The Democrats have snatched a victory in Pennsylvania’s 36th Senate District—a deep-red region where President Trump won by 15 points in the 2024 election and Republicans hold a commanding R+23 advantage in party registration.
Democrat James Malone, the former mayor of East Petersburg, eked out a win over Republican contender Josh Parsons, chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners. This unexpected victory handed the Democrats control of a seat that has been in Republican hands since 1978.
The final tally? A measly 482-vote margin. And why? Because Republicans couldn’t be bothered to show up.
Let’s be real: this wasn’t stolen. It wasn’t rigged. It was handed over on a silver platter by Republicans who didn’t even bother to vote.
Only 29% of voters showed up. That means over 70% of registered voters did not cast their votes — many of them Republicans who assume their district is so “safe” that it’ll stay red by default. That kind of complacency just flipped a decades-long Republican seat to a Democrat.
The special election was held to fill the vacancy left by Republican Senator Ryan Aument’s resignation in December 2024.
Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) took to social media to celebrate