The election results are in, and it was a momentous night for our nation and commonwealth.

The Keystone State reaffirmed its reputation as the swing state. It’s why both presidential campaigns spent an unprecedented amount of campaign money in our state. And it shows just how important our efforts are to make Pennsylvania a leading economic powerhouse.

President-Elect Donald Trump had a decisive victory. In addition, David McCormick won the U.S. Senate race. On top of that, Pennsylvania may flip two U.S. House seats from Democrat to Republican, playing a key role in determining which party will control the chamber.

Overall, Pennsylvania voters sent a clear message: Elected officials must address the cost of living, energy affordability, school choice, and policies that allow Pennsylvanians to flourish.

For the first time, Republicans won the statewide offices of attorney general, treasurer, and auditor general in the same year. Republicans will retain control of the Pennsylvania Senate with the same 28–22 margin, ensuring a strong check on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s policy proposals.

Democrats will still control the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a slim one-member majority. But a deeper dive shows many Republicans won their races with big margins. Meanwhile, Democrats narrowly escaped defeat despite their estimated two-to-one spending advantage in swing districts. Republicans captured 53 percent of the votes for the state house, but the Democrat-drawn redistricting undervalued that advantage.

The results are clear: Free-market policy ideas won and now have a clear mandate. Democrats may maintain control of the state House, but they will do so with another narrow majority.

We’ve been preparing for this. Our team considered every scenario and will be ready to advocate for policies that will make Pennsylvania a more prosperous state and a beacon of opportunity. That vision includes enacting Lifeline Scholarships, making energy more affordable, cutting red tape, getting more Pennsylvanians back to work, and stopping tax hikes and reckless spending.

We have a record to show that we can get big things done regardless of who is in power. Under former Gov. Tom Wolf and now Shapiro, we’ve achieved historic expansions in school choice. In just twelve months, we’ve expanded the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs by $225 million. Under Wolf, we helped block at least a dozen tax hikes. In recent years, our efforts led to pension reform, lower business taxes, improved permitting, and expanded telemedicine.

Our priorities of advancing universal school choice, fiscal responsibility, and free-market policies will not change, especially considering this mandate to continue our successful record of enacting major reforms.

Meanwhile, the reality of Shapiro’s influence doesn’t match the hype. The Commonwealth Foundation’s policy agenda has a clear mandate and momentum, and Shapiro would be wise to keep his promises on the popular, bipartisan policies we champion.

That’s why we plan to keep up the pressure. We’re excited to keep fighting by your side and make Pennsylvania a more prosperous state for all in 2025.

- Commonwealth Foundation

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