Results of the Midterm Election

The election for Pennsylvania senator and governor is finally over. The night following election day, no one could guess who would win. 

The race for senate stayed close. At one point in the night, the difference in top candidates was just under 3,000 votes. In the end, Democratic candidate John Fetterman won over Republican Mehmet Oz, with 51% of the vote.

On Nov. 9, the day the results were announced, Fetterman tweeted, “It’s official. I will be the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. We bet on the people of Pennsylvania – And you didn’t let us down. And I won’t let you down. Thank you.”

Fetterman has big hopes for his time in office. His ultimate plan is to “hold Washington accountable.” This includes plans to make more products in America to cut back on costs, to cut back on taxes for the working class, banning Congress from trading stocks, bringing down the prices of prescription medication, and putting a stop to unfair price gouging. 

The governor results weren’t as close as the senate, but it was still anyone’s guess who would come out on top. Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro won the vote, despite Republican Doug Mastriano having more votes in the initial count. Mail-in voters pushed Shapiro to victory. Shapiro had 56% of the overall vote.

With Shapiro’s victory, Austin Davis, a University of Pittsburgh Greensburg alumni, became the first African American lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Davis was the legislative representative for district 35 of Allegheny County before being chosen to be lieutenant governor. 

On the day he was announced to be the next Governor, Shapiro tweeted, “Real freedom prevailed in Pennsylvania. I am humbled and proud to be your next governor.”

Shapiro also included a direct address to Pennsylvanians on his campaign website, thanking them for their votes and promising to uphold his campaign promises.

This election was predicted to be a very close race, with Oz often taking popularity in polls. This would have kept Pennsylvania as a red state. With Fetterman being elected over Oz, Pennsylvania flipped. Republicans lost a seat in the senate. This means that democrats have a chance to regain control of the Senate.

As of Nov. 12th, the Democratic party has gained control of the Senate, due to the election results in Nevada. With Georgia’s upcoming run-off election, democrats have the possibility to gain even more power in the Senate. 

Pennsylvanian’s have a lot to watch for these upcoming years. Congratulations to the new Senator and Governor.