It was a chaotic day in Harrisburg as members of the state Senate during their swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.
The fireworks occurred when majority Republicans refused to seat 45th District Senator Jim Brewster, a Democrat from McKeesport, following his close win over Republican Nicole Ziccarelli.
A shouting match ensued between Democrats and Republicans after the GOP members opted to table Brewster’s seating as Ziccarelli continues a legal fight in front of a federal court hoping to have votes tossed out that would swing the election in her favor. At the heart of the issue are mail-in ballots that are missing dates on outer declaration envelopes. The race has been certified by both Allegheny County and the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Republicans voted to remove the Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, a Democrat from Braddock, from the chambers after he objected to the Republicans move to not seat Brewster.
According to the Department of State, Brewster won the election by 69 votes.
Listen to our interview with Mike Coulter, Chair/Professor of Political Science & Humanities at Grove City College, about what happened.
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