Historic victories for Democrats
Ultimately, the Senate majority came down to four races in the 2026 midterms, three of which were in districts including the Philadelphia suburbs.
In Bucks County, Eileen Hartnett Albillar defeated Republican incumbent Sen. Frank Farry in the 6th Senate District.
Mark Pinsley ousted Republican incumbent Sen. Jarrett Coleman to flip the 16th Senate District, which includes parts of Bucks County and Lehigh County.
And Democrat Chris Thomas defeated incumbent Tracy Pennycuick in the 24th Senate District, which includes parts of Montgomery and Berks counties.
In Monroe County, Democrat Brian Wrightson successfully unseated Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown of the 40th Senate District.
Democrats also lost a seat to Republicans when James Malone failed to fend off a challenge from Republican Tom Jones in the Lancaster County area. Malone won the majority-Republican Lancaster County district in a special election last year.
Republicans had maintained a majority in the state Senate since taking control in 1978, with a brief hiatus in 1993 after Sen. Frank Pecora switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, shifting the Senate balance to 25-25 and giving Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Singel the tie-breaking vote.
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