In the Pennsylvania state Senate, Republicans hold the majority, making the state a critical battleground in the general elections on November 5. With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is a significant prize that both Democrats and Republicans are vying for in presidential, senatorial, and House of Representatives contests.
Key races include the presidential race with Harris (D), Trump (R), Chase Oliver (Libertarian), and Jill Stein (Green); for the Senate with Casey (D), McCormick (R), and others; and in the districts with Wild (D) vs. Mackenzie (R) and Cartwright (D) vs. Bresnahan (R). Additionally, representatives for the U.S. House of Representatives, State Attorney General, State Auditor General, Treasurer, state Senate, and state House of Representatives are elected.
Several factors make the vote counting in Pennsylvania slow, such as the weight of mail-in ballots and the shifting results as more votes are counted. In District 7, leaning toward Biden in 2020, and in District 8, where voters preferred Trump, a close competition is anticipated that could influence the balance of power in the state legislature.
In terms of voter turnout in 2020, there was a 76% registration and about 38% of votes cast before Election Day. In 2022, this latter number was close to 23% of the total. Mail-in ballots are expected to favor Democrats, and the first results after the polls close will come from these ballots, but the final outcome may take several days to be determined.
In the last elections, in 2020, Biden won by a narrow margin in Pennsylvania, while Trump led Biden in 2016 by nearly 700,000 initial votes. Pennsylvania is key for both Democrats and Republicans, and the vote count is expected to reflect the divide between urban and rural areas of the state. Prominent candidates like Casey and McCormick are engaged in tight battles that could determine control of the state Senate.
