Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2025
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Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue (D), Kevin M. Dougherty (D), and David N. Wecht (D) — were retained in three elections held on November 4, 2025.
WHYY's Carmen Russell-Sluchansky wrote, "State judicial elections typically garner little attention, but Pennsylvania’s 2025 state Supreme Court races are shaping up to be the next major political battleground."[1]
The state court had a 5-2 Democratic majority.[2] At the time of the election, the court had been controlled by Democrats since 2015, when Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht won election to their seats.[3]
Pennsylvania used partisan elections to select a justice for an initial 10-year term, and used a retention election to determine whether to keep them. If a justice was retained, they would serve another 10-year term. At the time of the election, Pennsylvania was one of eight states to use partisan elections for the initial selection of a justice and one of 22 to use retention elections for the renewal of a term.
According to Pennsylvania's Code of Judicial Conduct, justices were limited in their ability to campaign.[4] Both the Democratic and Republican parties said they would be involved in this race. The Republican State Leadership Committee ran ads on social media asking voters to vote against retaining the justices, which said, "In 2024, we voted by mail and flipped Pennsylvania red. This year, radical liberal judges are trying to secure another decade of power. We need you to stop them, show up again, vote 'no' in November."[5] The Democratic National Committee announced on September 25 that they would invest six figures in the final weeks of the race, and Democratic politicians including Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D) campaigned in favor of retention.[6][7]
Since retention elections were established in 1968, only one Pennsylvania justice, Russell Nigro (D) in 2005, was not retained.[8] Since 2020, in 102 elections, 100 justices (98%) won retention. The most recent justice in the U.S. to not win retention was Yvonne Kauger in Oklahoma in 2024.
Candidates and results
Donohue's seat
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Seat 2 - Christine Donohue
Christine Donohue was retained to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on November 4, 2025 with 64.8% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.8
|
932,483 | ||
No |
35.2
|
505,509 | |||
Total Votes |
1,437,992 | ||||
|
|
Wecht's seat
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Seat 3 - David Wecht
David Wecht was retained to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on November 4, 2025 with 64.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.3
|
932,196 | ||
No |
35.7
|
517,353 | |||
Total Votes |
1,449,549 | ||||
|
|
Dougherty's seat
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Seat 4 - Kevin M. Dougherty
Kevin M. Dougherty was retained to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on November 4, 2025 with 64.4% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.4
|
936,937 | ||
No |
35.6
|
516,808 | |||
Total Votes |
1,453,745 | ||||
|
|
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Pennsylvania
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Campaign spending
Campaign finance
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Dougherty's seat
Wecht's seat
Donohue's seat
Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[9][10][11]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
Election context
Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for superior and commonwealth court candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2025 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, click here.
| Filing requirements for superior and commonwealth court candidates, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Judge of the Superior Court | Ballot-qualified party | 1000[12] | $200 | 3/11/2025 | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Judge of the Superior Court | Minor party/ Unaffiliated |
2,500 | $200 | 8/1/2025 | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Judge of the Commonwealth Court | Ballot-qualified party | 1000[12] | $200 | 3/11/2025 | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Judge of the Commonwealth Court | Minor party/ Unaffiliated |
2,500 | $200 | 8/1/2025 | Source |
Election history
2021
General election candidates
- Maria McLaughlin (Democratic Party)
- Kevin Brobson (Republican Party) ✔
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Republican primary candidates
2017
Candidates
Justices facing retention
■ Thomas Saylor (R) 
■ Debra Todd (D)
Partisan election, Mundy's seat
■ Sallie Mundy (R) (Incumbent)
■ Dwayne D. Woodruff
2015
See also: Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2015
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| David N. Wecht |
22.1% | 256,761 |
| Kevin M. Dougherty |
22.0% | 256,048 |
| Christine Donohue |
21.4% | 248,325 |
| Anne Lazarus | 16.3% | 189,127 |
| Dwayne D. Woodruff | 11.7% | 136,127 |
| John H. Foradora | 6.6% | 76,190 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 1,162,578 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Municipal Primary Unofficial Results," May 19, 2015 | ||
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin M. Dougherty |
18.5% | 1,079,835 | |
| Democratic | David N. Wecht |
18.4% | 1,070,568 | |
| Democratic | Christine Donohue |
18.2% | 1,059,167 | |
| Republican | Judith Olson | 15.2% | 887,409 | |
| Republican | Michael A. George | 13.6% | 796,124 | |
| Republican | Anne Covey | 13.6% | 795,330 | |
| Independent Judicial Alliance | Paul P. Panepinto | 2.5% | 144,403 | |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 | ||
| Total Votes | 5,832,836 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial General Election Results," November 3, 2015 | ||||
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, Republican Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Judith Olson |
22.1% | 177,199 |
| Michael A. George |
21.7% | 173,683 |
| Anne Covey |
20.2% | 161,680 |
| Cheryl Lynn Allen | 13.9% | 111,112 |
| Rebecca L. Warren | 11.7% | 93,688 |
| Correale Stevens Incumbent | 10.5% | 83,815 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 801,177 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Municipal Primary Unofficial Results," May 19, 2015 | ||
2013
Retention
| Judge | Retention vote | Retention Vote % |
|---|---|---|
Ronald Castille  | 68.5% | |
| Max Baer | 71.0% |
2009
Justice Ralph Cappy retired from the court in 2008, creating a vacancy that was filled by Jane Greenspan. Since it is traditional for interim appointees to not seek a full-term, candidates competed for an open seat in the 2008 general election.[13]
Joan Orie Melvin was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, overcoming two challengers in the Republican primary and Jack Panella in the general election.[14][15]
About the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
- See also: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. A full term on the court is 10 years.
Political composition
This was the political composition of the court heading into the 2025 election.
| ■ Christine Donohue | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ David N. Wecht | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ Kevin M. Dougherty | Elected in 2015 | |
| ■ Debra Todd | Elected in 2007 & 2017 | |
| ■ Daniel D. McCaffery | Elected in 2023 | |
| ■ Sallie Mundy | Appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in 2016; elected in 2017 | |
| ■ Kevin Brobson | Elected in 2021 |
Selection
The seven justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are selected in partisan elections.[16]
Justices serve 10-year terms, after which they must run in yes-no retention elections if they wish to remain on the court. A separate part of the ballot is designated for these elections, and justices' names appear without respect to party affiliation.[16][17] To learn more about these elections, visit the Pennsylvania judicial elections page.
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a justice must:
- have state residence for at least one year;
- be a member of the state bar; and
- be under the age of 75.[16][18]
Chief justice
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court chooses its chief justice by seniority; the title is held by the longest-serving justice on the court.[16][19]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a successor who must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Pennsylvania Senate. Interim justices stand for election at the next municipal election occurring more than 10 months after the vacancy occurred.[16]
By tradition, appointed interim judges of the supreme court, superior court, or court of appeals do not go on to run for permanent seats. In other words, the governor appoints these judges with the expectation that the judge will only fill the interim vacancy.[16]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This was a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections included:
- Maine School Administrative District 40, Maine, elections (2025)
- Mayoral election in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2025)
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Penn Capital Star, "With three seats on the ballot, this year’s state Supreme Court race may be ‘a different animal’," March 3, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Democrats expand majority on PA Supreme Court," November 7, 2023
- ↑ WESA, "Voters Give Dems Control Of Pennsylvania Supreme Court," November 3, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSpotlight2 - ↑ The Keystone, "Billionaire-backed group trying to flip control of PA Supreme Court," August 14, 2025
- ↑ Democratic Party, "DNC Announces Initial Six-Figure Investment in Pennsylvania Democratic Party Ahead of Critical Election to Retain PA Supreme Court Justices," September 25, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Pennsylvania’s high-stakes retention election," October 14, 2025
- ↑ PoliticsPA, "DLCC Adds PA State Supreme Court Race to Target Map," accessed August 14, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 At least 100 signatures from each of at least five counties
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived June 19, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Justice of the Supreme Court Primary Election Results"
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Justice of the Supreme Court General Election Results"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "In Re: Nomination Papers of Marakay Rogers, Christina Valente and Carl J. Romanelli," November 7, 2006
- ↑ 2018 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, "Title 42, Chapter 33, Section 3351," accessed August 25, 2020
- ↑ The Pennsylvania Code, "Chapter 7. Assignment of Judges," accessed September 3, 2014
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
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