President Joe Biden was not on the ballot in Tuesday’s special election for a seat in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives. But Democrat Jim Prokopiak’s victory in the perennial bellwether suburban Bucks County is injecting new optimism into his party for Biden’s chances of being reelected in November.
Bucks County was central to Biden’s 2020 victory in Pennsylvania, winning it by four points as he carried the state by just over one. And for Biden to win reelection, it’s almost certain he’ll need to win Pennsylvania, and Bucks along with it. Democrats knew they had something to prove on Tuesday: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee pushed $50,000 into the race two weeks before election day, helping deliver Prokopiak a dominant win of over 30 points.
“Pennsylvania is a key state that President Biden will need to win reelection,” DLCC President Heather Williams said on a press call ahead of the election. “We know that building momentum at this level of the ballot will help build margins to deliver the victory needed in this battleground state.”