House Democrats easily held onto two seats up for special elections Tuesday.

With the victories, Democrats are guaranteed to retain their majority in the chamber regardless of the outcomes of three upcoming special elections in March and May.

Democrats hold a 102-98 advantage in the chamber.

Ana Tiburcio picked up 67% of the votes cast in defeating Robert E. Smith in the special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Rep. Joshua Seigel, D-Lehigh, who stepped down after being elected county executive.

The 22nd District covers east Allentown and parts of Center City Allentown and Salisbury Township.

Tiburcio is an Allentown School District board member and a small business owner. Smith is a former school board member and a health care professional.

The district was moved to Lehigh County through redistricting for the 2014 election and Democrats have held it ever since.

Jennifer Mazzocco received almost 82% of the votes cast in the special election to fill the vacancy created by former Rep. Dan Miller’s resignation. Miller stepped down after being elected county judge.

The 42nd District covers Baldwin and Mt. Lebanon townships, and part of Upper St. Clair Township, as well as Castle Shannon and Dormont boroughs.

Mazzocco, a high school teacher, was facing Republican Joseph Leckenby, an attorney, in the special election.

Miller had held this seat since 2013 and Democrats have held the seat since 2007.

Low turnout in Lehigh

The Lehigh County election featured particularly low voter turnout.

Fewer than 2,200 voters cast ballots, including just 717 votes cast for the Republican candidate. Siegel was unopposed in 2024. He received more than 13,000 votes though. Smith was on the ballot in 2022, picking up 3,662 votes, compared to Siegel’s 6,442.

Upcoming special elections

Voters in Adams and Blair counties will head to the polls next month to fill vacancies in two legislative districts formerly held by Republican lawmakers.

The special elections in the 79th and 193rd districts are set for March 17.

Rep. Lou Schmitt, R-Blair, resigned Dec. 31 after being elected county judge in November.

Schmitt was first elected in 2018. He was only opposed once and won by 40 percentage points. Republicans have held this seat since 1979.

Republican Andrea Verobish will face Democrat Caleb McCoy.

Verobish is a field representative for Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, and McCoy is a registered nurse.

Rep. Torren Ecker, R-Adams, resigned Dec. 30 from the 193rd Legislative District after also being elected county judge.

Republican Catherine Wallen, Ecker’s former district director, will face Democrat Todd Crawley in the 193rd District special election. Crawley is the former director of public and environmental health and safety at Harrisburg Area Community College.

The only time Ecker faced a challenger was when he initially ran for the 193rd District seat in 2018. He won that election by almost 40 percentage points.

Republicans have held this seat since the 1970s.

Voters in York County will be voting on May 19 to fill the vacancy in the 196th Legislative District created by the Jan. 31 resignation of former state Rep. Seth Grove, R-York.

Grove resigned to become the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association.

Republicans have held this seat since it was moved to York County as part of the redistricting process in the early 1990s.