A handful of races could decide control of the Pa. House and Senate in November

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters . HARRISBURG — Control of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is on the ballot in 2026, and a handful of seats will likely decide who has the power to help set policy in the Keystone State. Republicans have held the state Senate almost continuously for 45 years and hope to keep it that way come November. Democrats see a path to take the upper chamber while maintaining the narrow state House majority they won in 2022. The biggest battlegrounds include perennial targets where strong incumbents have hung on in districts trending away from their parties; hotly contested open seats in purple areas; and two races in which unlikely Democratic incumbents are trying to hold on after winning special elections. If historic trends hold, this year should favor Democrats. The party that does not control the presidency usually does well in midterm elections, and at least one nonpartisan forecaster argues Pennsylvania Democrats have their best shot in recent memory at winning a vaunted trifecta — meaning control of the governorship and both legislative chambers. Democratic Gov.

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