Election Nerd Alert! PA Dems Adapt - and win. Look out, Virginia.
Brad Pitt, Rodney Dangerfield, and Joe Pesci.
The big upset in a Pennsylvania special election for a State Senate loooong held by Republicans brought to mind a scene from Easy Money starring Rodney Dangerfield.
In the movie, Dangerfield’s character Monty Capuletti’s mother-in-law is a wealthy department store owner who disapproves of his lifestyle and seeks his reform.
The scene is about Monty “browsing” through the fancy store in search of clothes resulting in some funny clash of cultures. Joe Pesci is his side kick.
How does that relate to Pennsylvania and all of you political nerds nerdling around here in Election Nerd Disneyland a.k.a Virginia?
Well…it looks like Pennsylvania Democrats may have broken the code in Trump 2.0.
MAY. Don’t get all hot and bothered on me but if the environment has already started to turn against Trump with higher Democratic turnout and lower GOP turnout, 2025 is going to be a real doozy.
MAY.
James Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, won a special election for the Pennsylvania State Senate’s 36th District.
Beard and blaze orange?
For the win.
GROK AI content in italics.
Platform
As an IT consultant and mayor since 2017, Malone campaigned on a platform emphasizing practical, community-focused issues rather than broad ideological agendas. His key priorities included:
Housing: Addressing affordability and availability to ensure residents could stay in their communities.
Education: Supporting schools to improve opportunities for students and families.
First Responders: Advocating for better resources and support for police, firefighters, and emergency services.
Cost of Living: Focusing on lowering the cost of everyday essentials to ease financial burdens on constituents.
Values-Based Governance: Promoting transparency, compassion, respect, and innovation, as highlighted on his campaign website. Malone emphasized "common sense, kindness, and transparency" in his victory statement, reflecting a message of unity and pragmatism over partisanship.
Malone’s approach was notably moderate, avoiding hot-button progressive issues like abortion rights or climate action. This "generic Democrat" strategy aimed to appeal broadly across party lines in a historically Republican district, focusing on local concerns rather than national controversies.
Election Results
The special election was held to replace Republican Senator Ryan Aument, who resigned in December 2024 to join U.S. Senator Dave McCormick’s staff. The 36th District, covering northern Lancaster County, has been a Republican stronghold, with Donald Trump carrying it by 15 points in the 2024 presidential election and a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage.
Candidates and Vote Totals:
James Malone (Democrat): 26,951 votes (50.0%)
Josh Parsons (Republican): 26,469 votes (49.1%)
Zachary Moore (Libertarian): 480 votes (0.9%)
Margin: Malone won by a narrow 482 votes, with 100% of precincts reporting as of March 25, 2025. The Associated Press officially called the race for Malone on March 26, 2025, after confirming that remaining provisional and overseas ballots (due by April 1) were insufficient to close the gap.
Turnout: Approximately 29% of the district’s nearly 185,000 registered voters participated, totaling just under 54,000 votes cast.
Significance: This victory marked the first time a Democrat has represented the district in the state Senate in over 40 years (some sources claim 136 years, though Democrats cite 1889 as the last instance). It narrowed the Republican majority in the Pennsylvania Senate from 28-22 to 27-23.
Context and Analysis
Malone’s win was an upset in a district with a strong Republican lean, attributed to his campaign’s grassroots efforts—knocking on doors and emphasizing early mail-in voting, where he built a 5,300-vote lead. Democrats framed the result as a rejection of Trump-era "chaos" and extremism, with Malone himself noting voter frustration with federal-level dysfunction. His opponent, Josh Parsons, a Lancaster County Commissioner and Trump-aligned conservative, conceded on March 26, acknowledging the outcome after reviewing the numbers. The result was seen as a potential bellwether for Democratic competitiveness in red areas, though Malone’s term will last only until 2026, setting the stage for another contest.
Bottom Line: Political parties exist to win elections. Period.
Democrats went with a different approach in a state they just lost in the Electoral College.
And won.
From Moneyball - Adapt or Die