Latest news with #Goughnour
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats keep majority control of PA State House after special election
The Brief Democrats have won a special election in western Pennsylvania, keeping majority control of the state House. Democrat Dan Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis on Tuesday for a seat in the Mon Valley region southeast of Pittsburgh. HARRISBURG, Pa. - On Tuesday, voters in a western Pennsylvania district determined if Democrats will hold onto a bare one-vote majority and keep control of the state House of Representatives. The results are in. What we know Democrat Dan Goughnour is the winner of a special election in western Pennsylvania, keeping majority control of the state House in his party's hands. Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis on Tuesday for a seat in the Mon Valley region southeast of Pittsburgh. The seat became vacant in January when Democratic state Rep. Matthew Gergely died. Goughnour's victory means Democrats hold the House by a single vote, 102 members to 101. Holding the majority means Democrats can keep House Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia as the chamber's presiding officer. Goughnour has spent well over a decade as a police officer in McKeesport and currently serves as supervisor of detectives. He is a Teamster and a first-term member of the school board in McKeesport, where he graduated high school. Goughnour is married and has three children. Davis, a veteran volunteer firefighter and fire chief, is president of the White Oak Borough Council. The district is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. Many of the towns that make up the district were part of the once-thriving steelmaking region, but the area is now economically challenged. Dig deeper The win means Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia will remain as the chamber's presiding officer. There's also a special election Tuesday for a vacancy in the state Senate created when Sen. Ryan Aument, a Lancaster Republican, quit to take a job working for U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick. Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons is running against Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg. No matter which candidate wins, the Republican majority in the state Senate will not change. The Source The information in this story was provided by the Associated Press.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Dan Goughnour wins election in Pennsylvania, Democrats keep control of House
Democrat Dan Goughnour handily won a special election in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, keeping majority control of the state House in his party's hands by a single seat . Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis in a district in the Mon Valley region southeast of Pittsburgh, winning a seat that became vacant in January with the death of Democratic state Rep. Matthew Gergely . Since Gergely's death, the House had been deadlocked at 101-101 . With Goughnour being elected to fill the seat, the Pennsylvania chamber will finally have some motion. Holding the majority means Democrats can keep House Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia as the chamber's presiding officer. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that the majority means state House Democrats "can stand up to Trump's mayhem in Washington," prevent efforts to weaken Shapiro's authority and "continue to expand job opportunities, strengthen schools and create safe communities in Pennsylvania." Democrats have held the Pennsylvania House majority since 2023, after they flipped 12 seats , the minimum needed to reclaim control after more than a decade. Since then, Democrats have maintained their majority by winning a series of special elections . Goughnour, a Democrat, has spent well over a decade as a police officer in McKeesport and currently serves as supervisor of detectives. He is a Teamster and a first-term member of the school board in McKeesport, where he graduated high school. Goughnour is married and has three children. The district is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. Many of the towns that make up the district were part of the once-thriving steelmaking region, but the area is now economically challenged. After the House race was called, Goughnour said, "It's overwhelming, but I feel good." He said his goal was to "maintain common sense in Harrisburg" and give his district a strong voice. "We knocked on thousands and thousands of doors," Goughnour said. "We worked hard and didn't take anything for granted." In a second legislative special election Tuesday, in a suburban and farming part of Lancaster County, Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of 4,500-population East Petersburg, was clinging to a narrow lead over Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons. A Democratic flip of that district, if it occurs, would be a major upset but would not alter Republican control of the state Senate. As of late Tuesday, the race was too early to call. With 99% of the estimated vote counted, Malone led Parsons by 482 votes, or 0.89% of nearly 54,000 ballots cast, with an unknown number of provisional ballots left to be counted. Parsons posted on social media late Tuesday that he was "disappointed in the numbers" and that "it appears we will come up a little short." The Senate vacancy in northern Lancaster County was created when Sen. Ryan Aument, a Republican, quit to take a job working for U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick. Malone and the Democrats built on a strong advantage in mail-in ballots to combat the Republicans' significant voter registration edge. On his way to narrowly winning Pennsylvania in November, President Donald Trump received 57% of the district vote , while McCormick, a Republican, received 56% in the district as he beat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Aument ran unopposed in his last election in 2022.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat wins Pennsylvania special election, handing party control of state House
Democrat Dan Goughnour has won the open Pennsylvania state House seat left vacated by the death of the most recent officeholder, restoring Democrats' narrow majority in the body, Decision Desk HQ projects. Goughnour, who is a member of the McKeesport school board and a police officer, will win over Republican Chuck Davis, the president of the White Oak Borough Council. The result is not a surprise in the Democratic-leaning House District 35, which voted for former Vice President Harris in November with about 58 percent of the vote. The seat has been vacant since January, when the late Rep. Matt Gergely (D) died in office. He had first been elected to the state House in 2023 in a special election to succeed now-Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) and was reelected to a full term in November without opposition. Gergely's death reduced the Democrats' 102-101 majority down to an even split with the Republicans, but Goughnour's victory will return the body to the composition it had. Democrats won that majority in the state House for the first time in a decade in 2022 and kept it exactly intact in November. The party has needed to win a few special elections since then to keep the majority. The Democratic National Committee signaled its strong interest in securing this seat with newly elected DNC Chair Ken Martin starting a national tour in McKeesport and campaigning with Goughnour in February. Martin said in a statement that Goughnour will fight for families, and his win allows Pennsylvania Democrats to better stand up to President Trump and defends Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) from Republican legislators pushing constitutional amendments to bypass his power. 'Building the Democratic Party back begins in the states and down-ballot wins like Rep.-elect Goughnour's offer a powerful rebuke of Trump and Elon Musk's MAGA agenda,' Martin said. The state House district is located in Alleghany County in western Pennsylvania, to the southeast of Pittsburgh. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Democrats keep control of Pennsylvania House with election win; GOP Senate district sees close race
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democrat Dan Goughnour handily won a special election in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, keeping majority control of the state House in his party's hands by a single seat . Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis in a district in the Mon Valley region southeast of Pittsburgh, winning a seat that became vacant in January with the death of Democratic state Rep. Matthew Gergely.
The Hill
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrat wins Pennsylvania special election, handing party control of state House
Democrat Dan Goughnour has won the open Pennsylvania state House seat left vacated by the death of the most recent officeholder, restoring Democrats' narrow majority in the body, Decision Desk HQ projects. Goughnour, who is a member of the McKeesport school board and a police officer, will win over Republican Chuck Davis, the president of the White Oak Borough Council. The result is not a surprise in the Democratic-leaning House District 35, which voted for former Vice President Harris in November with about 58 percent of the vote. The seat has been vacant since January, when the late Rep. Matt Gergely (D) died in office. He had first been elected to the state House in 2023 in a special election to succeed now-Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) and was reelected to a full term in November without opposition. Gergely's death reduced the Democrats' 102-101 majority down to an even split with the Republicans, but Goughnour's victory will return the body to the composition it had. Democrats won that majority in the state House for the first time in a decade in 2022 and kept it exactly intact in November. The party has needed to win a few special elections since then to keep the majority. The Democratic National Committee signaled its strong interest in securing this seat with newly elected DNC Chair Ken Martin starting a national tour in McKeesport and campaigning with Goughnour in February. Martin said in a statement that Goughnour will fight for families, and his win allows Pennsylvania Democrats to better stand up to President Trump and defends Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) from Republican legislators pushing constitutional amendments to bypass his power. 'Building the Democratic Party back begins in the states and down-ballot wins like Rep.-elect Goughnour's offer a powerful rebuke of Trump and Elon Musk's MAGA agenda,' Martin said. The state House district is located in Alleghany County in western Pennsylvania, to the southeast of Pittsburgh.
