It’s Election Day in a western Pennsylvania legislative district in a race that will determine whether the Democrats regain control of the battleground state’s lower chamber or if Republicans win back the State House majority.
The Pennsylvania State House is currently deadlocked, with Democrats and Republicans each controlling 101 seats.
Democrats lost their razor-thin majority in January after the death of state Rep. Matt Gergerly.
Voters in District 35, located southeast of Pittsburgh, on Tuesday are choosing between Democratic candidate Dan Goughnour, a police officer, Republican Chuck Davis, a fire chief, and libertarian Adam Kitta.
DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE
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The Pennsylvania State Capitol(AP Photo/Matt Rourke/File)
If Democrats end up winning the election – the district leans blue – it will be the fifth time this year they’ve come out on top in a special legislative election with a state majority up for grabs.
It comes as the Democratic Party tries to emerge from the political wilderness after November’s stinging election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and U.S. Senate and fell short in its attempt to win back the U.S. House majority from the GOP.
POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS PLUNGE TO ALL-TIME LOWS
And recent polling indicates the Democratic Party brand is in need of repair.
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The party’s favorable rating sank to all-time lows in separate national polls conducted this month by CNN and NBC News. Those numbers followed a record low for Democrats in a Quinnipiac University survey in the field in February.
Additionally, the latest Fox News National poll, which was released last week, indicated congressional Democrats’ approval rating at 30%, near an all-time low. And Democrat activists are irate over their party’s inability to blunt President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“State Democrats have been overperforming in specials this year because voters trust them to put working families’ needs above the chaos and dysfunction fueled by Trump and Republicans in Washington,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement.
In a sign of the local election’s importance, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin stopped by the district last month.
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“Sending Dan to Harrisburg isn’t just about what it means for this community,” Martin said in a statement to Fox News. “It sends a signal to Pennsylvanians. It sends a signal to Democrats around the country that we’re willing to fight for our values at every single level.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks with Fox News Digital on Dec. 12, 2024, in Washington.(Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
While Democrats are favored in the special election, Republicans have also put resources into the race.
“No matter who looks good on paper, you’ve got to have the election,” Pennsylvania House Rep. Jamie Barton, who leads the state House GOP’s campaign arm, told the AP. “We’re not taking anything for granted.”
On the side of Pennsylvania, voters will be heading to the polls to fill a vacant state Senate seat.
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GOP state Sen. Ryan Aument stepped down in December to work as state director for newly elected U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a fellow Republican.
Republican Josh Parsons, a Lancaster County commissioner, Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, and libertarian Zachary Moore are running to succeed Aument in state Senate District 36, a red-leaning seat in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Regardless of the election results, the GOP will continue to control the state Senate, where they currently hold a 27-22 majority.
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Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
PORTLAND (WGME) — If the polls are any indication, Graham Platner is the toughest challenger Senator Susan Collins has faced in the 30 years she’s held her Senate seat.
“I know now for certain, or pretty much for certain, who my opponent will be,” Collins said.
Collins toured York County’s new regional training center Friday, which she helped secure the funding to build.
As the first chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee from Maine in nearly 100 years, she says she’s been able to bring $1.5 billion to Maine for more than 650 projects across the state.
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It’s federal funding, she says, that paid to replace or renovate 45 Maine fire stations, support childcare centers and help rural hospitals stay open.
“I think every day about how we can make life more comfortable for people in Maine,” Platner said.
Platner blames billionaires, big corporations, President Donald Trump, Collins and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing struggles facing working families and small businesses in Maine.
“We need to beat Susan Collins,” Platner said.
CBS13 asked Collins if she felt Trump’s performance will cost her votes in November. She did not answer that directly but did say she’s not running on Trump’s record, but her own.
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“I’m proud of my record and the accomplishments of what I’ve been able to do for Maine and for our country,” Collins said.
Collins says the Social Security Fairness Act she helped pass allows retired teachers and first responders to now get the Social Security they earned working in the private sector, along with their pensions.
“I can’t tell you how many retired employees have come up to me and said that it’s made the difference between a comfortable retirement and barely getting by,” Collins said.
They are two polar opposites in many ways, vying for a Senate seat where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“I look forward to what I hope will be a civil discussion of the important issues facing our country and the State of Maine,” Collins said.
It’s that part of the volleyball season in which league opponents are facing each other for the second time, and Acton-Boxborough sure is making it interesting.
This Revolution squad, which was swept by Westford and Newton South, defeated both in a combined nine sets the second time around. A 6-6 record does not warrant a significant a rise in the Globe’s Top 20 boys’ volleyball poll, but it’s certainly a team on the right trajectory.
Needham moves up a spot after sweeping Newton South and pushing Brookline to an intense fifth set, and now the Warriors have defeated Nos. 2, 3, and 4 in five sets without dropping a set in any other in-state match. Needham and Natick await their rematches, though the Redhawks are the top dog in the MIAA’s Division 1 power rankings due to their strength of schedule.
Lexington held on in five against Chelmsford, Braintree swept Milton, and Barnstable continues to only have one set loss on the year (in its first matchup). Record based on results reported to the Globe.
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The Globe’s Top 20 boys’ volleyball poll
The Globe poll as of May 2, 2026. Teams were selected by the Globe sports staff.
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.
