Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2026
From Ballotpedia
| 2026 Pennsylvania Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| 2026 Elections |
|---|
| Choose a chamber below: |
Elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The Pennsylvania State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 22 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | |
| Independent | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 50 |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
General election
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Pennsylvania
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Pennsylvania. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
Generally speaking, there are two types of petition forms that prospective candidates may need to file in order to gain access to the ballot.
- Nomination petitions: These are the petition forms used by political party candidates.
- Nomination papers: These are the petition forms used by independent and political party designation candidates.
For party candidates
See statutes: Pennsylvania Election Code, Chapter 14, Article 9
Party candidates for state office must file nomination petitions with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Signature requirements are summarized below (for more information regarding nomination petitions, see "Nomination petitions" below).[1]
| Nomination petition signature requirements in Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Required signatures |
| U.S. Senator | 2,000 |
| U.S. House Representative | 1,000 |
| Governor | 2,000 |
| Lt. Governor | 1,000 |
| State senator | 500 |
| State representative | 300 |
Each candidate must file a candidate affidavit with his or her nomination petition. The affidavit must include the candidate's address, election district, the name of the office being sought, a statement verifying the candidate's eligibility for said office, and a statement verifying that the candidate will not "knowingly violate any provision of this act [i.e., the election code], or of any law regulating and limiting nomination and election expenses and prohibiting corrupt practices in connection therewith."[2]
The candidate must also pay a filing fee. Filing fees must be submitted with nomination petitions. Fees are summarized in the table below.[3]
| Filing fees in Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Fee |
| United States Senator, governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor general, attorney general | $200 |
| United States Representative | $150 |
| State legislator | $100 |
In addition, a candidate for state office must file a statement of financial interests with the state ethics commission. A copy of this statement must be attached to the nomination petition submitted to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, as well.
For other candidates
See statutes: Article 9, Part (b) of the Pennsylvania Election Code
Like party candidates participating in the primary, independent, minor political party, and political body candidates for state office (including the Pennsylvania General Assembly) must submit candidate affidavits and statements of financial interests to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Candidates must also pay the same filing fees as primary candidates. Independent, minor party, and political body candidates must also file nomination papers (not to be confused with the nomination petitions party candidates participating in the primary must complete). Candidates filing nomination papers must obtain signatures from electors of the district equal to at least 2 percent of the largest entire vote cast for an elected candidate in the last election within the district.[4][5] For more information regarding nomination papers, see "Nomination papers" below.[6]
For write-in candidates
Pennsylvania does not require write-in candidates to file paperwork in order to have their votes tallied.
Qualifications
Under Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution, Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age and Representatives twenty-one years of age. They shall have been citizens and inhabitants of their respective districts one year next before their election (unless absent on the public business of the United States or of this State) and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[7] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $106,422.33/year | $185/day |
When sworn in
Pennsylvania legislators assume office on the first day of December after a general election.[8]
Pennsylvania political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta • Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | _ |
Presidential politics in Pennsylvania
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
 |
There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 7,034,206 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
|
Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 6,915,283 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Pennsylvania, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 47.5% | 2,926,441 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
48.2% | 2,970,733 | 20 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.4% | 146,715 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.8% | 49,941 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.3% | 21,572 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 0.8% | 50,076 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 6,165,478 | 20 | |||
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission |
Pennsylvania presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 14 Democratic wins
- 17 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[9] | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On February 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 to approve new state House and Senate maps.[10] House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) voted no, while Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R), state Rep. Joanna McClinton (D), state Sen. Jay Costa (D), and chairman Mark Nordenberg voted yes.[10] These maps took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 legislative elections.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Election Code, "25 Pa. Stat. § 2872.1 (2022)," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ Pennsylvania Election Code, "25 Pa. Stat. § 2870 (2022)," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ Pennsylvania Election Code, "25 Pa. Stat. § 2873 (2022)," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ Note: As the result of a court order (Constitution Party v. Cortés (No. 12-2726; E.D. Pa. 2015), political body candidates seeking statewide office may submit signatures totaling 2.5 times the requirement for political party candidates seeking placement on the primary election ballot.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Third Party Nomination Paperwork," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ Pennsylvania Election Code, "25 Pa. Stat. § 2872.2 (2022)," accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Pennsylvania Constitution, "Article II, Section 2," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Progressive Party
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid
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Leadership
Majority Leader:Joe Pittman
Minority Leader:Jay Costa
Senators
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (22)
Vacancies (1)
