Democrat Brian Wrightson defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown in the 40th Senate District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, helping flip the Pennsylvania Senate to Democratic control for the first time in decades.

Wrightson, 57, of Archbald, Lackawanna County, collected 50,072 votes to Brown's 47,283 with all 179 precincts reporting, according to unofficial results reported by WVIA. Provisional ballots had not yet been counted. The district covers all of Monroe County and parts of Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

As we reported Nov. 4, Wrightson declared victory on election night.

What it means for Harrisburg

The win carried statewide consequences. Democrats won four of five contested state Senate seats, giving them a 26-24 majority, according to WVIA. That hands Democrats control of the governor's office and both legislative chambers for the first time since 1994, according to WHYY.

Gov. Josh Shapiro had been unable to pass a $15 minimum wage, legalize recreational marijuana or increase public transportation funding with a Republican-controlled Senate, WHYY reported.

Data centers drove the race

The campaign played out against the backdrop of data center development, an issue that has resonated across Monroe County and the broader district, according to WVIA.

Both candidates opposed data center expansion. Brown, 55, of Middle Smithfield Township, introduced a "Residents First" legislative package in February that would limit large-scale data center campuses to industrial zones and require pre-application disclosures from developers. She also co-sponsored a bill calling for a three-year moratorium, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Wrightson supported a moratorium and said he would back an outright ban if necessary, according to WVIA. He argued unchecked data center growth would threaten the region's environmental resources and tourism economy.

Democrats accused Brown of supporting data centers before opposing them, pointing to a Senate hearing she chaired at a Lackawanna County school in 2025 and campaign contributions from billionaire Jeffrey Yass, a school choice advocate and data center developer, WVIA reported.

Brown concedes after 16 years in Harrisburg

Brown was elected to the Senate in 2022 after serving six terms in the state House, according to the Tri-County Independent.

"While I'm saddened to not be re-elected, I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life," Brown said in a statement, according to the Times-Tribune. "I wish the constituents of the 40th District only the best of good government."

Wrightson, who owns Fire Tower Communications and previously served as emergency services director for the American Red Cross in Northeast Pennsylvania, celebrated at the Moontower Bar & Grill in Archbald.

"I don't care if they're Democrats or Republicans," Wrightson said, according to WVIA. "I am everybody's senator."

Monroe County House races

In the 115th House District, which covers Monroe County, Democratic Rep. Maureen Madden won reelection with 13,512 votes, according to unofficial results compiled by WVIA. In the 176th House District, also in Monroe County, Republican Rep. Jack Rader Jr. held his seat with 13,584 votes to Democrat Thomas Kucer's 10,624.

State senators serve four-year terms with an annual salary of $113,000, according to the Times-Tribune. Unofficial results remain subject to change as provisional ballots are counted.