Much of the country went to bed on Nov. 5 not knowing which candidates would win in both local and national elections. Many of the races were too close to call until the early morning hours — but some still haven’t been decided by presstime. Many of the results have been tallied though with results that put some LGBTQ+ candidates and allies on top and others losing their races.
Wins in Delaware
The nation’s first openly trans state senator, Delaware’s Sarah McBride, was elected to represent the state as the nation’s first openly trans member of Congress. McBride, 34, will also be the youngest woman to serve in the 118th Congress.
“I didn’t run to make history,” she told Delaware Online just after she cast her vote on Nov. 5.
“If we win, it is a testament to Delawareans,” she said at the time. “It is a testament to their fair-mindedness that they continue to judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities.”
McBride, a Democrat who has spent her career in politics, defeated Republican John Whalen III, a former police officer — winning the state’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As a state senator, McBride worked with State Rep. Eric Morrison — a gay man — to pass a law prohibiting LGBTQ+ panic as a legal defense in Delaware. Morrison, who ran for reelection, also secured his seat on Nov. 5 alongside out state reps DeShanna Neal and Claire Snyder-Hall. Other LGBTQ+ winners include State Sen. Kerri Evelyn and Jane Gruenebaum, who is now a councilperson in Sussex County.
LGBTQ+ candidates and allies in “row” races
Three “row” offices were on the statewide ballot as voters chose a new treasurer, auditor general and attorney general. Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity held onto her role as treasurer.
“The auditor general looks at the promises made by politicians and uses empirical data to make sure that those promises are kept,” Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta previously told PGN, noting that the person in the role should be a “watchdog for the underdog.”
Kenyatta, who hoped to be the state’s next auditor general, lost to incumbent Tim DeFoor — who received 51.3% of the vote. Kenyatta had been hopeful about a positive outcome when he sent his supporters home as the night grew late. The DeFoor victory wasn’t declared until after 3 a.m.
“My concerns for the future of our Commonwealth and country are profound, but the one thing I know for sure is that this moment requires us to hold even closer those we love,” Kenyatta said in a statement.
Kenyatta is currently serving the 181st district in the state legislature, and he won an uncontested race to continue in this role in the state house of representatives.
Kenyatta was the first LGBTQ+ person of color to be elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2019. During his tenure, he’s had a perfect voting record on LGBTQ+ issues and has consistently advocated for and sponsored bills supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Outspoken LGBTQ+ ally Eugene DePasquale did not win his race to become the state’s attorney general. DePasquale had campaigned with Kenyatta, with both candidates promising to ensure better protections for LGBTQ+ students if elected.
Republican Dave Sunday will now become Pennsylvania’s attorney general, winning the race by five percentage points. Sunday has not shared information about LGBTQ+ issues on his website and did not speak about LGBTQ+ rights on the campaign trail. He also ignored PGN’s requests for an interview.
Andre D. Carroll wins but the state legislature lingers
Rep. Andre D. Carroll was sworn in as state legislator for Pennsylvania House District 201 on Sept. 24 after winning a special election to finish Rep. Stephen Kinsey’s term following his retirement. Carroll is now the second openly gay, Black state representative.
“Becoming the second openly gay, Black state representative, behind Malcolm Kenyatta, I want to say that Black history is queer history, and queer history is American history, and I am honored in this moment to be part of that,” Carroll previously told PGN.
Although he was uncontested in the race, the win temporarily preserved the one-vote majority in the state legislature. He was reelected on Nov. 5 for his own two-year term. This race was also uncontested.
Other districts held elections that will determine whether or not that majority will stand — but as of early Nov. 6, some races were still too close to call. Republicans now control the state senate.
Uncertainty looms for PA’s role in national leadership
The race for Pennsylvania state senator wasn’t called for multiple days. Dave McCormick was a slight favorite to win by noon on Nov. 6 — leading by about one percentage point — before incumbent Sen. Bob Casey gained fractions of a percentage point as more votes were reported just 40 minutes later.
The race was viewed as a must-win for Democrats if they hope to remain in control of the United States Senate — but a win wouldn’t have made that difference anymore. 52 seats were claimed by Republicans (resulting in a majority lead). The Associated Press called the Casey-McCormick race late on Nov. 7, noting McCormick as the winner by less than half of a percentage point. But Casey has not conceded.
“I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” reads a statement released by Casey on Nov. 7 around 7 p.m. “It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”
McCormick filed two lawsuits to challenge the inclusion of provisional ballots that have yet to be counted from Philadelphia and nearby suburbs. 15,000 to 20,000 votes are at stake.
“The number of provisional ballots expected from areas that favor Senator Casey, like Philadelphia and its suburbs, is further proof that this race is too close to be called,” a statement released by the Casey campaign midday on Friday. “As the McCormick campaign admitted in their own lawsuit this morning, the counting of these ballots could have an ‘impact on the outcome of the election.’ With more than 100,000 ballots still left to count, we will continue to make sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard.”
The races for 15 of the 17 seats controlled by Pennsylvania leaders in the US House of Representatives have been called. Incumbent Matt Cartwright — an early supporter of marriage equality — was ousted by Republican Robert Bresnahan, flipping the seat with a two percentage point win. Districts 10 and 12 have not been decided as Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m., but all other incumbents maintained their roles — giving Republicans a one seat majority for the time being.
Challenger Ashley Ehasz — and LGBTQ+ ally — lost to her opponent Brian Fitzpatrick, who voted in favor of the Equality Act in 2021 and has called for more effective hate crime reporting but has continually scored poorly on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard. Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who previously voted to prohibit trans girls from participating in girls’ sports in Pennsylvania, will now represent Pennsylvania’s district 7 at the federal level.
Allied representatives Brendan Boyle, Dwight Evans, Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon maintained their positions.
Republicans now fill 211 seats in the US House of Representatives. By Friday, Nov. 8 at 9 a.m., Democrats have secured 199 with 25 races still to be determined. The party with 218 seats will control the chamber.
Wins and losses for allies at home in Pennsylvania
203 state House seats were up for grabs this year — but only a handful of races were close enough to determine whether or not LGBTQ+ people and allies would be protected throughout the next term.
LGBTQ+ allied state representatives Nikil Savil, Sharif Street, Vincent Hughes and Amen Brown remain in control of their districts.
Republicans now control the state senate, but that lead remains uncertain because, as of Friday morning, two races are still too close to call. Democrat Sean Dougherty is in the lead in a race that hasn’t been called for the 172nd district, but there is no clear leader in the race for the 72nd district where Democrat Frank Burns hopes to win.
Incumbent Jimmy Dillon of the 5th district is not favored in the race against Joe Picozzi, who is leading by about one percentage point. Dillon, who was elected during a special election in 2022, recently faced backlash when he was accused of writing racist and homophobic tweets in the past. The alleged tweets were posted ten or more years ago. He denied the allegations.
Picozzi, a Donald Trump supporter, did not speak about LGBTQ+ issues on the campaign trail.
An LGBTQ+ loss in New Jersey leads to a win for an ally
Voters in New Jersey elected a new senator after a seat became vacant due to a bribery scandal involving former senator Bob Menendez. The state hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate in more than 50 years — and that trend continues.
Republican Curtis Bashaw, a gay man and Trump supporter who self-funded his campaign, was defeated by Democrat Andy Kim, who has been serving New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district since 2019. Kim, who is not an LGBTQ+ person, was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and applauded for allyship throughout his years in office.
Bashaw, who noted his strong interest in preserving individual freedoms during his campaign, also promoted misinformation regarding trans youth and sided with conservative parents who believe that policies aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ students are an overreach.
On the eve of Election Day, Bashaw was openly endorsed by Moms for Liberty — the ultra-conservative group attempting to take over school boards, ban books and implement anti-trans policies in districts across the country — after signing their “parent pledge,” which aims to undermine LGBTQ+ inclusion under the guise of increased transparency and parental involvement.
“While we know what happened in our race, I certainly recognize right now that we are at a moment of profound anxiety about what comes next for our county,” Kim said to his supporters after the win — underlining that no matter the outcome of Nov. 5 elections, the path toward healing deep division will be a challenge.
Rayna Lewis contributed to this report.
