Jan 17, 2026 3 min read

There is something clarifying about opening a fresh calendar. The pages are clean, the boxes empty, the year ahead undefined. It invites planning even as experience reminds us that no year ever unfolds exactly as written.

This will be another year when Pennsylvania finds itself under a political spotlight.

Presidential elections do that when perennial swing-state status can tip the balance in the Electoral College. Two years later, that focus rarely fades — it simply shifts to the midterms.

In the midterms, voters will decide control of Congress, Harrisburg and the governor’s office.

How Pennsylvania votes can have broad implications. The outcome could determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. It could shape whether Pennsylvania’s General Assembly remains divided between a Republican-­controlled Senate and a narrowly Democratic House. The governor’s race can offer early signals about the direction of the 2028 presidential primary.

All of that still sits firmly in “what if?” territory. What do we know? This will be the third election in a row in which Pennsylvania serves as a national litmus test.

In 2024, that role centered on the presidential race — and, as has so often been the case, the nation followed where Pennsylvania went. In 2025, the spotlight shifted to the state Supreme Court retention vote, when what is usually a quiet checkmark decision became a heavily advertised, massively funded campaign.

There is little reason to believe the parties will pare back their spending in Pennsylvania this year.

As voters are inundated with election messaging, they must consider how they will vote on Nov. 3.

The best way to prepare — especially in a year that promises to be heavy on rhetoric, spin and boundless donations — is to be informed. A voter who understands what a legislator can and can’t do is a voter who is harder to mislead. A voter who understands the issues is a voter who is less likely to be distracted by unrelated noise.

This is not work done once, but work done daily. It means keeping abreast of the issues and the players.

What’s coming in 2026 is not just an election calendar. It’s a sustained political environment that will demand attention long before ballots are cast.

That means staying engaged even when the messaging is relentless and the volume is designed to exhaust rather than inform.

The dates are already written into the calendar. The harder work will come in the spaces between them.