HARRISBURG — Democrats will retain their majority in the Pennsylvania state House after winning two Philadelphia special elections Tuesday, according to unofficial returns.
The results were never in question. Both candidates were unopposed, and both districts have historically backed Democrats by wide margins.
Andre Carroll, a 33-year-old former political staffer, won in North Philadelphia’s 201st District, which is primarily made up of Germantown; Keith Harris, a 63-year-old Democratic ward leader and anti-graffiti activist, won in the 195th, which stretches from Fairmount to Strawberry Mansion.
Despite the lack of competition, the wins are significant: For the fifth time this session, Democrats have held on to their one-vote majority in the state House. This gives them control of the lower chamber’s agenda for the final weeks of session.
The chamber had been out of session since the seats opened this summer, when two Democratic incumbents — state Reps. Donna Bullock and Stephen Kinsey — resigned to take jobs in the private sector.
Bullock, who had filed to run for reelection, in June was named the chief executive of a Philadelphia nonprofit that aids homeless individuals.
Kinsey, former chair of the state House’s Human Services Committee, had already announced he would not seek reelection, but resigned early to become a lobbyist for a home care staffing agency. Under state ethics rules, he cannot interact with his previous state House colleagues for one year but can lobby state senators and executive agencies.
The results must be certified before the newly elected representatives can be seated, which could take a week or more.
The state House has its next scheduled voting day on Sept. 30.
The two wins will again give Democrats 102 votes in the lower chamber, meaning they can pass bills without compromising with Republicans. Among the top issues on the Democratic majority’s agenda is securing additional funding for state public transit agencies, including SEPTA, which serves Philadelphia and its suburbs.
Carroll and Harris will only fill the remainder of their predecessors’ terms, which end Nov. 30.
Both are also on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election, in which a victory will send them back to Harrisburg for a full, two-year term.