By winning a special election in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, the Democrats retained their narrow majority in the state’s House of Representatives and continued control over the chamber’s handling of legislation pertaining to abortion, firearms rights, and election law.
Heather Boyd gained a seat in the Philadelphia suburbs by defeating Katie Ford, the Republican candidate, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Democratic Representative Mike Zabel. Zabel resigned from the legislature in March, shortly after he was accused of inappropriately harassing a lobbyist.
Boyd previously served as a congressional and state legislative assistant. In recent elections, her district has granted substantial margins to Democratic candidates, whereas it was historically Republican. Her victory provides the Democrats with 102 seats, the bare minimum required to control the agenda in the 203-member House. A Republican majority controls the state Senate.
The victory of the Democrats in the Delaware County district means that Governor Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, will have at least one chamber to support his agenda in the final month of budget negotiations. The outcome could also have ramifications for a proposed constitutional amendment to restrict abortion rights, which House Republicans are one vote away from submitting to a popular vote.
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President Biden endorsed fellow Democrat Boyd on Monday, describing her as “an experienced public servant who will protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, advocate for common sense gun safety laws, and expand access to the voting booth.”
Boyd, who reported raising more than $1,3 million, including more than $1 million in in-kind advertising from the House Democrats’ campaign apparatus and the Democratic Party, had an advertisement produced by Shapiro that focused on the abortion issue. Ford reported raising approximately $146,000, with more than half coming from the campaign arm of House Republicans.
Boyd emphasized the preservation of abortion rights in contrast to Ford, who is personally opposed to abortion but says she does not want to change the state’s current law. Republicans had hoped to regain the majority in order to pass a constitutional amendment stating that the Pennsylvania Constitution does not guarantee any rights pertaining to abortion or public funding of abortions.
Boyd, a prominent Democratic Party official in Delaware County, was criticized by Ford for her inaction in response to the allegations against Zabel. Boyd stated that she respected the lobbyist’s request for confidentiality regarding her allegation that Zabel continued to caress her leg while they discussed legislation outside the Capitol in 2018, even after she moved away from him.
Ford stated during a televised debate, “Common sense dictates that if someone tells you they are being sexually harassed, you must act.” “You don’t just let it go.” Boyd responded that she did not endorse or support Zabel after hearing the lobbyist’s account, and she says she attempted to find a candidate to run against Zabel without success.
Republicans entered the 2022 election with a 113-90 advantage in the state House, but Democrats gained 12 seats in November, just enough to claim majority status and elect one of their own as speaker.
Tuesday’s second special election for the House of Representatives was won by Republican Michael Stender, who retained his seat in central Pennsylvania.
Stender, a member of the Shikellamy school board, firefighter, and former emergency medical technician, received the endorsement of former Republican Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, who represented the district before winning a state Senate special election earlier this year. Stender defeated incumbent Montour County commissioner and Democrat Trevor Finn. Additionally, the district encompasses a portion of Northumberland County.
