A Democratic candidate has won a special election for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retaining the party’s one-seat majority in the chamber.
Lindsay Powell is a Democratic political aide who previously served as an aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. On Tuesday, she won a special election to Pennsylvania’s state House District 21, which covers the suburbs of Pittsburgh, by a margin of 29% over Republican candidate Erin Authenreith according to results published by the Pennsylvania Department of State, which gives Democrats 102 seats to the Republicans’ 101. (RELATED: Key Battleground State Gov Launches ‘Automatic Voter Registration’ Plan Ahead Of 2024)
“I’m grateful. As someone who’s been a lifelong public servant, this is the highest honor of my life, and I am so excited to be able to work on behalf of every single one of us,” Powell told The Associated Press after her election. “I joke, but truly I’ve had the honor of holding every job in government except this one.”
It is the honor of my lifetime to be your Representative-Elect for House District 21. I want to thank everyone who helped me get here – I look forward to serving you in Harrisburg! pic.twitter.com/pnbDvBorjg
— Lindsay Powell (@LindsayPowellPA) September 20, 2023
In Schumer’s office, Powell was responsible for writing letters on Schumer’s behalf to constituents, before which she worked for Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York as an immigration intern, assisting constituents with issues concerning deportation and repatriation, according to her LinkedIn profile page. In Jeffries’ office, she “authored and engineered the rollout” of H.R. 2617, known as the Renew Act, which would expunge the records of felons convicted of first-time non-violent drug offenses under the age of 25.
Most recently, Powell was an assistant chief of staff to Democratic Mayor William Peduto of Pittsburgh, where she managed the Office of Equity focused on race, gender and social justice-related engagement.
Powell ran for the seat following the resignation of Democratic state Rep. Sara Innamorato, the AP reported. Her election does not change the distribution of leadership offices, with Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton retaining her position.
Powell’s election enables Democrats to proceed with passing state budget legislation amid a deadlock with the Republican-controlled Senate, where Republicans have a six-seat majority, the AP reported. Republican state lawmakers have insisted upon passing a school choice program across the state, which Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has previously supported, though he later said he would veto any bill with the provision amid opposition by House Democrats.
Pennsylvania is considered a swing state whose 20 electoral votes are regarded as important to electing the president of the United States.
Shapiro’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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