A pair of Philadelphia Democrats have resigned from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, technically giving Republicans a one-seat advantage in the lower chamber.
In a news release, a spokesperson for Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, announced that state Rep. Donna Bullock stepped down Monday and Stephen Kinsey Tuesday. Special elections to fill those vacancies have been set for Sept. 17.
Bullock in June was announced as the CEO of Project HOME, which strives to end homelessness and poverty in Philadelphia.
Rep. Donna Bullock:Want a better Erie and state of Pa.? Listen to Black Pennsylvanians
Kinsey announced in January he would not seek re-election to a seventh term but would finish his current term in office.
Democrats are still in charge of the Pa. state house
On paper, the resignations give Republicans a 101-100 advantage, though McClinton's office stressed that House rules favor Democrats.
"'Majority Party' shall mean the political party that won the greater number of elections for the 203 seats in the House of Representatives in the general election preceding the term of service that began on the first day of December next after the general election," states House Resolution 168, adopted July 7, 2023. "If a vacancy shall occur during the term, the political party that won that seat at the last election shall remain the party that won that seat until any subsequent special election is held to fill that seat.
"Following a special election during the term, the number of elections won by each political party for the 203 seats in the House of Representatives shall be redetermined as provided in this definition."
State Republicans also have member on leave
State Rep. Joe Kerwin, R-Dauphin, could give the GOP a one-vote advantage in the House. He has, however, been on military deployment with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Jason Gottesman, spokesman for the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, was critical of House Democrats in a statement to the USA TODAY Network.
“Given that these members will only serve for a limited number of weeks before the General Election, the only need to hold these costly special elections at this late date is for House Democrats to continue to gerrymander the membership of the House so they can continue playing politics with the legislative agenda instead of uniting Pennsylvanians by advancing shared goals important to everyone," Gottesman said. "We have faith in the people of Pennsylvania to hold House Democrats accountable for their continued political games and open partisanship in November.”
Bruce Siwy is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Pennsylvania state capital bureau. He can be reached at bsiwy@gannett.com or on X at @BruceSiwy.
Most Popular
Comments / 0