2025 Pennsylvania elections
The 2025 Pennsylvania elections took place on November 4, 2025, to hold judicial retention votes and fill numerous county, local, and municipal offices. The necessary primary elections were held on May 20, 2025. In addition, two special elections for legislative vacancies were held during the year.
Elections for open seats on the Pennsylvania Superior Court and Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court were won by Democratic Party candidates Brandon Neuman and Stella Tsai, respectively. Retention elections for three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court also saw success despite a Republican Party effort against their retention. The statewide wins for Democrats, in addition to success in local races, led to the 2025 elections being dubbed a "blue wave."
Special elections
36th Senate district
State Senator Ryan Aument resigned effective December 31, 2024, to become state director for U.S. Senator-elect Dave McCormick. Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis set the special election to replace Aument for March 25. East Petersburg Mayor James Andrew Malone received the Democratic Party nomination. The Libertarian Party nominated GIS analyst Zachary Moore. The Republican Party nominated Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons. In an upset, Malone narrowly won the race where Parsons, the Republican, was considered the favorite to win because the district had favored Republican candidates.35th House of Representatives district
State Representative Matt Gergely died on January 19, 2025. A special election to fill his seat took place on March 25. The Allegheny County Republican Party nominated White Oak council member Charles Davis. The Democratic Party nominated police officer Daniel E. Goughnour. The Libertarian Party nominated Adam Kitta. Goughnour's victory in the special election broke the even 101–101 partisan split in the State House caused by Gergely's death.Judge of the Superior Court
There was one vacancy on the Superior Court, due to Justice Dan McCaffery's election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2023. Washington County Court of Common Pleas judge Brandon Neuman won the open seat.Democratic primary
Nominee
- Brandon Neuman, Judge of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas
Republican primary
Nominee
- Maria Battista, president of Judge Government Services, a consulting firm; nominee for Superior Court in 2023
Eliminated in primary
- Ann Marie Wheatcraft, president judge of the Chester County Court of Common Pleas
Third-party and independent candidates
- Dan Wassmer, Keystone nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 and Libertarian nominee for attorney general in 2020
Judge of the Commonwealth Court
One seat was up for election after Judge Ellen Ceisler retired in January 2025. Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas judge Stella Tsai won this seat.Democratic primary
Nominee
- Stella Tsai, Judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
Republican primary
Nominee
- Matthew Wolford, environmental attorney
Eliminated in primary
- Joshua Prince, gun rights attorney, candidate in 2023
Judicial retention
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht were due for retention votes. These elections were more heavily contested than previous judicial retention elections. All three justices up for retention were originally elected as Democrats, and Republicans targeted them in an attempt to regain control of the court.Municipal elections
Philadelphia
Official campaign websites for Superior Court of Pennsylvania
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Official campaign websites for Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
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