Something remarkable happened Tuesday in Harrisburg.
Lawmakers exercised both judgment and grace.
It’s shocking. Even more surprising, the world didn’t end because there was no obvious partisan victory.
Yes, state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, will continue to lead the House of Representatives as speaker for another term. But how that happened almost played out like a Jimmy Stewart movie from a time when we expected our leaders to act in our best interest. Weird, right?
When all the votes were tallied from the November election, the Democrats had 102 seats. The Republicans had 101. It’s a familiar story as the 2022 elections gave Dems a whisper-thin majority. Despite those wins, the party started out in the odd position of being the electoral majority but the physical minority as three winners couldn’t be seated.
Austin Davis had won his House seat and the lieutenant governorship. Summer Lee had to leave the state House for Congress. Longtime representative Tony DeLuca had died shortly before the election — but still won. That meant special elections for three seats to start the new year. All three were in heavily Democratic districts, but wins can never be assumed. The GOP extending its 12-year hold on control of the House was very possible.
It meant an awkward start to the year and ended up with a compromise. Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, was nominated by a Republican colleague, with the understanding he would function as an independent, not caucusing with either party. It was a good idea that failed amid miscommunication and controversy. Rozzi resigned as speaker after the special election, with McClinton taking his place.
Did Rozzi’s brief speakership teach the House something? On Tuesday, the roster of legislators stood at 101 for each party as state Rep. Matthew Gergely, D-McKeesport, had a medical emergency expected to delay his return to Harrisburg for “some time,” according to the House Democratic caucus spokesperson.
McClinton and GOP House Leader Jesse Topper were nominated for speaker. Both got every vote from their caucuses, putting them at a standoff. And then Topper bowed out.
It wasn’t a defeat for the GOP. It wasn’t a win for the Democrats. The gesture allows government to work past the constant scoreboarding of who is in the lead and get to doing the job. Congress should take notes.
Now keep going.
The House has plenty of work to do that gets tangled in the weeds of politics. Bills built on good ideas are introduced by both sides and go to committees to die a slow death without discussion or debate. There is plenty of time to accomplish things in the months before the June 30 budget deadline turns everything into partisan blood sport.
Pennsylvania could be proud of what happened in the House on Tuesday. It didn’t happen because of party. It happened because, for one shining moment, party was less important than the job and the right thing to do. There’s no reason every day can’t be Tuesday.