Pa. special election results: 36th state Senate District
YEAH. LORI AND JERRY, WE ARE HERE WITH THE PROJECTED WINNER OF THE 36TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT SEAT, JAMES MALONE. MR. MALONE, FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. TAKE US TO THIS MOMENT. WE HEAR THE CLAPPING HAPPENING BACK HERE. EVERYBODY’S REALLY EXCITED HERE. I JUST TAKE US TO THIS MOMENT THAT YOU FOUND OUT YOU WERE THE PROJECTED WINNER. DESCRIBE YOUR EMOTIONS. DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS FOR US TONIGHT. HONESTLY. VERY EXCITED. OBVIOUSLY. AND REALLY, REALLY HAPPY THAT ALL THE WORK THAT WE PUT IN HAS PAID OFF. YEAH. SO YEAH. WELL, TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW, YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF EAST PETERSBURG, BUT ALSO JOSH PARSONS, THE LANCASTER COUNTY COMMISSIONER. HE HAS A NAME AND IS OUT THERE. DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU ENTERED INTO THIS RACE AS AN UNDERESTIMATED CANDIDATE? I FEEL LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT HAPPENED. YEAH. BUT I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE DID WAS GO FROM THE GROUND, REACH OUT TO EVERYBODY AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT WE WERE RUNNING ON AND WHY WE WERE RUNNING. AND I THINK THAT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. YEAH. WELL, SPEAKING OF BEING THE MAYOR OF EAST PETERSBURG, TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOUR POSITION AND HOW YOUR EXPERIENCE AS MAYOR IS GOING TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU HEAD TO HARRISBURG. SURE. SO I’VE HAD, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TWO TERMS, EIGHT YEARS WORKING WITH EVERYBODY AT THE SORRY, THE BOROUGH COUNCIL, WORKING WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, WORKING WITH OTHER COUNTIES, OTHER MAYORS ON DIFFERENT POLICIES. AND WE’VE SEEN HOW THE INTERACTION, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY GETS LOST IN COMMITTEES. AND, YOU KNOW, WE’RE GOING TO GET UP THERE AND WORK ON GETTING THAT CHANGED AROUND A BIT. SO. WELL, WELL, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HASN’T HAPPENED IN NEARLY FIVE DECADES THAT A DEMOCRAT HAS HELD THIS SEAT. TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU THINK THIS IS THE TIME, WHY THIS HAS HAPPENED RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT YOU SAW DURING THIS CAMPAIGN PROCESS THAT YOU THINK MADE A DIFFERENCE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE ON THE FLOOR, THE EVERYDAY VOTERS ARE NOT LIKING WHAT THEY’RE SEEING IN THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THEY DON’T LIKE THE CHAOS. AND YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE AS PENNSYLVANIA ARE STANDING UP FOR OUR NEIGHBORS AND ARE STANDING UP FOR OUR STATE. AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE’RE LIKE BROTHERLY LOVE IS PENNSYLVANIA. AND THAT JUST PROVED OUT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH TODAY, KINDNESS OVER CRITICISM. RIGHT. SO THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO. AND I THINK THAT THAT REALLY IS WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT MOVING FORWARD. WELL, JUST MOMENTS AGO, YOU RECEIVED A CALL FROM SENATOR VINCENT HUGHES. YOU ALSO JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE CALLS AND WHAT THAT’S MEANT TO YOU. I REALLY, REALLY HONORED, YOU KNOW, VERY HONORED TO HAVE THEM BEING WILLING TO THANK US FOR RUNNING IN THE CAMPAIGN, FOR BEING WILLING TO, YOU KNOW, BACK EVERYBODY’S EXPECTATIONS HERE IN OUR DISTRICT. AND, YOU KNOW, IT’S WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, IN OFFICE THAT ARE LOOKING TO SERVE, YOU KNOW, THE VOTERS. SO THAT’S JUST AWESOME. YEAH. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
Pa. special election results: 36th state Senate District
Updated: 11:24 PM EDT Mar 25, 2025
With 100% of precincts reporting, it appears that Democrats were able to flip a state Senate seat during Tuesday’s special election for the 36th District in Lancaster County.James Malone is ahead of Republican Josh Parsons by just 482 votes. Malone said he’s very excited with the outcome.With Parsons having more name recognition, Malone said he felt like his campaign was underestimated, but he’s happy all the work put in has paid off.”One of the biggest things we did was go from the ground, reach out to everybody and let them know what we were running, why we’re running. And I think that made all the difference,” he said.It will be the first time a Democrat has held the seat in decades.Malone talked about why he thinks the party was able to flip it.”The everyday voters are not liking what they’re seeing in the federal level. They don’t like the chaos. We want to be sure that we, as Pennsylvania, are standing up for our neighbors and are standing up for our state. Brotherly love is Pennsylvania. And that just proved out through today – kindness over criticism. That’s what we’re trying to do. I think that really is what we’re looking at moving forward,” he said.Parsons released this statement on X: “Obviously we are disappointed in the numbers. We are still reviewing them, but it appears we will come up a little short. We will have a further statement tomorrow. We appreciate all those who worked hard, supported our campaign, and came out to vote today.”The special election was triggered after incumbent Republican Ryan Aument resigned to take a position with U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.What’s covered by the 36th District?Akron BoroughColumbia BoroughConoy TownshipEarl TownshipEast Donegal TownshipEast Hempfield TownshipEast Petersburg BoroughElizabeth TownshipElizabethtown BoroughEphrata BoroughEphrata TownshipLititz BoroughManheim BoroughManheim TownshipMarietta BoroughMount Joy BoroughMount Joy TownshipMountville BoroughNew Holland BoroughPenn TownshipRapho TownshipWarwick TownshipWest Donegal TownshipWest Earl TownshipWest Hempfield Township
With 100% of precincts reporting, it appears that Democrats were able to flip a state Senate seat during Tuesday’s special election for the 36th District in Lancaster County.
James Malone is ahead of Republican Josh Parsons by just 482 votes.
Malone said he’s very excited with the outcome.
With Parsons having more name recognition, Malone said he felt like his campaign was underestimated, but he’s happy all the work put in has paid off.
“One of the biggest things we did was go from the ground, reach out to everybody and let them know what we were running, why we’re running. And I think that made all the difference,” he said.
It will be the first time a Democrat has held the seat in decades.
Malone talked about why he thinks the party was able to flip it.
“The everyday voters are not liking what they’re seeing in the federal level. They don’t like the chaos. We want to be sure that we, as Pennsylvania, are standing up for our neighbors and are standing up for our state. Brotherly love is Pennsylvania. And that just proved out through today – kindness over criticism. That’s what we’re trying to do. I think that really is what we’re looking at moving forward,” he said.
Parsons released this statement on X: “Obviously we are disappointed in the numbers. We are still reviewing them, but it appears we will come up a little short. We will have a further statement tomorrow. We appreciate all those who worked hard, supported our campaign, and came out to vote today.”
The special election was triggered after incumbent Republican Ryan Aument resigned to take a position with U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.
What’s covered by the 36th District?
- Akron Borough
- Columbia Borough
- Conoy Township
- Earl Township
- East Donegal Township
- East Hempfield Township
- East Petersburg Borough
- Elizabeth Township
- Elizabethtown Borough
- Ephrata Borough
- Ephrata Township
- Lititz Borough
- Manheim Borough
- Manheim Township
- Marietta Borough
- Mount Joy Borough
- Mount Joy Township
- Mountville Borough
- New Holland Borough
- Penn Township
- Rapho Township
- Warwick Township
- West Donegal Township
- West Earl Township
- West Hempfield Township
