While several races remain too close to call, Allegheny County Democrats can celebrate victories by incumbent state Reps. Emily Kinkead (20th House District), Sara Innamorato (21st House District), Dan Frankel (23rd House District), Brandon Markosek (25th House District), Daniel Deasy (27th House District), Dan Miller (42nd House District) and Anita Kulik (45th House District). The Associated Press has called all those races (see results at the bottom of this story).
State Sen. Lindsey Williams, meanwhile, defeated Lori Mizgorski in the 38th Senate District.
Republican incumbent state Reps. Jim Marshall (14th District), Rob Mercuri (28th District), Natalie Mihalek (40th House District), Valerie Gaydos (44th House District), Eric Davanzo (58th District) were reelected. Republicans Maria Gallo Brown (9th District), Stephenie Scialabba (12th District), Andrew Kuzma (39th District) and Jill Cooper (55th District) were also elected.
Reps. Austin Davis and Summer Lee were also reelected to the state House, but since they were simultaneously elected to the lieutenant governor's office and Congress, respectively, special elections will be held to replace them.
Similarly, the late Rep. Tony DeLuca posthumously won reelection in the 32nd District; a special election will be held to fill that seat.
Again: 2022 is delivering the kind of downballot movement that Dems hoped to see in 2020 but didn't. Can probably chalk that up to a number of factors: new legislative maps... the impact of the Dobbs decision ... Candidate quality... What else? https://t.co/7FOD0YiBBR
— Chris Potter (@CPotterPgh) November 9, 2022
Before the election, Republicans held solid leads in both chambers — 29-21 in the Senate and 113-90 in the House — and are generally expected to retain majority control of both chambers for the coming two-year session.
Democrats have not held a majority in either chamber since 2010.
The GOP is targeting pickup opportunities in rural areas outside Pittsburgh, a region that has been steadily moving away from Democrats for decades, as well as the northeast, where a similar trend has been playing out.
Democrats see a mirror image in the state's most populous region — the Philadelphia suburbs, where their candidates have been performing better in local, state and national election cycles.
