HARRISBURG — Democrats want to flip the Pennsylvania Senate this November, and party backers are eyeing a handful of districts as key to taking control of the chamber for the first time in 30 years. Political insiders told Spotlight PA that only a small number of districts, mostly in Western and central Pennsylvania, are competitive in this year’s state Senate elections.

In addition to picking up those seats, Democrats will also have to fend off Republican challengers in vulnerable districts where residents have increasingly voted for GOP candidates. Because of the high stakes, political observers expect these races to draw big money and national interest, which happened in 2022 when a flood of cash helped Democrats flip the state House.

Republicans hold 28 state Senate seats to Democrats’ 22. GOP control of the chamber is the norm. Except for a brief 16-month interlude in the 1990s, Republicans have held a majority in the upper chamber since 1980. The chamber’s 50 senators serve four-year terms, and half the body stands for election every two years. In presidential election years like 2024, lawmakers in odd-numbered districts are on the ballot.

If Democrats flip the upper chamber and hold onto the state House, the party will control the governor's mansion and the legislature in 2025, a so-called “trifecta” that would pave the way for lawmakers to pass a far-reaching agenda over Republican objections.