HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats retained majority control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Friday by holding on to a district in Johnstown, giving them just enough votes to retain the chairmanship and advance the chamber’s voting agenda to be determined.
Incumbent Rep. Frank Burns’ victory is the final House race in a year in which none of the 203 districts change hands. It gave Democrats a 102-101 margin and undermined Republican hopes of returning to power after two years in the minority.
Burns defeated Republican Amy Bradley, CEO of the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce and former television news anchor and reporter.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Chair Heather Williams said that maintaining the majority in the House of Representatives was “one of the most challenging yet important priorities of the cycle,” and that her party “will be a critical check on Republican extremism’.
Burns, a conservative Democrat who supports gun rights and opposes abortion, has regularly voted against his fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives. He has long been an electoral target for Republicans, while many other similarly situated districts in western Pennsylvania long ago switched to Republicans.
The district includes Johnstown and much of Cambria County.
Burns’ victory is some consolation for Democrats in what has otherwise been a key election year in Pennsylvania for the Republican Party. Former President Donald Trump won in the state, Dave McCormick defeated Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, two Democratic congressional seats flipped and Republican candidates won all three state offices.
In the Senate, where half of the 50 seats increased this year, Democrats and Republicans each flipped one seat, leaving the House with the same 28-22 Republican majority as during the 2023-2024 session.
