Democrat Dan Goughnour decisively won a special election in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, preserving his party’s majority control of the state House by just one seat.
Goughnour triumphed over Republican Chuck Davis in a Mon Valley district located southeast of Pittsburgh, seizing a seat that became vacant in January due to the passing of Democratic state Rep. Matthew Gergely.
Following Gergely’s passing, the House was at an impasse, locked at 101-101. With Goughnour’s election to fill the vacant seat, the Pennsylvania House is set to move forward again.
Maintaining the majority allows Democrats to keep House Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia in her role as presiding officer of the chamber.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin stated that this majority empowers state House Democrats to “counter Trump’s turmoil in Washington,” safeguard Governor Shapiro’s authority, and “continue to create job opportunities, bolster education, and enhance community safety in Pennsylvania.”
Since 2023, Democrats have held the Pennsylvania House majority after flipping 12 seats, the minimum required to reclaim authority after over a decade. Since then, they have reinforced their majority through a series of special elections.
Who is Dan Goughnour?
Goughnour, a Democrat, has dedicated more than ten years to serving as a police officer in McKeesport and currently holds the position of supervisor of detectives. He is a member of the Teamsters and is a first-term school board member in McKeesport, his high school alma mater. Goughnour is married with three children.
The district is situated approximately 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers converge. Once part of a flourishing steelmaking region, the area now faces economic challenges.
Following the announcement of the House race results, Goughnour expressed, “It’s overwhelming, but I feel good.” He mentioned his objective to “uphold common sense in Harrisburg” and to provide his district with a robust voice.
“We knocked on thousands and thousands of doors,” Goughnour remarked. “We put in the effort and didn’t take anything for granted.”
Pennsylvania GOP Senate district faces tight competition
In another legislative special election held on Tuesday, Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg with a population of 4,500, held a slim lead over Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons in a suburban and farming area of Lancaster County.
A Democratic victory in that district, should it occur, would be a significant upset, yet would not change the Republican control of the state Senate.
As of late Tuesday, the race remained too close to call. With 99% of the estimated votes counted, Malone led Parsons by a mere 482 votes, or 0.89% of nearly 54,000 ballots cast, with an uncertain number of provisional ballots still to be counted.
Parsons expressed disappointment on social media late Tuesday, stating it “seems we will come up a little short.”
The Senate vacancy in northern Lancaster County arose when Republican Sen. Ryan Aument resigned to accept a position with U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick. Malone and the Democrats capitalized on a strong lead in mail-in ballots to close the Republican’s substantial voter registration advantage.
During his narrow victory in Pennsylvania in November, President Donald Trump garnered 57% of the district’s vote, while McCormick, also a Republican, received 56% as he defeated Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Aument ran unopposed during his last election in 2022.
