Democrat Pam Iovino defeated Republican D. Raja in a critical special election for Pennsylvania's 37th State Senate District on Tuesday night, marking the first red-to-blue legislative flip of the cycle and putting Democrats just three seats away from taking control of the chamber next year.
Iovino was leading Raja by an 54-46 margin at press time in this suburban Pittsburgh district, which Trump carried by a modest amount but supported Democrats up and down the ticket by wide margins last year. And with her win, Iovino continued the recent trend of Democratic gains in suburban areas.
As woman and Navy veteran who'd also served her country as a VA official, Iovino offered a profile similar to that of many candidates who met with success in the 2018 midterms. She also enjoyed support from the highest levels of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, including Gov. Tom Wolf, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, and Rep. Conor Lamb, who ran strongly in this area during his own special election victory last year and personally stumped for Iovino.
Raja, by contrast, was a wealthy venture capitalist who wound up self-funding almost his entire campaign—and may well have been chosen by Republican leaders precisely for that ability rather than for his skills as a candidate. Raja in fact had previously lost a bid for this same seat in 2012, and the outcome was no different this time.
As a result of Iovino's win, Republicans now hold a 26-22 edge in the Pennsylvania Senate, with two safely red seats to be filled at special elections later this year. Democrats now need to pick up three more seats next year, when half of the chamber's 25 districts will be up for election, in order to take charge of the Senate, since Fetterman would be able to break ties.
