2024’s Winners and Losers Make Way for a 2025 Preview
Who were the biggest winners and losers in the Delaware Valley in 2024? And what’s on tap for 2025? Some local politicians and commentators weighed in.
Former Republican Chester County congressional candidate, now pundit Guy Ciarrocchi, said, “The biggest winner locally: that’s easy…Sen.-elect Joe Picozzi. He’s 29 years old and gave 110 percent to defeat a Democrat incumbent state senator. Picozzi is the first GOP Senate candidate to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator in Philly since 1984. And he was the only challenger in Pennsylvania to defeat an incumbent for the state Senate or state House in 2024.”
Jeff Jubelirer, vice president of Bellevue Communications, said the biggest winner was the “Bucks County GOP, No. 1 in the region for delivering for Trump and pulling ahead of the Democrats in voter registration again.”
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies, a Montgomery County Democrat and the first woman Pennsylvania voters sent to Congress, is now president of Women’s Campaign International and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Margolies cited the “strong women” who’ve followed in her footsteps: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester).
David Galluch, a Republican who ran for Congress in Delaware County and a Delaware County GOP Executive Committee member, believes the biggest winner was the Delco GOP.
“We have long said that the Republican Party is a big tent whose foundation is built upon the tenets of economic opportunity and commonsense policies. Our gains in communities that 10 years ago would have never dreamed they’d vote Republican, show that the coalition we are building is real – and growing,” said Galluch.
Galluch said the biggest loser was “the hard-working residents of Delaware County.”
“A recent 24 percent tax hike approved by the 5-0 Democrat-controlled Delaware County Council will make life significantly harder for everyone in our county. For some already struggling to make ends meet, it could be the difference between a car payment and their tax bill. The trajectory this council has our county on is unsustainable,” said Galluch.
Jubelirer said the biggest loser was “the decision by the National Democrats to forego a mini-convention to pick a replacement for Biden, thus depriving the electorate and party members of an opportunity to select who they thought would be the best candidate.”
Ciarrocchi said, “The biggest loser locally was the Democrat Party. They wanted to run against Trump, and they got it. A year of calling him every attack name in the book—including ‘Hitler’—and a year of trying to tie every Republican to ‘Hitler’-Trump…and Trump’s support grew from 2020.”
Plus, Democrats “did not defeat one incumbent Republican in our region.”
Margolies said, “I think the biggest loser is messaging.”
“Democrats are always trying to fit too much into an answer…I think we lost because we didn’t get to how people felt when they walked into the grocery store. And that’s what we have to think of with regard to Democrats, because we’re the ones who care about those things…caring about the middle class,” she said.
As for the biggest winner statewide, Ciarrocchi said, “That’s easy: Dave McCormick. He got knocked down in 2022, dusted himself off, and ran a tireless campaign to defeat a Pennsylvania Democrat incumbent icon—Bob Casey, who had been in office since 1995 and whose dad had been in office in the 1970s.”
Jubelirer agreed the “No. 1 statewide winner was McCormick.”
McCormick “pulled off a strong comeback election victory and appears to be the top GOP ‘kingmaker’ with his endorsement of Sen. Greg Rothman as next party chair, which cleared the field.”
Ciarrocchi said the biggest statewide loser was “the legacy print media. It was also the biggest loser nationally, too. It’s a medium that has been losing readers and revenue for years. Most of the major papers devoted a year to attacking Trump, his supporters, [and] most GOP candidates—and their issues, in not only editorials but news stories and headlines, repeatedly. Most newspapers endorsed Harris and every or almost every Democrat running for major office. [It’s why DVJournal, Broad + Liberty, Center Square, the Citizen, talk radio and podcasts are growing.]”
For Jubelirer, “The current Democratic Party ‘brand’ is the No.1 loser, although I am hesitant to use that word. I believe it’s temporary and cyclical, and things will shake out – the question is in what direction? Reasonable moderateness or farther to the left progressivism? If the party follows Gov. Josh Shapiro’s lead and works in moderation, in a bipartisan fashion, and sticks to bread-and-butter issues – the economy, our schools, safety, etc., then they have a great opportunity to bounce back.”
As for issues and people making headlines in 2025, Jubelirer said, “The battles for countywide offices will be interesting to observe given recent tax increase votes. Will Democratic voter registration advantages be enough to hold off a possible angrier electorate in Chester, Montgomery and Delaware Counties?”
Jubelirer named Shapiro is also a person to watch. His “continuing and perhaps further evolving leadership role in the state and in the party and maybe nationally.”
Margolies also believes all eyes should be on the Pennsylvania governor.
“He’s really terrific,” said Margolies. Shapiro “has a Ph.D. in politics. He knows how to answer questions, not to offend. He’s very thoughtful and reasonable. He’s staying in the center, he’s moderate middle. Just keep your eye on him. Look what he did when the road [I-95] collapsed…I do think he’s going to be president someday.”
In 2025, Democrats should continue to press the issues of abortion rights and gun control. She said, “I would keep my eye on those two issues.”
Ciarrocchi added, “This election showed that due to the Democrats’ overreach and failing at governing, the GOP stayed united and grew. In 2025, will that trend continue?”
“Chesco and Delco Dems are raising taxes by 14-24 percent. And Bucks Dem Commissioners proudly ignored the [election] law. Have the Dems gone too far left? Can the GOP begin to build back better?” Ciarrocchhi asked.
