Democratic attorney general candidate Eugene DePasquale seen in the Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Commonwealth Media Services
Pa. Dems elect former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale as new party chair
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Jaxon White/WITF
Commonwealth Media Services
Democratic attorney general candidate Eugene DePasquale seen in the Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party insiders on Saturday elected former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale as their new state chairman, whose job will be to reverse voter registration losses and rebound from Republican victories in the 2024 election.
“I’m honored by the support of my fellow Pennsylvania Democrats — and I’m ready to get to work,” DePasquale said Saturday. “It’s clear that as a party, we have a lot of work and opportunity ahead of us – from building up our infrastructure, to ramping up our voter registration, to winning back the trust and the support of so many voters and communities that have been left behind.”
DePasquale, 54, sought the chair position with the backing of Gov. Josh Shapiro and former chair Sharif Street, a state senator from Philadelphia who is running for a seat in Congress.
“I come into this role honored by the support of my fellow Democrats, but clear-eyed about the challenges ahead of us,” DePasquale said. “It’s clear that right now, we as a party have a lot of work to do — from building up our infrastructure, to ramping up our ability to register voters, to winning back the trust and the support of so many voters and communities that have been left behind.”
He said Democrats need to “get back to the basics” of listening to voters, expanding outreach and proving they work for the average person.
DePasquale also criticized the GOP’s massive tax and spending cut legislation enacted this year at the behest of President Donald Trump, citing the tradeoff of tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy for cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“Washington, D.C., has never treated our families with such disrespect,” he said. “And that’s what it is: disrespect.”
DePasquale is a Pittsburgh-based attorney who served as the state auditor general for two terms from 2013 to 2021. Before then, he served as a representative in a state House district spanning portions of York County.
In 2020, DePasquale ran an unsuccessful campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, and last year he lost the state attorney general race to Republican Dave Sunday.
DePasquale told The Philadelphia Inquirer in an interview before he was elected party chairman that those losses would help inform his rebuilding of the party ahead of the critical 2026 election, when Shapiro faces a challenge for a second term and multiple legislative and congressional races will be on the line.
Pennsylvania Republicans have nearly overcome Democrats in total voter registration, gains that are largely the result of former Democrats changing their affiliation. As of September 1, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by just 174,000 voters, down from a 685,000-voter advantage in November 2020.
Committee members arrived at the Eden Resort & Suites in Lancaster County on Friday to begin their fall meeting. DePasquale was elected chairman on Saturday.
Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman on Friday said he had committed $100,000 to the state party in a show of support for DePasquale’s chairmanship.
“I’m truly inspired and excited for Eugene DePasquale’s leadership,” Fetterman said in a statement. “From our time working together to make sure the students of Woodland Hills have a quality education and our efforts to lower prescription drug costs, I know Eugene has what it takes to deliver for the people of this Commonwealth.”
“We have always been the party that stands up and fights for working families — and in order to win, we need to get back to basics: showing up, listening to voters, and working together to build a better future for our Commonwealth. Let’s get to work,” DePasquale said Saturday.
The Republican Party will host its fall meeting in State College on Sept. 19 and 20. Members are expected to endorse Treasurer Stacy Garrity as the GOP gubernatorial candidate to face Shapiro next year.
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