For the first time in more than 30 years, Pennsylvania Democrats have the opportunity to control all three branches of government following November’s election.
With Gov. Josh Shapiro taking a commanding lead in the polls over Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Democrats are looking to expand their one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House and flip three seats in the Senate to take control of the state Capitol in January.
Republicans currently hold a 27-23 majority in the chamber.
“ Let me tell you what we’re going to do in the first 30 days of having a trifecta in Harrisburg,” Shapiro said at a rally with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in July.
“ We’re going to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the Commonwealth, […] we will codify abortion rights into law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, [and] we’re going to build more affordable housing and take on those utility companies that keep jacking up our rates here in Pennsylvania.”
Here’s a look at which seats could determine control of the Pennsylvania Senate.
SD-06: Frank Farry vs. Eileen Hartnett Albillar
State Sen. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) is running for his second term in the Pennsylvania Senate after serving in the House from 2009 to 2022.
Farry, who was the only Senate Republican candidate to secure the endorsement of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, is running against Eileen Hartnett Albillar, the Bucks County clerk of courts and a former Warrington Township supervisor.
SD-16: Jarrett Coleman vs. Mark Pinsley
State Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-Lehigh) is running for reelection against Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley.
Over the past year, Coleman has received over $400,000 in campaign contributions from executives in the skilled games industry.
He has also publicly sparred with Shapiro’s administration over the costs of the security upgrades made to Shapiro’s residence following the 2025 arson attack at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.
Pinsley, who ran for the Pennsylvania Senate in 2018, has the support of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and US Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) Our Revolution.
SD-24: Tracy Pennycuick vs. Chris Thomas
State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Bucks) is running for reelection against Chris Thomas, a former high school math teacher and construction worker, in her upper Bucks County district.
Pennycuick was first elected to the Senate in 2022 and will have her work cut out for her with Shapiro on the ballot. Shapiro carried the district by seven points even though the district leans slightly Republican.
SD-36: James Malone vs. Tom Jones
Life for Democrats will be much easier if State Sen. James Malone (D-Lancaster) is able to hold on to his rural, conservative leaning district.
Malone is running for reelection against State Rep. Tom Jones (R-Lancaster) after becoming the first Democrat to represent that part of Lancaster County in over 130 years.
President Donald Trump carried the district by more than 15 points in 2024, but Malone stunned the political universe after winning a special election in March 2025 by less than 500 votes.
SD-40: Rosemary Brown vs. Brian Wrightson
Democrats have the opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in the Poconos due to an influx of New Jersey and New York residents moving into the region.
State Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Lackawanna) is running for her second term in the Senate against Brian Wrightson after serving as a member of the House from 2010 to 2022.
Shapiro was able to carry this district, which is shifting towards the Democrats, by a little over 4 points in 2022.
