Pennsylvania Democratic Party

Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Abbreviation	PADems
Chairperson	Sharif Street
Governor	Josh Shapiro
Lieutenant Governor	Austin Davis
Senate Leader	Jay Costa
House Speaker	Joanna McClinton
House Leader	Matthew Bradford
Founded	1792
Headquarters	229 State St. ; Harrisburg, PA 17101
Student wing	Pennsylvania College Democrats; High School Democrats of Pennsylvania
Youth wing	Pennsylvania Young Democrats
Women's wing	Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women
Membership (May 2021)	4,059,810
Ideology	Modern liberalism; Progressivism
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Colors	Blue
U.S. Senate Seats	2 / 2
U.S. House Seats	9 / 17
Statewide Executive Offices	3 / 5
State Senate	22 / 50
State House	102 / 203
State Supreme Court	5 / 7
Website
	www.padems.com
	Politics of Pennsylvania; Elections; Politics of United States; Political parties; Elections;

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in Harrisburg and is the largest political party in the state. Its chair is Senator Sharif Street.

As of May 2024, it controls three out of five statewide offices, both U.S. Senate seats, 9 out of 17 U.S. House seats, and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Along with the Pennsylvania Republican Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state.

Governor Josh Shapiro is a Pennsylvania Democrat. Priorities for Pennsylvania Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s have been advocacy for middle class workers and increasing the minimum wage.

Platform

The state Democratic Party has recently made economic factors a major component of its platform, with advocacy for middle class workers of particular prominence. The party has also opposed Republican-sponsored legislation to require a photo ID for voting, asserting that such a requirement would discourage minorities, youth, and those with low incomes from voting because they are less likely to possess a state-issued ID. Additionally, the party has committed itself to maintaining the social safety net and encouraging more transparency in state government.^[3]

Key issues for the party include affordable healthcare, jobs and wages, support for workers and unions, fairer taxes, strong public education, retirement security, civil rights, environmental protection, marijuana legalization, and criminal justice reform.^[4]

A priority for Pennsylvania Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s has been increasing the minimum wage.^[5]

History

Early history

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party traces its history to 1792. Pennsylvania Democrat James Buchanan was elected president in 1856 but did not seek re-election four years later, when Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was elected president. Buchanan's rise and fall from political prominence coincided with that of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania; for much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the party was largely out of power.^[6]^[7]

Recent history

The party held the governorship from 2003 to 2011 with the election of Ed Rendell in 2002 and his re-election in 2006. The party lost control of the governorship following the election of Republican Tom Corbett in 2010. The party picked up a U.S. Senate seat in 2006 with the election of Bob Casey Jr. Pennsylvania Democrats also briefly held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats following Arlen Specter's party-switch. However, Joe Sestak defeated Specter in the May 2010 Democratic primary before losing the fall general election to Republican Pat Toomey. On the state legislative level, the party won a majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006 and in 2008 but lost its majority in the 2010 election.^[8]

Republican governor Tom Corbett was defeated for re-election to a second term by Democrat Tom Wolf. This marked the first time an incumbent governor lost re-election in Pennsylvania.^[9] Wolf was re-elected in 2018.^[10]

Current officeholders

The party controls three of five statewide executive offices, including the governorship, and is in the minority in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Democrats hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, nine of the state's 17 U.S. House seats, and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Federal

U.S. Senate

Senior U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.
Junior U.S. Senator John Fetterman

U.S. House of Representatives


District	Member	Photo
2nd	Brendan Boyle
3rd	Dwight Evans
4th	Madeleine Dean
5th	Mary Gay Scanlon
6th	Chrissy Houlahan
7th	Susan Wild
8th	Matt Cartwright
12th	Summer Lee
17th	Chris Deluzio

State

Executive

Attorney General Michelle Henry

Legislature

Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives: Joanna McClinton

Senate	Leadership Position	House
Jay Costa	Floor Leader	Matthew Bradford
Anthony H. Williams	Whip	Dan Miller
Wayne D. Fontana	Caucus Chairperson	Mike Schlossberg
Maria Collett	Caucus Secretary	Tina Davis
Vincent Hughes	Appropriations Committee Chairman	Jordan Harris
Judy Schwank	Caucus Administrator	Leanne Krueger
Katie Muth	Policy Committee Chairman	Ryan Bizzarro