Pennsylvania Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | PADems |
| Chairman | Eugene DePasquale |
| Governor | Josh Shapiro |
| Lieutenant Governor | Austin Davis |
| Senate Leader | Jay Costa |
| House Speaker | Joanna McClinton |
| House Leader | Matthew Bradford |
| Founded | 1792 (1792) |
| Headquarters | 229 State StreetHarrisburg,PA 17101 |
| Student wing | PennsylvaniaCollege Democrats High School Democrats of Pennsylvania |
| Youth wing | Pennsylvania Young Democrats |
| Women's wing | Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women |
| Membership(2025) |  3,809,467[1] |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Colors | Blue |
| U.S. Senate Seats | 1 / 2 |
| U.S. House Seats | 7 / 17 |
| Statewide Executive Offices | 2 / 5 |
| State Senate | 23 / 50 |
| State House | 102 / 203 |
| State Supreme Court | 5 / 7 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
ThePennsylvania Democratic Party (PADems) is the affiliate of theDemocratic Party in theU.S. state ofPennsylvania. It is headquartered inHarrisburg and is the largest political party in the state. Its chair isEugene DePasquale.
As of 2025, it controls two out of five statewide offices including thegovernorship, one U.S. Senate seat, 7 out of 17 U.S. House seats, and thePennsylvania House of Representatives. Along with thePennsylvania Republican Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state.
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 opposedRepublican-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 thesocial safety net and encouraging more transparency in state government.[2]
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.[3]
A priority for Pennsylvania Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s has been increasing theminimum wage.[4]
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party traces its history to 1792. Pennsylvania DemocratJames Buchanan was electedpresident in1856 but did not seek re-election four years later, whenAbraham 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.[5][6]
The party held thegovernorship from 2003 to 2011 with the election ofEd Rendell in2002 and his re-election in2006. The party lost control of the governorship following the election of RepublicanTom Corbett in2010. The party picked up a U.S. Senate seat in2006 with the election ofBob Casey Jr. Pennsylvania Democrats also briefly held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats followingArlen Specter'sparty-switch. However,Joe Sestak defeated Specter in theMay 2010 Democratic primary before losing thefall general election to RepublicanPat Toomey. On the state legislative level, the party won a majority in thePennsylvania House of Representatives in2006 and in2008 but lost its majority in the2010 election.[7]
Republican governorTom Corbett was defeated for re-election to a second term byDemocratTom Wolf. This marked the first time an incumbent governor lost re-election in Pennsylvania.[8] Wolf was re-elected in2018.[9]
The party controls two of five statewide executive offices, including the governorship, and is in the minority in thePennsylvania State Senate. Democrats hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats, seven of the state's 17 U.S. House seats, and thePennsylvania House of Representatives.
| District | Member | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Brendan Boyle | .jpg) |
| 3rd | Dwight Evans |  |
| 4th | Madeleine Dean |  |
| 5th | Mary Gay Scanlon |  |
| 6th | Chrissy Houlahan |  |
| 12th | Summer Lee |  |
| 17th | Chris Deluzio |  |
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As of 19 November 2024[update]:
| Senate[10] | Leadership Position | House[11] |
| Jay Costa | Floor Leader | Matthew Bradford |
| Christine Tartaglione | Whip | Mike Schlossberg |
| Maria Collett | Caucus Chairperson | Robert Matzie |
| Steve Santarsiero | Caucus Secretary | Tina Davis |
| Vincent Hughes | Appropriations Committee Chairman | Jordan Harris |
| Judy Schwank | Caucus Administrator | Leanne Krueger |
| Nick Miller | Policy Committee Chairman | Ryan Bizzarro |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
