Democrat Bob Harvie ousts Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks; Dems take control of Congress; Jeff Van Drew concedes

After most of the guests had trickled out of a Newtown events venue early Wednesday morning, Democrat Eileen Hartnett Albillar said she would see a victory against Republican Frank Farry in the 6th District as a referendum on President Donald Trump's agenda, particularly economic policy.

The Associated Press has not yet called the 6th District race.

"I think people understand that the Republicans at the national level, the president, and Republicans at every level in the state legislature, too, are responsible for the economic situation," she told reporters.

For the first time since 2023, Democrats have control of the U.S. House.

That outcomes affirms several polls — and past precedent — that predicted a blue wave as frustrations have continued to mount against President Donald Trump and his administration.

Prior to midterm elections, Republicans held a House majority of 218-214. Democrats needed to flip four House seats to gain control.

Late Democratic entry Troy Jackson won Maine's U.S. Senate seat early Wednesday, defeating longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, taking advantage of President Donald Trump's deep unpopularity to dislodge an incumbent who had survived tough challenges in the past.

“For every family doing everything they can and wondering when somebody is going to do something for them, you have gotten me into this and you’re going to have someone who is fighting for you in Washington, D.C.,” Jackson told the crowd at an election night party in Portland.

Jackson, 58, a fifth-generation logger and former president of the state Senate, had a little more than 100 days to sell himself to Maine voters after he replaced Graham Platner as the party's nominee in July.

Pennsylvania Democrats will retain control of the state House, bringing the party one step closer to its goal of securing a Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg.

The state House has been narrowly controlled by Democrats since 2022, after new legislative maps made the chamber more competitive. They held onto control with a one seat majority for much of that time, until August, when Democrats expanded their control 103-100 during a special election in a deep-red district in Western Pennsylvania.

All 203 state representatives, as well as half the state Senate, were up for reelection in Tuesday’s midterm election.

With Democrats poised to win at least 52 seats in the U.S. Senate, the new majority party will have to rely less on Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman to be a reliable vote for their agenda.

For months, some in the party had voiced concerns that Fetterman — who has broken with Democrats in high-profile moments since Trump took office — could be a powerful swing vote if they tied or won a one-seat majority.

But as many online commenters pointed out Tuesday night, their gains will likely leave them with a “Fetterman-proof” margin.

Pennsylvania Senate Democrats claimed they flipped control of the state Senate, potentially giving Democrats control of the Senate, House, and governorship for the first time since 1993.

The Associated Press had not yet made official race calls in the four districts Democrats say they flipped in Tuesday’s midterm election.

The trifecta would be a monumental win for Democrats, who did not expect the state Senate to be competitive for at least another six years — and would set them up to pass several long-stalled priorities, such as a minimum wage increase.

Democratic County Commissioner Bob Harvie has defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks County’s 1st Congressional District, The Associated Press projected — a monumental outcome in one of the most closely watched races in the country.

Harvie’s victory is seismic and marks the first time that a Democrat will represent Bucks County in Congress since 2011. Fitzpatrick is a five-term incumbent who has survived multiple blue waves in the past, touted enormous fundraising numbers and decades worth of family-name recognition, and has historically been able to score support from across the political spectrum.

Running against one of the toughest incumbents in the country, Harvie, 55, had a lot of ground to cover as he lagged in fundraising and name recognition in comparison. But his momentum came in the homestretch, powered by three visits from popular Gov. Josh Shapiro, increased spending and attention from the national party, and a political climate fostered by President Donald Trump that has shown to be extremely toxic for Republicans on the ballot this year.

Democrat Bob Harvie walked out of the back room at a Newtown events hall Tuesday night, declaring victory in front of a crowd of extremely boisterous supporters.

He started his speech with two words: "Truth wins."

"This is a major victory, not for me," Harvie said. "This is a major, major victory for all of us."

In an interview with NBC News, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Democrats now "have a responsibility to govern and to get stuff done."

Shapiro was asked if supported a new attempt by Democrats to impeach Trump, and he answered that he supported holding Trump and others accountable, but "that can't be what consumes Washington."

The governor, who is Jewish, also was asked about where the Democratic Party stood on Israel.

An emotional Zack Mullock finally took the stage after 11:30 p.m. with his wife and three children, and a proud Gov. Mikie Sherrill looking on, and said, "I am so humbled. I can't believe this is happening."

Mullock thanked the volunteers who knocked on doors and used every possible method, including banner planes, to get the word out. "This moment is historic," he said. "We took a congressional seat and just won a seat that literally last week Cook reported as solid Republican."

He said looking at the results, he could only conclude that a lot of Republicans voted for him. The AP had not yet called the race when Mullock spoke.

Philadelphia will soon provide advantages to businesses that are certified as “small and local” and bid for city contracts, a shift advanced by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration as it moves away from race- and gender-conscious contracting practices.

City voters on Tuesday approved a ballot question authorizing the change. The city’s Home Rule Charter — which can only be changed if approved by City Council and at least two-thirds of voters — will be amended to authorize the city to give bidding advantages to small and local businesses, as well as reserve entire contracts that could go only to such enterprises.

The amendment will not change existing language in the charter — which is essentially the city’s version of a constitution — allowing the city to set participation goals for “disadvantaged businesses,” or those that are owned by women, people of color, and people with disabilities.

Earlier in the night, supporters of U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew readily spoke about their support for him.

But later in the night, after Van Drew made his concession speech and most supporters left the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City, the lingering supporters either weren’t interested in commenting on his loss or said they didn’t yet have the words.

One supporter, processing in shock with friends in the chilly parking lot, said they’re devastated.

State Rep. Martina White will serve another term in the 170th District following her win Tuesday.

White beat out Democratic challenger Rob Gurtcheff II to keep her spot, which she has held since 2015. Her win also retained the district seat for the GOP, fending off Democrats' efforts to flip it blue.

When she took office a decade ago, White became the first Republican to win an open House seat in Philadelphia in 25 years. The 170th District is located in Northeast Philadelphia, where White grew up.

Democrats have flipped three U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania and are leading in a fourth, potentially adding up to a clean sweep of the state’s competitive congressional elections.

Two of the ousted GOP incumbents won their seats with President Donald Trump’s help just just two years ago. The other two – including U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who was trailing late Tuesday night but whose race had not yet been called – are longtime Republican lawmakers with distinct political brands.

The sweeping wins in Pennsylvania – along with Democratic wins in New Jersey — are likely enough to put the party in control of the House for the first time in four years and for the remaining years of Trump’s presidency. The Associated Press had not projected which party would control the House as of late Tuesday night.

For the first time since January 2025, Democrats will have control of the U.S. Senate. It’s a big win for the party, who needed to flip at least four seats for that to happen.

The outcome comes after contentious battles across the United States with high-profile races in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and other toss-up contests.

Prior to the midterm elections, Republicans held a 53-47 majority. Democrats needed to secure at least 51 seats in total for a proper majority, since 50-50 control would use Republican Vice President JD Vance as a tie-breaker vote.

Adam Hamilton, a Democrat and Methodist megachurch pastor, won a startling upset in Kansas over Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, flipping a seat once believed to be safely red in another example of how far unhappiness with President Donald Trump has spread throughout the nation.

Hamilton’s victory was historic for snapping a 94-year losing streak in Senate races for Kansas Democrats — the nation’s longest — and because spending on the campaign was around $110 million, easily a record in low-cost Kansas. Republicans attempted a massive rescue effort for Marshall, including two Trump rallies in the state in October, but weren’t able to save his attempt at a second term.

Hamilton won by appealing to moderate Republicans and independent voters who were frustrated with the rising cost of living and unhappy with Trump's handling of the economy and the war with Iran. He also promised to combat the intense partisanship in Washington.

Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to pull off the first statewide victory in more than 30 years and sending a jolt through a longtime GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago.

The 37-year-old state legislator, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian will become Texas' first Democratic senator since 1993, laying bare how voter frustration midway through Trump's second term imperiled Republicans deep inside typically safe turf. The victory is a rejection of Trump's pick for the seat and threatens Republicans' control of the Senate, where Democrats needed to gain four seats to retake the majority.

Talarico will become the Senate’s youngest member and replace longtime Sen. John Cornyn, 74, who lost a bruising GOP primary to the scandal-plagued Paxton, whose nomination bolstered Talarico’s appeal to Republican and independent voters.

Annie Andrews won a stunning victory in South Carolina, shattering decades of Republican dominance to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the deeply conservative state in a generation.

On Tuesday, Andrews defeated U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, who has been serving as interim senator since her brother, Lindsey Graham, died earlier this year. The victory also made Andrews, a pediatrician, the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Before facing Andrews, Graham bested better-known Republicans to win a hotly contested special primary. President Donald Trump, a close ally of her brother, endorsed and campaigned for her in the state.

At 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, newly elected U.S. Rep. Janelle Stelson took to the stage in a Hershey ballroom and danced for a few seconds with her hands in the air as a large crowd packed shoulder-to-shoulder screamed their joy and approval.

“Forgive me,” Stelson said. “I'm kind of in shock.” 

Once she regained her composure, Stelson said that people ask what her first job will be. 

Moments after the Associated Press declared Paige Cognetti the winner of the race for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey introduced her. 

Casey said he's been through a lot of campaigns but “few of them have made me happier than this campaign.”

Shortly after, Cognetti appeared onstage to thunderous applause with her family by her side, her husband, and daughters in matching purple houndstooth dresses. 

“Joe Pittman,” declared State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, Bucks County Democratic Committee chair, addressing the Republican leader of the Pennsylvania Senate. “We flipped the 6th District!”

The Associated Press has not yet called the race, which includes the center part of Bucks County currently represented by Republican State Sen. Frank Farry. Democrat Eileen Hartnett Albillar is his challenger. 

A few moments later, Santarsiero went back to the mic and said: “Just for clarity’s sake, Eileen Hartnett Albillar is the state senator-elect.”

Democrat Janelle Stelson defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in their rematch to represent the Harrisburg-based 10th Congressional District, the Associated Press projected Tuesday.

Stelson, a former TV anchor with name recognition in the district, managed to overtake Perry in the swing district as voters expressed their frustration with President Donald Trump at the polls, after losing to the GOP incumbent in 2024 by just over 1 percentage point.

As suburban voters moved closer toward the Democratic Party, Perry, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, struggled to hold on. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who won the district during his 2022 campaign, endorsed and campaigned with Stelson in the summer and fall to boost her campaign.

Democrat Paige Cognetti defeated freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan on Tuesday to flip a critical Pennsylvania swing district in a region where President Donald Trump saw some of his strongest gains in the state two years ago.

The result — in a race that had been considered a “toss-up” for months and where polls showed the Democrat leading in the final weeks — is a sizable victory for Democrats who hoped to reclaim a seat they lost in 2024 and that would help ensure their control of the U.S. House for the final half of Trump’s term.

Cognetti, the 46-year-old mayor of Scranton, ran a robust campaign that focused relentlessly on Bresnahan’s stock trading in office. She also highlighted his support for some of the most controversial parts of Trump’s agenda, like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut future Medicaid spending and food assistance, and the war in Iran.

Zack Mullock supporters, who had cheered all night for Democratic wins in other states, as the local band, The Bastard Sons of Captain Mey, played Grateful Dead and Sublime covers, finally got their own guy to cheer for. As they were promised good news, Mullock milled around briefly in the back of the ballroom, accepting hugs and congratulations before exiting again to await a "special guest," by helicopter, expected to be Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

Earlier, he had taken a call from GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew in a room surrounded by family members.

As the news filtered into the ballroom that Van Drew had conceded, that the blue wave had reached as far as the Cape May peninsula, Cindy Mullock, the candidate's sister, noted that the family had hosted fundraisers for Van Drew in the same ballroom they were now in, back when Van Drew was a Democrat. "So this is an entire crowd of people who converted this seat in 2018 to a Democratic seat," Cindy Mullock said. "This is the core of South Jersey."

The blue wave has hit the Jersey Shore.

In a major upset, Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew has conceded to Democratic Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock in South Jersey’s 2nd Congressional district. Van Drew’s concession came even as The Associated Press was still reporting the race too close to call.

The victory for Mullock, 41, is a major win for Democrats in a right-leaning district where Van Drew, 73, has been elected four times even though he switched his party to Republican in 2019, a year after being elected as a Democrat.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew arrived at his party at 10:10 p.m. After greeting supporters he took to the podium with a somber tone before anyone knew what he was about to say.

"I guess I'd start out by saying sometimes life is bumpy," he said. "It's not always easy, and you have challenges before you. And you can't blame other people for that. I'm not going to blame Donald Trump. I'm not going to blame the speaker. I'm not going to blame anybody. I made decisions in my life, and I'm proud of them."

He went on to say he doesn't know what he's going to do next, but that he's "not good at just tinkering around the house and driving my wife crazy."

Democrat Bob Brooks defeated freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie on Tuesday in a Lehigh Valley-based swing seat that his party saw as one of its best opportunities — both in Pennsylvania and across the country — to flip a district that President Donald Trump helped turn red just two years ago.

Brooks, a 53-year-old union leader and retired Bethlehem firefighter, had mounted a vigorous campaign as an outside candidate with early support from state and national Democratic leaders, including Gov. Josh Shapiro. Both the candidate and his high-profile supporters rallied around Brooks’ working-class background, hoping it would help recapture voters who’d drifted toward Trump and ultimately help secure control of the U.S. House.

Mackenzie, 44, is a former state lawmaker who narrowly defeated a three-term Democratic incumbent in 2024, when Trump won Pennsylvania and buoyed down-ballot Republicans.

Gov. Josh Shapiro took the stage in Camp Hill before a crowd of several hundred supporters to give his reelection speech, projecting confidence in Democrats across the country.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the trust and the confidence,” Shapiro said, addressing supporters Tuesday night in Camp Hill. “This is a good night for our commonwealth. It’s looking like it could be a pretty good night for our country, too.”

His 20-minute remarks were one of personal victory and institutional success, after he took control of the state party and staked his reputation on helping Democrats win down ballot, including in four U.S. House districts and the state Senate. He invested more than $10 million toward those races and to bolster new leadership in the state Democratic Party, after Democrats spent a year hemorrhaging voter registrations.

More than 200 people in Bethlehem erupted as Bob Brooks declared victory just before 10 p.m. and took the stage with his family, friends and staff.

“Well, we did it,” Brooks said, running his hands over his bald head and down his face, exhaling after both a general election and a Democratic primary earlier this year filled with attacks lobbed at him. The AP had not yet called the race when Brooks addressed the crowd. 

After a round of thank yous, Brooks offered a version of the stump speech that defined his campaign.

The vibes continued to stay high Tuesday night among Bucks County Democrats after State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, the party chair, declared that he believes Bryan Allen, challenging Republican State Rep. KC Tomlinson, would win and that CNN has projected Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti will defeat Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan in the 8th District.

Some supporters jumped up and down with excitement.

The 8th District is one of four key congressional races in Pa. that could determine control of the U.S. House. Supporters are still waiting to see what happens in the race at the top of their minds: Bob Harvie vs. Brian Fitzpatrick in the Bucks-based 1st District.

At a party overlooking the steelstacks at the one-time site of Bethlehem Steel, more than 200 people gathered to celebrate Democrat Bob Brooks’ campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley.

Supporters wore Brooks for Congress shirts and plastic firefighter hats for the retired fireman and statewide union leader who was looking to win in his first-ever campaign for elected office.

Brooks had yet to speak as of 9:40 p.m. Cocktail tables with toy fire trucks on display waited for him near the stage.

Democratic newcomer Rebecca Bennett defeated incumbent and political scion Tom Kean Jr. to represent New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, delivering a victory in a race seen as key to wresting control of the U.S. House from the Republican party.

National pundits and polls predicted the 7th District — spread across Hunterdon and Warren Counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Union — was the most likely to turn Democratic. Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill won big across the state last year, including in Kean’s backyard of Westfield.

Bennett, 39, is a health technology executive and a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot who changed her political affiliation from Republican to Democrat after President Donald Trump won the 2016 primary election She has never held elected office. She campaigned against Kean by often reminding the public of Trump’s agenda. But as party leaders directed more money and attention her way, she presented herself as a moderate focused on helping reduce the cost of living. Her candidacy resembles that of Sherrill, who is also a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and handily beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli by focusing on Trump’s unpopularity in the state.

Just as Janelle Stelson showed up at her party before 9:30 p.m. election night, she was surrounded by a knot of supporters. 

One of them, Edie Yanek, 68, of Boiling Springs, Cumberland County, remembered the moment last winter when she decided to get the Democratic challenger into Congress. 

“I jumped out of my chair, cracked open my laptop, and immediately volunteered,” she said. Since then, she's made more than 1,000 calls spreading the word about Stelson. The retired Revlon retailer said she wanted to remove Republican Rep. Scott Perry from office after he tried to nullify Pennsylvania votes in the 2020 election. 

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said Tuesday night that only a handful of counties experienced "minor issues" and overall voting was "safe and secure" across the Commonwealth.

"We have the efforts of election officials in all 67 counties and the roughly 45,000 poll workers who staffed more than 9,000 polling places across Pennsylvania to thank for today’s smooth and successful election," Schmidt said in a statement.

"As a former county election official, I know just how hard they’ve been working. Their efforts ensured the rest of us could vote. On behalf of all Pennsylvanians, I thank them for their contribution to our democracy," Schmidt said.

Sheriff Danny Ceisler knows a little something about flipping a GOP-held seat.

The Democrat ousted former Sheriff Fred Harran, a Republican, last year in a municipal blue wave. But Ceisler said in an interview Tuesday night at the Bucks County Democratic Committee’s party in Newtown that this year feels even more favorable to his party.

“It’s even better because we’ve learned the lessons from last year,” Ceisler said. “We learned that just having a common-sense message carried by good quality messengers will win the day in Bucks County.

In an interview with reporters after conceding the Pennsylvania governor's election, Republican Stacy Garrity acknowledged the challenges that plagued her campaign and led to her defeat.

She ended her campaign with a tiny fraction of the war chest built by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who defeated Garrity Tuesday.

"Certainly, I wish we had more resources come in earlier," she said. "We did do well after the debate, but that was a little late, Oct. 7, when the, you know, the early voting had already started."

At Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti’s election night party, supporters were mingling in clusters or assembling into an increasingly long line for the bar for what could be a long night of waiting for results in a race polls indicated was neck and neck leading up to Tuesday.

As the evening went on, gaggles formed around TVs on either side of the Hilton ballroom. Both were set to MS Now.

“Woohoo,” people from the crowd shouted as the chyron flipped to the PA-08 race and showed Cognetti with around 64% of the vote share so far.

Stephen Plevins, a Vineland Republican, was one of the first people to arrive at U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s election night party at the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City.

Plevins said he’s supported Van Drew throughout his decades-long political career, even back when Van Drew was a Democrat. Van Drew, a four-term House member, switched his party from Democrat to Republican in 2019, one year after getting elected to Congress.

“I've been with him for both parties,” said Plevins, 77, who’s also a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump.

Shortly before 9 p.m., Republican Stacy Garrity took the stage to thank about 150 supporters at her election night watch party in Tunkhannock, after results showed she was easily defeated.

"Pennsylvania's best days are ahead of us," she said.

Garrity said she spoke to incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro prior to taking the stage and congratulated him on a "hard-fought victory."

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, told The Inquirer Tuesday night at the party’s election night event that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about Democrat Bob Harvie and other down-ballot candidates’ chances — specifically pointing to the early party breakdown of mail ballots being counted and the vibe that he felt at the polls today.

“I think the numbers look really good,” Santarsiero said. “I’d much rather be where we are at this moment in the evening than where they are.”

Harvie, who is projected to be in a tight race against Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, is expected to arrive later.

In the Englewood Hershey Hotel Tuesday night, Janelle Stelson supporters gathered in a rustic ballroom decorated in a kind of raw barn chic. 

They sipped on Blue Moon on tap and caramel apple sangria. The vibe was positive in the early going, with no returns known and hope very much alive in the darkened room. 

Stelson’s staff was mum and supporters declined to talk to reporters, as though a wrong word could ruin the mood. There were intermittent cheers as a giant TV screen showed Democrats doing well in other states in early results. 

Sue Altman, who lost to Tom Kean Jr. in the 7th District race in New Jersey two years ago, said she was out on the trail for Rebecca Bennett over the weekend and was impressed with the "positive energy."

"I have no doubt we are going to win tonight," said Altman in the ballroom at the Bridgewater Manor in Bridgewater, where hundreds of Bennett's supporters gathered to watch the results.

When asked if she wished she was running this year, Altman said she was "totally happy with her life choices" and "Rebecca will be great. I have no regrets."

U.S. Rep. Herb Conaway is locked in for a second term with his win in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District.

Conaway, who was first elected in 2024, beat out Republican challenger Michael McGuire to retain his seat. The move keeps the 3rd District under Democrat control.

Republicans faced an uphill battle for the seat, with about 36% of registered voters in the district affiliated with the Democratic Party. Roughly 27% of 3rd District voters were registered Republican, according to state data.

State Rep. Chris Rabb officially won the 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and become the first democratic socialist to represent Philadelphia in Congress.

Rabb, 56, of East Mount Airy, is a progressive who emerged from a tightly contested primary that challenged the city’s longstanding Democratic establishment.

In one of the bluest congressional districts in the country, he did not face a Republican in Tuesday’s election. Dennis Mahoney, a humanitarian aid worker from South Philadelphia, appeared on the ballot as an independent candidate.

U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross is in for another term in New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, which includes Camden County and parts of Gloucester and Burlington Counties.

Norcross beat out Republican candidate Damon Galdo, keeping the seat for Garden State Democrats. Both candidates won their parties' primaries unopposed in June.

The brother of South Jersey power broker George Norcross, the incumbent Norcross has served as the 1st District's representative since 2014. Galdo, meanwhile, described himself in campaign materials as "not a career politician," and said he worked in construction and the trades.

The Pennsylvania governor's race was called just a minute after polls closed at 8 p.m. But at an election night watch party for the Republican candidate, Stacy Garrity, many of her supporters were unaware. Guests were chatting while music plays.

A reporter broke the news to several guests, who had said they were hopeful even after the results began to come in.

Doug Thomas, who said he is good friends with Garrity and knows her through politics, said "I don't trust the AP anyway."

Gov. Josh Shapiro cruised to reelection on Tuesday, trouncing his Republican opponent Stacy Garrity in a decisive victory that strengthens the Democrat’s prospects for a 2028 presidential run.

The Associated Press called the race for Shapiro shortly after polls closed across the state. The resounding win for Shapiro, 53, of Abington Township, cements his dominance in the critical battleground state that voted for President Donald Trump just two years ago.

But a more substantial test of Shapiro’s strength is still to come in the following hours and days, as he’s staked his reputation on helping Democrats win up and down the ballot. The move could bolster his national standing at a time when the Democratic Party searches for a new leader to carry it into the post-Trump era. Shapiro invested $10 million of his campaign war chest to flip four congressional seats and to win a Democratic trifecta of control in Harrisburg for the first time since 1993, in races that had yet to be called on Tuesday evening.

Gov. Josh Shapiro cruised to reelection on Tuesday, trouncing his Republican opponent Stacy Garrity in a decisive victory that strengthens the Democrat’s prospects for a 2028 presidential run.

The Associated Press called the race for Shapiro shortly after polls closed across the state. The win for Shapiro, 53, of Abington Township, cements his strength in the critical battleground state that voted for President Donald Trump just two years ago.

But a more substantial test of Shapiro’s strength is still to come in the following hours and days, as he staked his reputation on helping Democrats win up and down the ballot to bolster his national standing, at a time when the Democratic Party searches for a new leader to carry it into the post-Trump era. Shapiro invested $10 million of his campaign war chest to flip four congressional seats and to win a Democratic trifecta of control in Harrisburg for the first time since 1993, in races that had yet to be called on Tuesday evening.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker won reelection in New Jersey, warding off a challenge from Justin Murphy, a longshot candidate from Burlington County, the Associated Press projected.

Booker was first elected to the Senate in a 2013 special election before he was reelected in 2014 and 2020 for full six-year terms. He previously served as Newark Mayor starting in 2006 at the age of 37.

He is among the most successful fundraisers in Congress, and donations surged after he delivered a record-breaking speech on the Senate floor last year that lasted 25 hours. That performance followed by a national book tour earlier this year heightened speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run, which he has not ruled out.

At the historic Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, owned by the family of Democratic congressional candidate Mayor Zack Mullock, supporters mingled over drinks at the wooden bar and high tops and on the iconic porch with its green and white awnings.

A big screen played election results in the Henry Sawyer Room, known to locals as "The Playroom," where in June, the homespun, tractor-driving Mullock, his wife and three children, one barefoot, had declared a surprise victory in the primary.

"Are we fired up?" called out one supporter from the porch. "We're fired up."

In the closing hour of Election Day in Pennsylvania, the last few voters at a polling site in Tunkhannock all cast their ballot for Democrats down the line.

“I want a change,” said Sherika Sanders, 50.

Sanders works as a caregiver for seniors and said she wanted to see better medical care and support for elders.

Delaware County voters on Tuesday were deciding whether to authorize the county to borrow up to $120 million for land conservation that supporters say would help to preserve open space and protect natural resources.

If the land conservation referendum is approved and the full $120 million figure is borrowed, county estimates put the average household cost at about $24 per year. Opponents have raised concerns about the cost to taxpayers and the effect that such land-preservation efforts could have on housing development.

On Tuesday night, Joy Schwartz, 70, stood outside Upper Darby High School on North Lansdowne Avenue beside a table where she had posted a sign urging voters to reject the referendum.

Inside the halls of West Philadelphia High School, State Rep. Chris Rabb streamed a live interview with Hasan Piker on the streamer’s Twitch channel in a late election push. 

As he left to visit more polling places, Rabb took selfies with Philadelphians excited for the Democratic Socialist’s almost certain win tonight.

Rabb said he was excited to see the broader level of enthusiasm among young people for this election, and how they have organized to get out the vote for races all over, not just his own.

Outside the Cape May Kiwanis Club on Beach Avenue after nightfall, Mary Pat Myers, corresponding secretary with the Cape May County Democrats, said the organization had knocked on 17,000 doors of registered Democrats in the county, just about every registered Democrat. (Republicans have about 34,000 in the county in deep South Jersey).

A neighbor of Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock, the Democrat trying to unseat Rep. Jeff Van Drew in New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District, she said Mullock was well positioned to beat the Republican.

"He's very cross party lines," said Myers, a retired photographer now volunteering for the local Democratic Party. "He works with everybody. That's one of his strong points, and I think that will fare well for him."

Outside of West Scranton Intermediate School, 18-year-old Jordyn Turner’s hair was as blue as her ballot on Tuesday. 

As a high school senior, gas prices and Social Security benefits didn't weigh on her as much as the price of college and the health of the environment.

“I want to go to college,” Turner said. “I've known so many people, including myself, who have a very low chance of completing what they want in college.”

At the North Wildwood Community Center, retired firefighter 'Ray Vozzelli said he voted for U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew and is hoping the House stays in Republican control. Cape May County has long been a Republican stronghold and loyal to Van Drew, even when Van Drew was a Democrat. His opponent, Zack Mullock, is mayor of the City of Cape May.

"If the House switches, the very first thing they're going to do is impeach Donald Trump," Vozzelli said. They're not worried about anything else. They'll make up something and impeach him."

Asked if he was happy with the state of the country under President Donald Trump, he said, "I"m happier now than if Kamala Harris would have been elected."

At Aronimink Elementary School in Drexel Hill early Tuesday evening, Democratic and Republican greeters stood on opposite sides of the walkway leading to the school’s gymnasium, where residents could cast their ballots. They had spent the day watching the same stream of voters, but came away with sharply different impressions of the turnout — and what was driving it.

Risa DeSilva-King, a 43-year-old business owner and second-time Democratic greeter, said she had seen more people by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday than she had during the presidential election two years earlier. She said she voted “blue straight down.”

“I think that we have [President Donald] Trump to thank for that,” DeSilva-King said. No matter their party affiliation or personal beliefs, she said, “he’s really galvanized people to get involved.”

With their 5-week-old baby in tow, Emma Rose, 40, made the extra effort to cast their ballot at the Collingswood Community Center Tuesday afternoon.

After recently moving to Collingswood from Los Angeles, Rose, who works in tech, said they were quick to dive into local politics so that they were informed on the issues when they got to the polls today. Like many voters in the borough, the local ballot questions — a county-wide open space tax, a school board referendum, and the borough’s status as a dry town — primarily called Rose to the polls.

With two young kids, funding the borough’s struggling school district was a major priority, Rose said.

One of the biggest questions on Tuesday is whether more independent-minded voters in the Lehigh Valley — in one of the swingiest U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania — make a different decision than they made two years ago.

And as a steady stream of voters came through a polling place in Macungie a few hours before polls closed, that tradition of independence was on display.

“I can go either way. I used to vote with Republicans a lot. The past few years, now, I’ve been switching around,” said Kevin Black, 66, a retired teacher from Macungie, which is about six miles from Allentown.

Outside of Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, it was an unmistakable Bucks County scene as voters cast ballots shortly before the after-work rush.

Stalks of pale yellow corn withered in the November sunset, while high school football players chucked helmets and pads into waiting parents' cars.

Littered throughout the school's sizeable parking lot were political campaign signs — many of them negative.

Irene Demaio, 68, said she can hear a constant hum from the data center in Vineland at her home on quiet mornings.

“Someone I spoke to today, her brother lives even closer and has hearing aids, has to take them out and still wear earplugs because of the humming noise,” Demaio said from a polling site at a fire station less than 2 miles away from the massive data center.

“I think the politicians that let it happen need to go. Point blank,” she said. “They need to be out of office. Van Drew, specifically.”

John G. Whittier Elementary School was the hopping place to be in South Scranton in the late afternoon hours on Election Day.

Cars were constantly coming and going and gaggles of teens, couples, and grandparents were cycling in and out of the polling place at a rate Bernard Ott had never before seen in his four years signing voters in at that precinct.

“This is the largest turnout I've seen,” Ott said outside the school. “This is crazy.”

A blown fuse, power outage, and fire alarm led to the evacuation of a Germantown polling location around noon Tuesday.

But Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley says voting machines at Happy Hollow Recreation Center were not affected because of the battery backups they come with. The fuse, she added, was replaced in less than an hour.

“It did disrupt voting for a short time,” said Deeley. “People heard a fire alarm and had to evacuate, but everyone got the all clear to go [back].”

Donald Trump may not be on the ballot this election, but he and his administration were top of mind for voters in West Philly.

“I just am really horrified by what this administration is doing,” said Meena Fernald, 32. She said it was scary to be a woman, and scary to be a queer person under the Trump presidency. She is a parent to a new daughter,  and thought about her too when casting her vote for Democrats down the line.

Fernald was frank about what she hoped those lawmakers would do differently should they grab control of both the House and Senate.

Chris Grouzes always votes, even when he feels things are good. But as he cast he ballot Tuesday at the Kennett Friends Meeting polling place, “Things are bad,” he said.

“I care about people. I don't think people are being cared for right now,” the 41-year-old said.

He worries about the war in Iran, immigration enforcement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s efforts to dismantle her own department, among other issues. He voted blue down the ballot.

Gov. Josh Shapiro voted with his wife, Lori, and son, Jonah, at his Abington Township polling place Tuesday morning.

By the time the Shapiros arrived around 10 a.m., the early rush at the Rydal Elementary West polling station had subsided, but the governor received a warm welcome from neighbors in the Abington ward, about two-thirds of whom voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

After casting his ballot, Shapiro said at a news conference that in his next term he plans to cut both taxes and costs while boosting investments in mass transit, healthcare, and affordable housing.

Voters in New Jersey's 7th District expressed concern about the state of the economy as they left a polling place in Bedminster, Somerset County, where incumbent Republican Tom Kean Jr. and Democrat Rebecca Bennett are on the ballot.

Nance Shedlock and Kristin Bartel are good friends — such good friends that Bartel trusted Shedlock to mind her dog, Spike while she cast her ballot. And it doesn’t matter to them that they don’t share political viewpoints.

“I’m a Republican, I really want the gas prices to go down. That is important for me,” Shedlock said.

At the Erma Volunteer Fire Co., voting was brisk as the sun began to set over this Cape May County mainland town. Mike Lawrence, 81, said he was "not interested" in talk about a blue wave and predicted it would stop before it hit deep South Jersey.

"I'm voting straight Republican," said Lawrence, who owned a driving school before retiring. "Van Drew, I just think he does a good, good job. You know, he follows up."

He said he's reached out to Van Drew's office for assistance with a commercial real estate issue, and was satisfied with the assistance.

Many voters at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s predominantly Democratic polling place on Tuesday said they like him as a person and a politician — and would elect him president should he choose to run in 2028.

Most people who spoke to The Inquirer Tuesday said they’d support his presidential run based more on personal qualities and values than a policy platform.

Zibo Hasan, 49, who voted to reelect Shapiro as governor on Tuesday, said her support for a potential presidential run comes from personal experience.

Wanda Holmes-Smith has watched her cost of living climb — and her budget shrink.

Late Tuesday afternoon, after casting her ballot at Aldan Elementary School, Holmes-Smith, 68, ticked off the expenses that had risen in recent months: fuel, groceries, utilities.

“What hasn’t gotten more expensive?” she asked.

By midafternoon at two of South Philadelphia’s Republican strongholds, Marconi Plaza Bocce Courts and Barry Recreation Center, a consistent stream of voters cycled through.

Joe Mer, a South Philadelphian who votes Republican, was leaving his 26th Ward polling place at Barry — a precinct where more than two-thirds of votes went to President Donald Trump in 2024 — when he said he couldn't trust Gov. Josh Shapiro due to his swift change in stance on data centers.

“I just don’t like him. Shapiro said he was for the data centers, and now he’s against them. I don't like data centers, and I think ‘Big Tech’ has gone unchecked for too long. It’s time to start dialing it back,” Mer said.

Bertha Sarmina, judge of elections in the 22nd Ward, Division 10, said voter turnout was high at the Blair Christian Academy polling place in Mount Airy.

Sarmina has presided over six elections in three years, and said the turnout today was higher than usual.

“We've had a steady stream all day,” she said. “Other times we've had long periods of not much action.”

Data centers were top of mind for some Monroe Township voters on Election Day as developers continue to fight against the Gloucester County town’s ban in court.

Large signs condemned data centers in the parking lot of Open Bible Baptist Church, one local polling place. They were propped in the backs of trucks and trailers and came from both parties, even though there isn’t a referendum or direct reference to data centers on the ballot.

“No data centers in Monroe Township,” said a sign supporting John Valentine, the Republican mayoral candidate.

Jacquie Shafer, a 44-year-old teacher from Langhorne, isn’t typically a midterm election voter.

But the current state of affairs — particularly when it comes to the cost of living — prompted her to show up Tuesday to Hoover Elementary School to cast a “straight blue” ballot.

“You make this living and you think you’re doing well, and suddenly you’re strapped,” said Shafer, who says she’s now having to decide whether her kids can do extracurriculars or if the money could be better used elsewhere. “[Our family] has two kids, two working adults, and it’s still really, really stressful.”

Six months later, Larry Krasner finally got his mac and cheese.

In May, the district attorney, a progressive Democrat, got kicked out of the biannual election day lunch at South Restaurant and Jazz Club after getting into a spat with labor leader Ryan Boyer, the host of the event that draws hundreds of politicos and elected officials. Krasner lamented that day that Boyer, whom he called “Lyin’ Ryan,” owed him campaign contributions — and that he didn’t even get to enter the venue to get a plate of soul food.

Krasner attended the event again Tuesday, but this time, there was considerably less drama.

With picturesque fall leaves dropping on the University of Pennsylvania campus, student voters appeared to be voting for Democrats across the board. But the motivations fueling their decisions ranged widely.

Lila Meltzer, 21, said it has been devastating to see President Donald Trump and his administration threaten democracy and do away with common decency. She voted for Democrats in the hope that they might be able to provide a better check on Trump’s power.

“Our government was not meant to have a king or leader who can plow over everyone else,” she said.

In the mail-balloting and in-person voting, Democrats held landslide margins over Republicans in New Jersey heading into Election Day.

“Democrats appear enthusiastic,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute Center for Public Interest Polling.

About 1.25 million registered voters in the Garden State had cast ballots heading into Tuesday, with Democrats holding a 400,000-vote edge, or more than a 2-1 ratio, said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

After machine set-up issues delayed the opening of three Chester County polling places, the Court of Common Pleas has granted a 30-minute extension of voting hours at three locations:

Each will remain open until 8:30 p.m. 

Votes cast after 8 p.m. will be on provisional ballots, officials said. 

City Commissioner Lisa Deeley confirmed Tuesday there were federal election monitors at polling places in Philadelphia.

The monitors had not caused disruptions or been involved in problems related to voting, she said at about 12:40 p.m.

Deeley, one of the city’s three top elections administrators, said her office received reports of federal monitors at Pollock Elementary, Lincoln High School, a polling place in the 10th Ward, and possibly other locations.

At the East Bradford Township administration building in Chester County, voters were split on their views of Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“Shapiro hasn’t done a god darn thing but make everything worse, not like when I was young,” said lifelong Republican Joan Hale. “I won’t vote for Democrats, because I don’t want this country to become socialist, and that’s exactly what will happen.”

While Hale, 74, doesn’t agree with everything President Donald Trump has done in his time in office, she said she believes he’s “a patriot who cares about this country and not about power.” She particularly praised his work to lower prescription drug costs for older residents.

Call it unfortunate timing.

Voters assigned to the polling place at Jerome Brown Playground arrived Tuesday morning to find the several streets blocked off to traffic due to utility work, making it hard to access the site.

In a video, State Sen. Sharif Street, who is also the Democratic ward leader in the 11th, alerted voters to the construction and temporary workarounds.

No news is good news at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Election Task Force.

In full swing since the polls opened at 7 a.m., the task force is monitoring online complaint forms and a hotline for voting irregularities.

But the first few hours of voting remained largely uneventful.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker posed for photos with guests and shook hands during a brief stop at the traditional Election Day lunch at Famous 4th Street Deli.

Parker said she’s hoping for a Democratic “trifecta” in Harrisburg, meaning her party would win a State Senate majority, and retain the State House and governor’s office.

“This is good energy,” Parker said. “My hope today is that people across the city of Philadelphia, that they understand the assignment and they exercise their constitutional right to vote. But I think we're looking at a trifecta today in the in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Mark Lynch Jr., leader of Philadelphia’s politically powerful electricians union, said the No. 1 thing he would be watching for in Tuesday’s election results is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s margin of victory.

“He worked his butt off, and up until the last minute, so I'm curious how large of a margin it really is,” Lynch said while ordering lunch at the traditional Election Day gathering at the Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village.

Shapiro, the Democratic incumbent widely viewed as a 2028 presidential contender, will want to run up the score on Republican challenger Stacy Garrity to enter the next election cycle with momentum.

Early-morning votes in West Chester were open about their support of Gov. Josh Shapiro. And the consensus among them was that he seemed primed for an ascendance to the national stage.

Outside of the Mary Taylor House on Walnut Street, Jay Lautenberg said Shapiro has consistently shown strong leadership, and has the ability to work across the aisle.

“He’s a good balance of a traditional politician with someone who is reliable with common sense issues,” Lautenberg, 52, said, referring to the quick temporary repairs made to I-95 in Philadelphia after a section collapsed in 2023.

Gov. Josh Shapiro voted with his wife and son Jonah at his Abington Township polling place Tuesday morning.

The early morning rush had subsided by the time the Shapiros arrived around 10 a.m., but the governor received a warm welcome from neighbors in the Abington ward, about two-thirds of whom voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. Several voters said this morning they'd known Shapiro’s family long before he held public office.

“His father was my sons’ pediatrician until they were 18 years old,” said Diana Eidenshink, 62, a registered Republican who voted for both Shapiro and Democratic U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean. “Big fan of the whole family.”

Shortly after a mob of President Donald Trump supporters rushed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a horrified Julie Marshall decided to call her congressman.

She wanted to let Republican Brian Fitzpatrick know that she believed Trump needed to be removed from office for his role in what had occurred.

So she called Fitzpatrick’s office.

Monitors from the U.S. Justice Department will observe today polling locations in Philadelphia, among other Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware counties.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced that more than 1,000 monitors will be on the ground to ensure compliance with federal election law, including the Voting Rights Act and American with Disabilities Act.

Federal monitoring of elections is routine, and monitors arrived to Philadelphia under previous presidential administrations. In the 2024 General Election, President Joe Biden’s DOJ deployed over 700 monitors. 

Tina Loveland-Smith, 53, a Delaware County school administrator, held back tears as she described why she came out to vote at the Media Borough Community Center on Tuesday morning.

"I have a daughter, and I feel like our democracy is crumbling before our eyes," Loveland-Smith said.

A registered independent, Loveland-Smith been both a Democrat and a Republican in the past. Now, she said, the fight to "defend our democracy" transcends party lines.

The slow trickle of Democratic voters into Chew Recreation Center, a voting precinct and cherished community playground in South Philadelphia, was subdued during the morning rush Tuesday. Parents rolled strollers into the playground with bubbling children in tow, business people rushing off to work after casting a ballot, and the city squirrels populated the trees and fences around the park.

Those showing up to vote, however, were feeling a mix of hope for a change in global and domestic policy, but also trepidation at what’s to come under President Donald Trump's administration.

“I don't know why I was feeling a little bit nervous about voting for the first time in a long time. Social media's scaring me into thinking something bad will happen after this election,” said Point Breeze resident Liz Jacobson, 40, who pointed to reporting around the war in Iran and false election claims pushed by the White House.

Over a million voters in Pennsylvania cast their ballots before the polls even opened.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, 1,114,767 mail and absentee ballots have been returned, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. That's nearly 85% of the 1,315,879 ballots sent to voters.

The vast majority of those — 718,641 ballots — were from registered Democrats. Registered Republicans returned 280,442 ballots, while Independents accounted for the remaining 115,684 ballots.

For the most part, early morning voters at the Glassboro VFW, a quiet Gloucester County polling place on Wilmer Street, didn’t cast their ballots with a specific race in mind despite the county commissioners race gaining traction — and controversy — online.

As a member of the military, Randall Williams, 47, said he voted Tuesday to do his civic duty. He declined to share his party.

“You can’t sit there and complain if you don’t go out and vote,” Williams said.

Juan Lopez wanted to be fully retired at his age – 69 – but has to juggle painting houses with caring for his disabled wife. So when he walked around the corner from his Bridesburg home to the Point No Point Club to cast his ballot on Tuesday morning, he voted with his wallet in mind, he said.

“The most important thing is the food – the prices, everything is so expensive,” said Lopez. “And the gas. Since Trump took over, it hasn’t been the same. I have to work now.”

Lopez has always trended Democratic, he said, but since Donald Trump took office, he won’t consider a Republican candidate. He enthusiastically voted for Gov. Josh Shapiro, whom he saw as an anti-Trump.