Philadelphia’s Joanna McClinton reelected as speaker, despite a 101-101 tie in the Pa. House

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives reelected Rep. Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) as House speaker Tuesday, despite having a 101-101 tie on the first day of the session.

McClinton, who rose to the speaker’s rostrum in 2023 to be the first woman and second Black person to lead the state House, was reelected on a second vote, after House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R., Bedford) removed his name from consideration for speaker. After Topper removed his name, only McClinton was considered and a voice vote was taken, meaning each member did not have to record their vote.

In what could have been a dramatic and drawn-out process, McClinton was reelected with ease — without requiring GOP members to officially tally whether they supported McClinton’s speakership. And instead of challenging McClinton as speaker, Republicans chose to negotiate more favorable operating rules that give them more power and reflect the divided nature of the chamber.

House Democrats had staved off November’s red-wave election and retained a one-seat majority in the chamber. But Rep. Matt Gergely (D., Allegheny) suffered a health emergency last week and was absent from the House on Tuesday, putting Democrats at a numeric tie with Republicans on the first day of the session.

McClinton, taking the rostrum for a second legislative session, said it brought her “feelings of joy, humility, and, most importantly, gratitude.” She encouraged continued bipartisanship in the chamber over the two-year legislative session and noted some bipartisan accomplishments last session, such as increases in public education, rent and property rebate programs, and a child- and dependent-care tax credit.

“It’s important for us now, more than ever as our nation heals from the scars of this last brutal election cycle, that we show people that we didn’t just earn their vote last November, but we take responsibly and seriously the oath of office,” McClinton said in a speech to the House. “Not just sit here and point fingers, but to get into our committees, to get into our caucuses, to meet with delegations across the state and find a way forward.”

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) noted Gergely’s absence and the political implications in a floor speech.

“We are at 101 to 101, and we will be that way for quite some time,” Bradford said. “Our chamber proved that it can cooperate and operate, and that is our bipartisan achievement that many did not think we could achieve.”

Bradford also thanked Topper for his chamber’s willingness to negotiate during Gergely’s health emergency, calling Topper a “good man.” Tuesday’s collegiality marked a vastly different first day in the state House from that of 2023, when a series of vacancies meant Democrats had a numeric minority on the first day of the legislative session.

Republicans instead at the time struck a surprising deal with former House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D., Berks) to serve as an “independent” House speaker, though it was not initially clear whether he intended to change his political party. Rozzi remained a Democrat, but disagreements with Republicans led him to block members from meeting in legislative session until special elections could take place. Democrats retained their majority, and Rozzi eventually stepped down to hand the gavel to McClinton in her history-making rise.

Topper, in his first major negotiation as House minority leader, praised the changes to the House’s operating rules that now give GOP members a better chance at having a say in which legislation the chamber passes. There will now be 14 Democrats and 12 Republicans on each of the House’s 27 legislative committees, including three new ones: Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Joe Ciresi (D., Montgomery); Intergovernmental Affairs, chaired by Rep. Dave Dellosso (D., Delaware); and Energy, chaired by Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia).

Any 25 House members will again be able to file a discharge resolution to send a bill that has not been considered by a committee to a different one, reversing the 50-sponsor, bipartisan threshold Democrats introduced in the last legislative session and giving Republicans another win in the new operating rules.

“It just allows for more debate overall, and more deliberation in this institution that will hopefully lead to a better product,” Topper added.

Sixteen new lawmakers were sworn into the state House and four in the state Senate on Tuesday, including two fresh faces representing Northeast Philadelphia: Democratic Rep. Sean Dougherty and Republican Sen. Joe Picozzi. Picozzi, at 29, is the youngest member of the state Senate and the first Republican to represent Philadelphia in that chamber in more than 20 years.