Democrats take hope from upset win in a GOP-leaning Pennsylvania state Senate district

MANHEIM, Pa. (AP) — Democrat James Andrew Malone narrowly won a special election for a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in Republican-leaning suburbs and farming communities, scoring an upset for a party roiled by infighting since President Donald Trump’s victory.

Malone’s victory over Republican Josh Parsons in Tuesday night’s election might provide a light in the darkness for Democrats who are at each others’ throats publicly and struggling to unify around a strategy to counter Trump.

Malone's victory came in a county that Democrats say they haven't represented in the chamber in over a century.

Malone said in an interview Wednesday that he was helped by Trump’s embrace of chaos and rejection of a methodical, cohesive and by-the-book strategy of accomplishing his agenda in his first two months.

“He’s chosen to do it the way he does everything, right? Throw a brick in the basket and see what comes out,” said Malone, a computer application designer and mayor of tiny East Petersburg, population 4,500.

Several voters backed that up, saying they hoped to send a message about Trump and Republican policies and politics.

Michelle McCall, a registered independent who said she has voted for both Republicans and Democrats in the past, cast her ballot for Malone as more of a moderate than Parsons.

She also described the Republican Party as becoming less centrist than she would like and exhibiting “a general attitude in the party that ‘I’m going to do whatever I want and to heck with lawfulness or the Constitution.’”

Patty Mazzei, a loyal Democratic voter working at a clothing boutique in touristy downtown Lititz, said she is “tired of the bullyism" under Trump and wanted to “stick it" to Republicans.

The Associated Press called the race Wednesday after receiving information from county officials that there were fewer ballots left to be counted than the margin in the race. Parsons conceded Wednesday.

A Malone victory narrows GOP control of the state Senate to a 27-23 seat advantage.

One of the top Democrats in the state Senate said Malone’s victory shows the national party the value of talking about protecting Social Security and health care access, amid what he sees as the chaos and pain that Trump’s administration is sowing.

“As much anger that people have, they have anxiety too,” Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia said. “And last night’s election sends a message that people are going to respond.”

Pennsylvania's Republican Party chairman, Greg Rothman, said he didn't think Trump's performance in office hurt Parsons. The prices of gas and eggs are dropping and the federal government hasn't cut Social Security or Medicare, he said.

Rather, Democrats did a better job at getting their supporters to vote early by mail, he said, while the more traditional Republican campaign apparently didn't work.

Republicans need to treat the loss as a “wake-up call" and more vigorously embrace early voting, Rothman said.

Malone, 51, said he also was helped by Republican voters being turned off by what he described as Parsons’ confrontational and secretive style.

Parsons is a Lancaster County commissioner who has talked about having visited the White House four times and working with Trump staff on policy issues.

Malone's victory could be short-lived. The term only runs through 2026 and Rothman said recapturing the seat will be the GOP's biggest target among state Senate races next year.

Matthew Elmer, who voted for Parsons, said Malone's victory surprised him, but he expects Republicans to reassert themselves in 2026's election.

“When the real election comes around next time, the Republicans will take the seat,” Elmer said.

Still, a Democratic flip of that district is a major achievement. Trump won the district with 57% of the vote in November's presidential election over former Vice President Kamala Harris. He went on to win the battleground state of Pennsylvania by almost 2 points.

A Democrat last represented Lancaster County in the Senate in 1889, Democrats say.

The election comes amid Democratic infighting and a torrent of frustration and anger over Senate Democrats in Washington, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, ensuring the passage of a Trump-backed spending measure that rank-and-file Democrats had opposed.

Schumer said the bill’s passage avoided a government shutdown that would have been worse. Following the vote, internal dissension burst into the open, with tension unusually high following the disastrous November election in which Democrats lost control of the White House and Congress.

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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.