- Democrat Heather Boyd defeated Republican Katie Ford in the race for a vacant Pennsylvania House of Representatives seat in the Philadelphia suburbs.
- The seat opened after the resignation of Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel, who was accused of sexual harassment.
- Following the special election, Democrats maintained a majority in the state House and continue to control how the chamber handles abortion, election law, and gun rights.
Democrats retained their narrow majority in the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday by winning a special election and with it continued control over how the chamber handles abortion, gun rights and election law.
Heather Boyd won a seat in the Philadelphia suburbs, defeating Republican Katie Ford for a vacancy created by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel. Zabel left the Legislature in March, shortly after a lobbyist accused him of sexually harassing her.
Boyd is a former congressional and state legislative aide. His district used to be Republican but has given solid margins to Democratic candidates in recent elections. His win gives Democrats 102 seats, the minimum needed to control the agenda in the 203-member House. The state Senate has a Republican majority.
The Democrats’ victory in the Delaware County district means that the first term of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will have at least one room to help his agenda entering the final month of budget negotiations. The result could also affect a proposed constitutional amendment limiting abortion rights that legislative Republicans are one floor vote away from putting to voters as a referendum.
MULTIPLE HOUSE MAJORITIES OF PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS ATTENDED IN SPECIAL ELECTIONS
Reflecting the stakes, President Joe Biden endorsed fellow Democrat Boyd on Monday, calling her “a skilled public servant who will protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, stand up for laws on common sense gun safety and expand access to voting rights.”
Shapiro cut an abortion-focused ad for Boyd, who reported raising more than $1.3 million, including more than $1 million in in-kind advertising from the House Democrats’ campaign arm and the Democratic Party. Ford reported raising about $146,000, more than half of which came from the House Republicans’ campaign arm.
Campaign signs for Heather Boyd and Katie Ford are seen on May 4, 2023, in Aldan, Pennsylvania. Boyd won the election and the Democrats retained their majority in the Pennsylvania House on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Boyd has emphasized protecting abortion rights, which contrasts with Ford, who is personally opposed to abortion but says he does not want to change existing state law. Republicans hope to regain the majority, in part, to advance a proposed constitutional amendment that says the Pennsylvania Constitution does not guarantee any rights related to abortion or public funding of abortions.
SUPREME COURT VACANCY LEADS TO PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY ELECTIONS
Ford criticized Boyd, who has been the Democratic Party’s top official in Delaware County, for not doing more in response when he learned of the allegations against Zabel. Boyd said he respected the lobbyist’s request for confidentiality about his claim that Zabel groped his leg while they were discussing legislation outside the Capitol in 2018 and didn’t stop when he walked away from her.
“Common sense says that if someone comes to you and says they’ve been sexually harassed, you do something about it,” Ford said in a televised debate. “You don’t just let it go.” Boyd responded that he did not endorse or support Zabel after hearing the lobbyist’s account, and said he had unsuccessfully tried to find someone to run against Zabel.
Republicans entered the 2022 election with a 113-90 advantage in the state House, but Democrats flipped a net 12 seats in November, barely enough to secure majority status after 12 years and elect one of themselves as speaker.
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In a second special House election on Tuesday, Republican Michael Stender kept the central Pennsylvania seat in his party’s hands.
Stender, a Shikellamy school board member, firefighter and former EMT, was endorsed by former Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, the Republican who represented the district before winning a special election to the state Senate earlier this year. Stender defeated Democrat Trevor Finn, a Montour County commissioner. The district also includes part of Northumberland County.
