Pennsylvania House battle hinges on Philadelphia suburbs

Democrats who reclaimed the Pennsylvania House majority in November and clung to a one-seat margin by sweeping three special elections earlier this year face yet another contest for control of the chamber next week, when voters will fill a vacancy in the Philadelphia suburbs.

- Mark Scolforo

At stake in the Delaware County special election is whether freshman Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will have at least one chamber to aid his agenda going into the final month of budget negotiations. The result could also affect a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights that legislative Republicans are one House vote away from putting before voters as a referendum.

The seat became open when Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel resigned in March, a week after a lobbyist accused him by name of sexual harassment.

A win by Republican candidate Katie Ford, a military veteran, school volunteer, and behavioral therapist, would likely give the House GOP a 102-101 majority and the power to reclaim control of the legislative agenda and the chamber's voting calendar. Speaker Joanna McClinton, a Philadelphia Democrat, has presided over the House since February.

But the Democrat in the race, Heather Boyd, a former congressional and state legislative aide, is running in a district that has given solid margins to Democratic candidates in recent elections. Libertarian Alfe Goodwin, whose campaign focuses on criminal justice reform and fighting homelessness, is also on the ballot.