
Democrats flipped four Pennsylvania U.S. House seats, a clean sweep of the state's competitive congressional races. Bob Harvie defeated Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st District; the AP called it at 12:37 a.m. with Harvie at 52.7% to Fitzpatrick's 47.3%. Bob Brooks defeated Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District. Paige Cognetti, the Scranton mayor, defeated Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. in the 8th District. The AP projected that Janelle Stelson defeated Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th District.
Democratic incumbents Brendan Boyle, Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon and Chrissy Houlahan won reelection. Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly approved two Home Rule Charter changes: preferential contracting for small Philadelphia-based businesses and making Creative Philadelphia permanent.
Democrat Cory Booker won reelection to the U.S. Senate in New Jersey over Justin Murphy, as projected by the AP. Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in the 7th District. In the 2nd District, Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew conceded to Democratic Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock while the AP still reported the race too close to call.
A Court of Common Pleas granted a 30-minute extension, until 8:30 p.m., at three Chester County polling places after machine set-up issues delayed their opening. Votes cast after 8 p.m. were provisional ballots. The U.S. Department of Justice said it would send election monitors to Philadelphia and Allegheny, Luzerne and Lehigh counties. City Commissioner Lisa Deeley said federal monitors were at Philadelphia polling places and had not caused disruptions. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, 1,114,767 mail and absentee ballots had been returned in Pennsylvania, nearly 85% of the 1,315,879 sent, according to the state Department of State.
