Personality

This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Who’s up and who’s down this week?

Winners & Losers

Winners & Losers City & State

By City & State

|

There are the wins obvious from orbit – such as the staggering breadth of Democratic victories across the board in Tuesday’s midterm elections – and then there are the wins that are harder to see at first glance, but are arguably no less important. In that category, we consider it a win that 2026’s elections were clean and uncontested, free of dark suggestions of fraud; that no major issues were reported around ballot integrity or ICE activity at polling places; and that opinion polls themselves, while underestimating the force of Tuesday’s “blue tsunami,” were nonetheless generally accurate in predicting winners – all of which goes a long way toward restoring Americans’ sometimes-shaky faith in our electoral democracy.

And while, as is our custom, this week’s edition is devoted entirely to the election, there’s no way we couldn’t include this gem that would be in the winner’s circle any other week: Take it away, Layla Clark, on the marimba for Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, whose performance has left us … Thunderstruck.

Keep reading for more winners and losers!

WINNERS:

U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio -

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio’s hypothetical path to the Senate became a little clearer with the announcement that his Democratic colleague, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia, won’t run for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s seat in 2028, but will instead focus on Boyle’s new role as chair of the powerful House Budget Committee. Deluzio hasn’t announced formal plans to challenge for the unpopular Fetterman’s seat, but has expressed interest and would be considered a front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

Media companies -

Regardless of outcomes, Tuesday’s election was destined to be a winner for media companies, with Pennsylvania’s four top contested campaigns alone generating nearly $100 million in ad spending. Media stocks were also way up following the election – except for Trump Media, whose shares plunged nearly 25% on Wednesday and another 15% early Thursday.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano -

Nobody is having a bigger “I told you so” moment right now than state Sen. Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s 2022 GOP nominee for governor who flirted with a gubernatorial bid this year but ultimately decided against running. In the days following Republican Stacy Garrity’s bruising loss to Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday, Mastriano, who stopped short of endorsing Garrity earlier this year, has been posting a number of graphics on X pointing out that he received more votes than Garrity.

LOSERS:

The Mackenzies -

Politicians often withdraw from public life explaining they’d like to spend more time with family. One GOP family that will have a lot more quality time come January is the Mackenzies: Both Ryan, who represents the 7th Congressional District, and his mother, Milou, who represents the 131st District in the state House, lost their reelection bids. Their campaigns were notable for last minute mudslinging: Ryan’s family-based attacks on his rival, Bob Brooks, were vicious enough that the Democrat withdrew from their debate, while his mother's campaign drew widespread condemnation for flyers emphasizing rival Meriam Sabih's Pakistani roots and calling her “radical.”

Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee -

We get it. It’s tough to get a grip on getting out the vote in a non-presidential year midterm when the voting public already knows who’s going to win the marquee races, but still … 

The number of Philadelphians casting ballots declined in the 2026 general election compared to the last time there was a Trump midterm, in 2018. After that high-water mark of 51% turnout in 2018, Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee’s GOTV efforts this year produced a much less-robust 44% rate (the pandemic-impacted 2022 rate was 23%) – an outlier result in a state that saw dramatic increases in voting numbers across the board.

Pennsylvania Republicans -

The Pennsylvania Republican Party will have some soul-searching to do after this week’s brutal midterm election losses. Not only did the party lose four congressional seats, but it also lost control of the state Senate, giving Gov. Josh Shapiro a Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg and a chance to enact Democrats’ top policy priorities. Time will tell if Republicans stand by their current leadership team or opt for new management.

NEXT STORY: Choose your own campaign ad-venture