The state Senate majority is on the Nov. 3 ballot. Here's how the targeted senators voted

Control of the Pennsylvania Senate is the biggest prize on the Nov. 3 ballot below the governor's race, as a PennLive headline put it this week. Republicans have held the chamber almost continuously for 45 years, and Democrats see a path to flip it while keeping the narrow state House majority they won in 2022, the Associated Press reported.

For residents, the outcome decides which party sets the agenda in the chamber where many of this session's bills, from skill games to data centers, ran out of time.

What's on the ballot, and what isn't

• Governor and lieutenant governor. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, faces Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Libertarian Ken Krawchuk, according to Spotlight PA's voter guide.
• State House. All 203 seats are up, Spotlight PA reported. Democrats now hold 103 seats and Republicans 100, as reflected in this week's House roll calls (House roll call 1536).
• State Senate. The 25 even-numbered districts are up this year, according to Spotlight PA.
• No statewide ballot questions. Spotlight PA reports there are none this year, though some voters, including in Allegheny County and Philadelphia, will see local questions.
• No statewide judicial retention votes. Pennsylvania holds judicial elections in odd-numbered years, according to the state court system. The last statewide retention votes, for three Supreme Court justices, took place in November 2025.

The math

Republicans hold 27 seats and Democrats 23, as shown on the Senate's roll calls (Senate roll call 603). Democrats need a net gain of three seats for an outright majority. A net gain of two would produce a 25-25 tie. The lieutenant governor can break ties on procedural votes but can't vote on final passage of bills, Spotlight PA reported.

Spotlight PA's list of races to watch includes four Republican-held seats Democrats are targeting: the 6th in Bucks County, the 16th in Bucks and Lehigh, the 24th in Montgomery and Berks, and the 40th in the Poconos. Republicans are targeting three Democratic-held seats: the 36th in Lancaster County, the 38th in Pittsburgh's northern suburbs and the 14th in the Lehigh Valley. The Inquirer has reported that the Philadelphia suburbs are central to the Democratic effort.

How the targeted incumbents voted

These seven senators are all on the ballot. Here is how each voted on three recent bills, from the official roll calls: the school phone ban's final Senate vote on Oct. 21, the rental application fee cap on Oct. 21, and the Senate's 35-year second-degree murder sentencing bill on June 25.

• Frank Farry (R), 6th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, yes; murder sentencing bill, yes
• Jarrett Coleman (R), 16th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, no; murder sentencing bill, no
• Tracy Pennycuick (R), 24th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, no; murder sentencing bill, yes
• Rosemary Brown (R), 40th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, yes; murder sentencing bill, yes
• James Malone (D), 36th District: phones out of schools, no; rental fee cap, yes; murder sentencing bill, yes
• Lindsey Williams (D), 38th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, yes; murder sentencing bill, no
• Nick Miller (D), 14th District: phones out of schools, yes; rental fee cap, yes; murder sentencing bill, yes

The votes are Senate Bill 1014's final concurrence vote (47-3), House Bill 558's final passage (36-14) and Senate Bill 1400's final passage (30-20). Coleman was the only Republican to vote against SB 1400. Malone and Miller were two of the four Democrats who voted for it.

Sponsorships also show where some of them have put their names. Pennycuick is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 1408, on data center transparency, which cleared two committees unanimously but never got a floor vote. Coleman co-sponsored Senate Bill 1150, the Sunshine Act change Shapiro signed this week. Malone co-sponsored the school phone bill, the data center bill and the main skill games bill.

A roll call records how someone voted, not why, and three votes are a small sample.

Key dates

• Oct. 27, 5 p.m.: Last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot, according to the Department of State and Spotlight PA. Registration closed Oct. 19.
• Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Polls are open. Completed mail ballots must reach the county election office by 8 p.m. Postmarks don't count, and the outer envelope must be dated, Spotlight PA reported.
• After the election: The Senate has two more voting days on its session schedule, Nov. 17 and 18, before the new session begins in January.