The Democratic Party has netted at least 11 seats in the Pennsylvania House, with a caucus that ranges from leftist activists in Philly to a gun-toting budget hawk in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Democrats are inches from taking control of the state House for the first time in 12 years and even if they fall short, strategists and officials say, the party defied political gravity.
That’s because Harrisburg observers didn’t expect 2022 to be the year. With inflation at generational highs and an unpopular Democratic president, historical precedent suggested Republicans could have strengthened their grip on the legislature they’ve controlled for most of the last three decades.