While we are still waiting for final election results in a number of districts, all indications point to the Democrats taking control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. If they do, Rep. Joanna McClinton will become the Speaker of the House, the first Black woman to do so.
For the last twenty years, gerrymandered legislative districts have enabled the Republicans to control the PA House of Representatives even though, in most of those years, a majority of votes for state representative went to Democrats.
Republican control of the PA House of Representatives has stood in the way of enacting a great deal of legislation that has broad, and in many cases, bipartisan support, including raising the minimum wage, fixing an unfair tax system in which families in the top 1% pay taxes at half the rate as families in the middle, fully and fairly funding pre-K and K-12 education, making higher education and workforce training broadly accessible to our high school graduates, and reforming our criminal justice system.
We at Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center look forward to working with Governor-elect Josh Shapiro, Speaker-elect Joanna McClinton, and Democratic and Republican members of both houses of the PA General Assembly to enact an agenda that serves all the people of Pennsylvania, no matter what they look like, where they live, how much they have, or who they voted for.
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center is a nonpartisan policy research project that provides independent, credible analysis on state tax, budget, and related policy matters with attention to the impact of current or proposed policies on working families and individuals.
