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Party control of Pennsylvania state government: Difference between revisions

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m (Text replacement - "==Legislative party competitiveness score== The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. According to Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser's study on party competition and policy outcomes, "This measure of competitiveness can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-a...)
 
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{{PA Parties}}<p style="width: 78%;">'''Political control of Pennsylvania state offices in 2016 is split between Democrats and Republicans.''' Control has been divided since 2015, though Republicans held a trifecta from 2011 to 2014.</p>
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{{TLDRbox|Republicans have held two trifectas since 1992 for a total of 12 years.|Democrats held a trifecta in 1993.|Republicans have held the state senate for all but one year since 1992.}}
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{{Patry control intro explainer}}


==Overview==
In the 1980s, prosperous eastern Pennsylvania trended Republican while ailing western Pennsylvania trended Democratic. By the 1990s, though, social issues had become increasingly important. Fiscally conservative but socially moderate suburban Republicans in the east increasingly voted for Democrats, while economically liberal but socially conservative Democrats in the west flocked to the GOP.
The east has more people—metro Philadelphia cast 34% of the state’s votes in 2012, compared to 20% for metro Pittsburgh—so the state has mostly followed its lead. Pennsylvania voted Republican for president three times in the 1980s but Democratic for president in each of the six elections starting in 1992. Metro Philadelphia, which voted 50%-49% for Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988, voted 65%-34% for Obama in 2012. Metro Pittsburgh, which voted 59%-40% for Dukakis, voted 50%-49% for Mitt Romney in 2012. '''[[Pennsylvania state profile|Read more about Pennsylvania's political history »]]'''
==Trifectas==
{{Headline|Trifectas influence how hard a party must work to advance its agenda.}}
When one party controls the three vital centers of state political power—the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate —Ballotpedia considers that party to control a '''"[[trifecta]]."''' Trifectas make it easier for the dominant party to pursue its agenda, and more difficult for opposition parties to challenge it.
There are currently '''{{trifectas}} trifectas''': '''{{GOPtrifectas}} Republican trifectas''' and '''{{DEMtrifectas}} Democratic trifectas'''. [[Pennsylvania]] is one of the '''{{splittrifectas}} state governments with split-party control'''.
===Trifectas in Pennsylvania===
'''In Pennsylvania, Democrats and Republicans have maintained governing trifecta since 1992.''' Democrats held a trifecta in 1993. Republicans held a trifecta from 1995 to 2002 and from 2011 to 2014.
==Current leadership of key offices==
==Current leadership of key offices==
{{Party Control Profile|File:TomWolf.jpg|Tom Wolf|Governor Tom Wolf|D|Tom Wolf is the 47th and current Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania. Wolf began his first term in office on January 20, 2015, succeeding Republican Tom Corbett, whom Wolf unseated in the 2014 election.}}
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{{Party Control Profile|File:MichaelStack.jpg|Mike Stack|Senate President Mike Stack|D|Michael 'Mike' J. Stack III is the 33rd and current Democratic Lieutenant Governor and Senate President of Pennsylvania. Stack began his first term in office on January 20, 2015, succeeding Republican Jim Cawley, whom Stack unseated in the 2014 general election.}}
 
{{Party Control Profile|File:MikeTurzai.jpg|Mike Turzai|Speaker of the House Mike Turzai|R|Mike Turzai is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 28. He was first elected to the chamber after he won a special election on June 26, 2001. He currently serves as Speaker of the House. He previously served as the State House Majority Leader.}}


==Historical party control==
==Historical party control==
{{Pennsylvania Trifectas}}
{{Pennsylvania Trifectas}}
===2015-2016===
In 2015, [[Tom Wolf]] {{BlueD}} became governor while Republicans held the legislature.
===2011-2014: Republican trifecta===
In 2011, Republicans gained trifecta control when [[Tom Corbett]] {{RedR}} became governor.
===2003-2010===
From 2003 to 2010, Democrats held the governorship while Republicans held the state senate. The state house was split with each party controlling the chamber for four years.
===1995-2002: Republican trifecta===
From 1995 to 2002, Republicans held a trifecta.
===1994===
In 1994, Republicans retook the state senate while Republicans held the governorship and state house.
===1993: Democratic trifecta===
In 1993, Democrats held a trifecta.
===1992===
In 1992, Democrats held the governorship and state house while Republicans held the state senate.
==Pennsylvania compared with neighboring states==
{{Headline|1=Like New Jersey, Pennsylvania has been split between the two parties.}} [[File:Seal of Pennsylvania.svg|right|150px]]
Like New Jersey, Pennsylvania has been split between the two parties. New York and Maryland are generally more Democratic than Pennsylvania while Ohio and West Virginia are more Republican.
*'''[[Who controls Delaware?|Delaware]]:''' Delaware is strongly Democratic. While Republicans held the state house from 1992 to 2008, Democrats have dominated the state senate and governorship. Democrats have also held a trifecta since 2009.
*'''[[Who controls Maryland?|Maryland]]:''' Maryland is strongly Democratic. Democrats held a trifecta for a total of 20 years since 1992. Republicans held the governorship from 2003 to 2006 and from 2014 to the present.
*'''[[Who controls New Jersey?|New Jersey]]:''' New Jersey has been split between the parties since 1992. Republicans held a trifecta from 1994 to 2001 while Democrats from 2004 to 2009. Republicans took the governorship in 2010 while Democrats have held the legislature.
*'''[[Who controls New York?|New York]]:''' New York is a Democratic state on the presidential level, but the legislature has seen split-party control. Democrats have dominated the state house while Republicans have dominated the state senate. From 2008 to 2009, Democrats held a trifecta but Republicans have held a slight majority in the state senate since 2010.
*'''[[Who controls Ohio?|Ohio]]''' Ohio has favored Republicans at the state level since 1992. Republicans held a trifecta from 1995 to 2006 and again from 2011 to the present. Democrats only held the state house from 1992 to 1994 and again from 2009 to 2010. Republicans have also dominated the governorship.
*'''[[Who controls West Virginia?|West Virginia]]:''' Democrats have dominated West Virginia. Despite a Republican governor from 1997 to 2000, Democrats held trifecta control for a total of 19 years. In 2014, however, Republicans have made strong gains and retook the state legislature.
==Competitiveness of state legislative races==
{{Headline|1=Pennsylvania's state legislative elections are moderately less competitive than in other states.}}
{{Competitiveness nav}}'''In 2014, Pennsylvania ranked 32nd nationwide on Ballotpedia's [[A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections|Competitiveness Index]].'''
The term "competitive" is used to indicate competitive environment on a ballot access level. The goal of the Competitiveness Index is to assess the relative competitiveness of state legislative elections by noting where incumbents are being challenged and if opportunities for election bids are being considered by candidates. States were ranked based on three factors:
*the percentage of seats where the incumbent did not run for re-election (known as "open seats")
*the percentage of incumbents who faced primary opposition
*the percentage of seats where a major party candidate faced major party opposition in the general election.


Around 11 percent of seats—five senate seats and 21 house seats—had no incumbent running for re-election in 2014, placing Pennsylvania 28th nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Open seats in the 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Pennsylvania compared to other states.
==Legislative party competitiveness score==
Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-and-the-pursuit-of-prosperity-party-competition-and-policy-outcomes-in-50-states/4DD3750D110D228E18ABDBD9F30E089C ''American Political Science Review'', "Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Prosperity: Party Competition and Policy Outcomes in 50 States," August 2, 2021]</ref>


About 21 percent of seats—three senate seats and 39 house seats—had an incumbent facing a primary challenge in 2014, making Pennsylvania 21st nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Incumbents with a primary challenger in the 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Pennsylvania compared to other states.
The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.


Around 46 percent of seats—104 seats—had a major party candidate facing major party opposition in the general election, placing Pennsylvania 32nd nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Major party candidates with major party competition in the November 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Pennsylvania compared to other states.
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==See also==
==See also==
*[[Pennsylvania]]
*[[Pennsylvania]]
*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who Runs the States]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who runs the states]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Pennsylvania|Who Runs the States, Pennsylvania]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Pennsylvania|Who runs the states, Pennsylvania]]


==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{Pennsylvania}}
{{Pennsylvania}}
{{Trifectas HNT}}
[[Category:Party control]]
[[Category:Party control]]

Latest revision as of 20:40, 30 August 2023

Party control
in Pennsylvania
GovernorDemocratic
SenateRepublican
HouseDemocratic
Click here for party control in all 50 states

Pennsylvania has a divided government. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and the lower chamber of the state legislature, while the Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, and the upper chamber of the state legislature.

As of February 1, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

As of February 1, 2026, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and 5 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta is a term to describe when one political party holds majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. To learn more about trifectas and triplexes, click here.

Current leadership of key offices

Governor

Josh Shapiro (D)

President of the State Senate

Austin Davis (D)

State Speaker of the House

Joanna McClinton (D)


Historical party control

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2026
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D

Legislative party competitiveness score

Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."[1]

The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ American Political Science Review, "Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Prosperity: Party Competition and Policy Outcomes in 50 States," August 2, 2021
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