2022 US Elections: Dead politician re-elected in Pennsylvania

The Senate is in the balance while controversially one Senator has been voted in even though he died last month.

The Democrats are trying to hold on to control of the Senate, the upper chamber of Congress.

Before Tuesday’s election, the Senate was split 50-50 but the Democrats had control through the casting vote of vice-president Kamala Harris.

With only a few seats left to call the Democrats have taken Pennsylvania, John Fetterman beating Trump-endorsed candidate Mehmet Oz. They have also held onto New Hampshire where the Republican candidate had been polling well.

“Even if the Democrats lose the House, and they appear to be on track to do that, [Republican] Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s majority would be very narrow – and that would be a win for the Democrats.”

Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania state lawmaker who died of cancer last month was re-elected by a crushing margin, news reports quoting preliminary results said.

Tony DeLuca, a Democrat who represented a Pittsburgh suburb in the lower house of the state legislature, died of lymphoma on 9 October at the age of 85. It was too late to get his name off the ballot in yesterday’s nationwide US legislative elections.

Mr DeLuca retained his seat with 86% of the votes in his race, with 98% of the ballots counted.

A special election will now be held to decide who gets his seat.

“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by reelecting him posthumously,” the Pennsylvania Democratic Party said.