Here we go again. Seems like every time I think the PA State House is in Democratic control, a new situation comes up that could change that.
Currently, the Pennsylvania State House Chamber is tied 101 to 101 because a Democrat just resigned. This is another great lesson in how things get handled under such circumstances. It’s Civics 101.
Here’s what has transpired. Democratic PA State Representative Rep. Sara Innamorato of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh area) announced she was resigning from her seat Wed. July 19. Immediately, PA State House Speaker Joanna McClinton put a date on the calendar for a special election, September 19, a week before the House is expected to return to session. Innamorato says her next political move will be in local politics. However, she shared that she’s willing to take time to help the new State Representative once that person wins the seat.
In a story published by Associated Press, Innamorato revealed that she is running to serve as the Allegheny’s county executive. She won the Democratic Primary for the race in May as part of a progressive slate in local elections. She’ll face a Republican opponent on November 7, 2023.
Before November 2022, it had been a dozen years since Democrats held the majority of the PA State House.
Up until this past week, Democrats in Harrisburg were holding a 102-101 margin they’ve had in the last 10 months or so due to many special elections.
All of this, mind you—while Pennsylvania has a budget stalemate. The state government is approaching a second week without full spending authority, with the final OK on a $45 billion spending plan stymied over a dispute about creating a $100 million program to allocate state subsidies for students in the lowest performing districts to attend private or religious schools. The budget still in limbo includes about $800 million for public education, significantly less than what Democrats wanted. The state’s poorest districts will split $100 million through a program designed to help them close some of the gap between them and more affluent Districts.
All of that shared, get ready to hear about Philadelphia Democratic State level lawmakers heading up to Allegheny County over the summer to stump for votes for whoever will end up taking the seat of now-retired Democratic PA State Representative Sara Innamorato.
The way I see it, Democrats have everything to lose, and Republicans have everything to gain. That’s why I know lawmakers from Philly, who are state-level lawmakers, have a serious vested interest in keeping State Rep. Sara Innamorato’s district a Democratic district. One hand has to help the other.
As for being prepared for the next regularly scheduled election, if you are not a registered voter or if you changed your name or moved from one location to another, you need to reregister to vote. It’s as simple as one, two, three. All you have to do is log on at www.vote.phila.gov.
You can also always call the City Commissioner’s Office. Commissioner Lisa M. Deeley is the Chair- woman of the three City Commissioners in Philadelphia/ Omar Sabir is the Vice Chair, and Seth Bluestein is the lone Republican Commissioner. Call the City Commissioners’ office in Philadelphia at 215-686- 3460 to learn more information about voter registration and education. The General Election is November 7, 2023, and October 31, 2023, is the last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot. On the November ballot, up for grabs is the Mayors’ office in Philadelphia; all 17 City Council seats are up for grabs, including some judicial seats locally and at the state level, City Controller, Sheriff, Register of Wills, and City Commissioners. There are some things to think about before you go to the polls in November.
Since the Primary election is behind us, in my opinion–things have gotten extremely quiet in Philadelphia as it relates to the upcoming November general election. In this town, after Democrats win in the Primary, it’s almost always a shoo-in that Democrats will make a clean sweep in the general election. As for me, if I were a candidate, I wouldn’t take anything for granted.
