Democrats win back Pennsylvania House in three special elections

Democrats won three Pennsylvania House seats up for grabs in special elections on Tuesday, taking the majority in the state chamber. 

The party had won control of the state House by a one-seat margin during last year’s midterms, but three seats became vacant after one state lawmaker passed away and two others stepped down. 

“We elected a Democratic majority for the second time in a row. The voters in Allegheny County have elected 3 new Democrats to the House — and with that, they protected the 102 seat majority that millions of Pennsylvanians first elected almost 3 months ago,” Pennsylvania House Democrats said in an update. 

The state House has been effectively stalled since the new session was sworn in, with the vacancies meaning Republicans had more bodies in the chamber than Democrats, despite the blue win during the midterms.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party called Tuesday’s special elections “another incredible election night for Democrats” in the state.

Last year, Pennsylvania voters also flipped the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Pat Toomey (R), electing now-Sen. John Fetterman (D) after a contentious campaign against Republican Mehmet Oz.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.