Record-Setting Turnouts and Big Democrat Wins in Pennsylvania on Election Day

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (photo via District Attorney Office) and Downingtown mayor elect Erica Deuso (photo via the Erica Deuso for Mayor campaign), the first openly transgender mayor in Pennsylvania, both of whom were victorious on Election Day in Pennsylvania,

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Record-Setting Turnouts and Big Democrat Wins In Pennsylvania On Election Day

Election Day yielded big news across the country.

Democratic women won the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, with Mikie Sherrill becoming the first Democratic woman governor of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger becoming the first woman governor of Virginia. In New York, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race in the nation’s largest metropolis, making him the first Muslim and South Asian mayor-elect in New York City. On the other side of the republic, California voters sided with Governor Gavin Newsom in his battle to redistrict the state and give an advantage to Democrats ahead of next year’s midterm elections, Newsom’s plan a direct response to Texas redistricting in favor of Republicans.

But don’t count Pennsylvania out: We made big news here as well, also in favor of the Democratic Party.

Nobody in the know ever really thought that Pat Dugan had a decent chance at defeating Larry Krasner in the race for district attorney in Philadelphia, even with Dugan and the GOP doing their darnedest to capitalize on the kidnapping and murder of Kada Scott in the late stages of the race. (Dugan, who switched parties to run against Krasner in the general after Krasner trounced Dugan the Democrat in May’s primary, went so far as to go on Fox News and call Krasner a “co-conspirator” in Scott’s tragic death.) A quick look around the echo chamber that is social media would show you that there were lots and lots of calls to vote Krasner out, but Philadelphians voted Krasner in, and decidedly. Krasner won with a higher percentage of the vote (75.42%) than he did in the 2021 (71.81%) and 2017 (74%) general elections. So much for “completely unelectable.”

You know all those “VOTE NO!” and “VOTE YES!” ads that have been airing non-stop for the last month? The “YES” voters outnumbered the “NO” voters (and by a lot – 61% yes, 39% no) meaning Democrats Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht will retain their seats on the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, maintaining the 5-2 Democratic majority. In other judicial election news, Democrats Stella Tsai and Brandon Neuman won open seats on Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth and Superior courts.

Democrat Erica Deuso made history by becoming the first openly transgender mayor elect in Downingtown. And a bit further west, Lancaster voters decided that Jaime Arroyo should become that city’s first Latino mayor. Democrats also scored key mayoral victories in counties that voted for Donald Trump in 2024. There were also some big Democratic wins in pivotal Bucks County. Delaware County saw many victories for Democrats, and the highest elected body in Delaware County (Delaware County Council) remains firmly under the complete control of Democrats.

Another number worth paying attention to: turnout was crazy high, relatively speaking. In Philadelphia, that number was 34 percent, compared to 22 percent four years ago, and our turnout yesterday was even higher than when we voted for mayor and City Council two years ago. Unheard of. And Montgomery County saw a turnout of 50.7 percent, the highest of any large county in Pennsylvania history in an odd year municipal election. People are clearly… motivated.

So that’s a lot of good news for Democrats and a lot of bad news for Republicans. Bad news for all of us? Those “VOTE YES!” and “VOTE NO!” ads may be gone, but the midterm ads are just around the corner.

Major Election Day Snafu In Chester County

If you were a Democrat or Republican and showed up to vote in Chester County on Election Day, all was well with the world. That was not the case for unaffiliated voters or those registered third-party, a demographic that makes up around 75,000 people in the county of 560,000 people. Those voters were not in the poll books, so poll workers were turning them away en masse. The county eventually sent supplemental poll books to each polling place containing the names of the affected voters, and officials left the polls open until 10 p.m. instead of their normal 8 p.m. closing time. Voters are not happy. An investigation has begun. (This would be a good time to remind you that you can always request a provisional ballot if, for whatever reason, you are not in a poll book.)

SEPTA Watch

There’s been a lot of news of late about SEPTA and its problems with the Silverliner IV rail cars, which seem to have a higher propensity towards catching fire than you’d generally want in your public transit vehicles. The matter has now drawn the attention of United States Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who just had this to say at a press conference: “You can’t have a transit system that is not safe, that has fires, that’s undercapitalized and mismanaged.” SEPTA continues to inspect the railcars in question.

Art World Shakeup

You’ve probably heard a lot of opinions about the big rebranding at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Sorry, make that the Philadelphia Art Museum. The person that you can thank/blame for the rebranding is Sasha Suda, who was, until Tuesday morning, the CEO of the museum. The board terminated her. Via email, no less. New Philly Mag editor-in-chief Christine Speer Lejeune has the scoop on what happened at the PMA. Ugh, sorry, the PhAM. (Just going to take some time to get used to.)

What Do We Do with the Old Police Roundhouse?

Designers offer six ideas for the building that once served as headquarters for the Philadelphia Police Department, that has sat empty since 2022, and that has a complicated legacy but is praised as an architectural gem.

You Learn Something New Every Day

Apparently there’s really good sushi in Texas … and it’s headed this way.

By the Numbers

2: Philadelphia International Airport checkpoints that the TSA just closed amid the government shutdown. But they swear that this will actually make the situation better, as it will supposedly allow them to optimize the overly crowded checkpoints that remain open. (Still, I’m glad to not have trips planned for the next few weeks.)

$25,000: What it will cost you to buy out Old City’s Gas Lamp Hotel next year for FIFA World Cup festivities in Philadelphia. That’s per night. And, no, it does not include tickets to any of the matches. But it does include other amenities and Philly treats, like soft pretzels. The boutique hotel sleeps just 13 people, so that’s $1,923 per person per night.

$3.6 million: What somebody just paid to buy Joel Embiid’s penthouse at Front and Walnut streets. That might sound like a lot of money. But at $2 million less than the asking price, it’s basically a steal, right?

Local Talent

If you’re a fan of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, you have one night and one night only to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra tackle the masterpiece, this Friday night at Marian Anderson Hall (nee Verizon Hall) inside the Kimmel Center. Featured talents for the evening are violinist David Kim and cellists Hai-Ye Ni and Priscilla Lee. Also on the program: the composer’s Concerto for Two Cellos and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. More info here.

If that doesn’t float your boat, don’t worry. We have 162 other ideas for you.