The 2022 elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate were held on November 8, with 25 of 50 districts being contested. The term of office for those elected in 2022 will begin when the Senate convenes in January 2023. Pennsylvania State Senators are elected for four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every two years.[1] The election coincided with the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, United States House of Representatives elections, and the entirety of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All even-numbered seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican hold Republican: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90% Democratic: 50–60% 80–90% >90% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Republicans have controlled the chamber since the 1994 election (28 years).
In the 2021 elections, Democratic state senator John Sabatina was elected as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia and resigned his seat on December 31.[2] On January 10, Democrats selected ward leader Shawn Dillon as their nominee.[3] Republicans selected Sam Oropeza.[4] Shawn Dillon withdrew from the race after facing a legal challenge due to missing candidate filing paperwork, he was replaced on the ballot by his younger brother and School District of Philadelphia grant compliance monitor Jimmy Dillon.[5] A special election was held on May 17; Dillon won with nearly 57% of the vote.[6]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jimmy Dillon | 17,339 | 56.69 | |
Republican | Sam Oropeza | 13,246 | 43.31 | |
Total votes | 30,585 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
Due to redistricting after the 2020 United States census, senators were drawn into new districts.[7]
No Democratic incumbents retired in this cycle.
Democratic primary edit
|
Republican primary edit
|
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Sabato's Crystal Ball[9] | Likely R | May 19, 2022 |
Affiliation | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats before | Seats up | Seats won | Seats after | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | 22 | 1,190,410 | 51.03 | 28 | 13 | 13 ( ) | 28 | |
Democratic | 22 | 1,140,567 | 48.89 | 21 | 11 | 12 ( 1) | 22 | |
Libertarian | 1 | 1,946 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 | 0 ( ) | 0 | |
Independent | 0 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 0 ( 1) | 0 | |
Total | 45 | 2,332,923 | 100.00 | 50 | 25 | 25 | 50 |
Six district races had winning margins of less than 15%:
District | Winner | Margin |
---|---|---|
District 6 | Republican | 8% |
District 14 | Democratic (flip) | 6.9% |
District 16 | Republican | 8.3% |
District 24 | Republican | 4% |
District 38 | Democratic | 11% |
District 40 | Republican | 11.4% |
District 44 | Democratic | 11.2% |