BY: DAVID G. GREINEDER, IOM, ABC PENNSYLVANIA DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

The 2020 General Election is now behind us. Much like in 2016, the polls were wrong in many respects. In a year when Democrats were projected to win big, the “blue wave” flopped. Democratic operatives were looking to flip control of state legislatures to dictate redistricting processes next year. As it turns out, only two state legislative chambers changed control, both in New Hampshire, and both flipped from Democrat to Republican. Overall, Republicans outperformed expectations, gaining seats both in the U.S. Congress and in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Regarding the congressional delegation, all incumbents won their re-elections, keeping the numbers at nine Republicans to nine Democrats. At the state level, here is a breakdown on where things stand:

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

• Republicans grow their majority by holding onto a vacant seat in the west, and flipping two seats in the west, one in central Pennsylvania, and one in Bucks County. The numbers currently stand at 113 Republicans to 90 Democrats.
• The Republican leadership team is evenly represented across the state, while the Democratic leadership team is concentrated in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Senate

• There is one outstanding race in the western part of the state. As it currently stands, Republicans keep their majority with 28 Republicans, 20 Democrats, and one Independent that caucus’ with the Republicans.
• The new slate of Republican leaders is evenly represented across the state, while Democratic political power is spread across the southeast and northeast.

The General Assembly will begin a new two-year session on January 5, 2021. A new session brings opportunities for ABC members to introduce themselves to freshman Legislators and start the relationship-building process. A new session also presents an opportunity for us to reset our legislative goals and objectives. To help us in that process, we are seeking your feedback. Please consider taking this very short survey so we can make improvements to our programming. Your opinion is very important to us!

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