We have one ray of really good election news. Even in the face of a red wave, Democrats remain in control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and Rep. Joanna McClinton remains speaker of the House. While, sadly, we didn’t pick up any seats, every Democratic incumbent won reelection.
Here is why I think it happened. Under the leadership of Speaker McClinton and Majority Leader Matt Bradford, the PA House Democrats have had an incredible record of achievement in working for the people of Pennsylvania, even while holding only a one-seat majority.
Most importantly, they took a huge step forward toward overcoming decades of inadequate and inequitable funding for education with the largest funding increase for our schools in history.
They then passed legislation that cuts taxes for working people and seniors, taxes corporations that pay nothing, protects the safety and pensions of workers, raises the minimum wage, helps make housing more affordable, and many other good things.
Not all of those bills passed the PA Senate, however—in fact, the House passed more than four hundred bills that the Senate refused to even consider.
We at the Penn Policy Center are looking forward to working with the House again to build on those achievements. And there are more steps needed to take us even further, like enacting bolder tax reform that cuts taxes for working people, while making the rich pay their fair share.
Looking to the work ahead, we are proud of what they have done and gratified that the voters of Pennsylvania recognized their achievements.
