Pennsylvania 2016 Election Results

Ballot Measures, April 26, 2016

Pennsylvania voters decided 1 statewide ballot measure on April 26, 2016.

Ballot measures

General Election, November 8, 2016

Pennsylvania held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 228 legislative seats and 3 statewide offices. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Republicans widened both majorities, to 121-82 in the House, its largest majority since 1958, and 34-16 in the Senate. The Senate margin gave them what the American Prospect called the first veto-proof, two-thirds majority for one party in modern history.
• Republicans took three Democratic-held Senate seats:
  • John DiSanto (R) unseated Rob Teplitz (D) by about 3 points in Senate District 15.
  • Dan Laughlin (R) unseated Sean Wiley (D) by about 7 points in Senate District 49.
  • Wayne Langerholc (R) won the open Senate District 35 over Ed Cernic Jr. (D) by about 25 points.
• In the House, seats moved both ways:
  • Republicans unseated two Democrats: Aaron Bernstine (R) beat Jaret Gibbons (D) in House District 10, and Matthew Dowling (R) beat Tim Mahoney (D) in House District 51.
  • Republicans also picked up two open seats, with Bud Cook (R) in House District 49 and Justin Walsh (R) in House District 58.
  • Democrats answered as Maureen Madden (D) beat David Parker (R) in House District 115, and Carolyn Comitta (D), the mayor of West Chester, beat Dan Truitt (R) by 25 votes in House District 156. Truitt asked a judge to order a recount, and the margin held when it was certified.
  Perry Warren (D) kept the open House District 31 in Democratic hands by about 75 votes over Ryan Gallagher (R). Across both chambers, 6 incumbents lost their seats.
• Democrats won all 3 state executive offices on the ballot. Josh Shapiro (D) beat John Rafferty (R), a longtime state senator, by nearly 3 points for attorney general, an office Kathleen Kane (D) had left after a perjury conviction. Joe Torsella (D) won the open treasurer's office over Otto Voit (R) by about 6 points, and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (D) won a second term over John Brown (R) by about 5 points.
• Voters narrowly approved the judicial retirement amendment, raising the mandatory age for judges from 70 to 75. Lawmakers had pulled it from the April ballot and rewritten it so the question no longer mentioned the current age. Votes already cast in April on the original wording did not count, and that version would not have passed.

Legislature

• House (203 seats): 82 D, 118 R, 3 other or vacant before the election, 82 D, 121 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
• Senate (50 seats): 19 D, 30 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 16 D, 34 R after; control stayed with Republicans.

Statewide races

Legislative races

Ballot measures