Retirement Of Delco Republican Creates Opening For Dems In Pa Senate
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Democrats may have an opportunity to make things even tighter in the state Senate now that a Republican incumbent from Delaware County has announced his plans to retire.
Ted Erickson of Delaware County is the third incumbent Republican in the state Senate to announce that he won't seek re-election next year.
Franklin and Marshall College political analyst Terry Madonna says the other two seats, in Lancaster County and York County, are in safe GOP districts.
"So at the moment, the Erickson seat in Delaware County looks like it would be the most competitive in the 2014 election cycle. Of course, unless someone else decides to leave the Senate in a more competitive district," Madonna says.
Barring that development, Madonna believes it is less likely that Democrats will take control of the state Senate, but that there's a better chance that they could pick up a seat and make the already narrow 27-23 seat GOP edge razor-thin.
