Pennsylvania 2025 Plan

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PA Supreme Court Retention Election Overview

When Democrats swept all three open seats on the PA Supreme Court in 2015 to take a 5-2 majority, it changed the course of Pennsylvania for an entire decade.

For example: 

  • When the state Supreme Court un-gerrymandered Congressional maps in 2017, the U.S. House delegation went from 5D-13R to 9D-9R in just one election cycle. 
  • When the Court appointed a truly neutral fifth member of the PA legislative reapportionment commission after the 2020 census, the GOP-rigged legislative maps were undone, and Democrats flipped the State House with a one-seat majority for the first time in twelve years.

In 2025, the same three justices we helped elect in 2015 — Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht — will stand for retention elections, with the Court majority once again on the line. A loss of more than one seat would result in enough open seats for the GOP to retake the majority on the Court in 2027 and hold it through the rest of the decade (and the next redistricting).

Maintaining the Democratic majority on the PA Supreme Court is now crucial for abortion rights, voting rights, workers’ rights, and preventing gerrymandering at the Congressional and state levels.

“Retention Elections”: What They Are, Why They Matter

In Pennsylvania’s retention elections, voters make a simple “yes” or “no” vote on incumbent judges, with a simple majority winning a 10-year retention. No political affiliations or challengers are listed on the ballot, focusing solely on judges’ qualifications and performance. If a judge loses a retention election, a special election is held in the next odd-numbered year (in this case, 2027).

If we lost one or more retention elections in 2025, Gov. Shapiro could appoint interim justices, but they would need confirmation by two-thirds of the GOP-controlled State Senate — a highly unlikely outcome. Instead, this would likely result in vacancies until special elections in 2027. Losing all three critical retentions would create a 2D-2R deadlocked court. Furthermore, any losses in retention elections will result in very expensive open-seat elections in 2027. If we lose all three seats in 2025, the special elections in 2027 would cost $100M minimum, so it is also in all of our interests to win less costly retention elections in 2025.

Plan Overview

Spotlight: Neighborhood Captains Program

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