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Democrats have taken control of the Pennsylvania state House for the first time in 12 years after winning three special elections.
“Democrats easily won the Pittsburgh-area races in November’s general election, claiming a 102-101 majority – their first in more than a decade. But with two members departing for higher office and another dying shortly before the election, Republicans effectively outnumbered Democrats, forcing the sides to strike an uneasy power-sharing deal,” CNN reported.
“That is over now. Democrats are firmly in control of the body, capping off a dramatic reordering of the commonwealth’s politics. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected in a landslide last year and Democratic US Sen. John Fetterman flipped the seat previously held by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. By winning the state House, Democrats will enjoy greater influence in crafting Pennsylvania’s all-important budget bill. Their victories also laid down another marker ahead of the 2024 elections, when Pennsylvania will again be a key presidential battleground,” the outlet added.
“In the 32nd district, Democrat Joe McAndrew will replace longtime state Rep. Tony DeLuca, who died in October, but still won 86% of the vote in November. In the 34th district, Democrat Abigail Salisbury will replace Summer Lee, who was elected to the US House in November. And in the 35th district, Democrat Matt Gergely will replace Austin Davis, who was elected lieutenant governor as part of Shapiro’s ticket,” the outlet continued.
Democrats win control of Pennsylvania House, end GOP rule in competitive swing state https://t.co/9g9dOkTCzS
— CNBC (@CNBC) February 8, 2023
The races were called on Wednesday, just one day after President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
According to an AP-NORC poll, Biden only has support from 37 percent of Democrats for a second term. Prior to the midterms in November 2022, the same poll found that 52 percent wanted Biden to run again in 2024.
A sizeable chunk of Democrat voters do not want him to seek a second term in office.
“While Biden has trumpeted his legislative victories and ability to govern, the poll suggests relatively few U.S. adults give him high marks on either. Follow-up interviews with poll respondents suggest that many believe the 80-year-old’s age is a liability, with people focused on his coughing, his gait, his gaffes, and the possibility that the world’s most stressful job would be better suited for someone younger,” the Associated Press reported.
“I, honestly, think that he would be too old,” said Sarah Overman, a Democrat in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We could use someone younger in the office.”
A lawyer in Michigan, who the AP referred to as “Truckey,” said he did not vote for Biden or Donald Trump in 2020 but said Biden has been a “subpar” president.
John Rodriguez, who supports Trump, told the AP he thinks Biden is merely doing the bidding of his aides.
“I believe he’s not the one who’s calling the shots,” said Rodriguez, who lives in Cutler Bay, Florida. “He’s a puppet being told where to go, what to say.”
The AP report added:
Overall, 41% approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, the poll shows, similar to ratings at the end of last year. A majority of Democrats still approve of the job Biden is doing as president, yet their appetite for a reelection campaign has slipped despite his electoral track record. Only 22% of U.S. adults overall say he should run again, down from 29% who said so before last year’s midterm elections.
The decline among Democrats saying Biden should run again for president appears concentrated among younger people. Among Democrats age 45 and over, 49% say Biden should run for reelection, nearly as many as the 58% who said that in October. But among those under age 45, 23% now say he should run for re-election after 45% said that before the midterms.
During an event last weekend in front of Democratic officials and activists, Biden hinted to the crowd that a 2024 re-election announcement would likely come in the near future.
