Republicans had anticipated a "red wave" this election cycle but their hopes seem to have been squandered by Democratic victories across the country, including several in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral college votes, has long been considered a swing state but results from Tuesday's elections are showing the state consistently moving left.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate election on Tuesday, flipping the seat blue.

With 95% of the votes in, Fetterman holds a clear victory at 50%. Oz has 47% of the vote and Libertarian candidate Erik Gerhardt has 1%. Fetterman has gained 2,626,873 votes, currently 175,000 more than Oz.

The heated race came after the retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who served as senator since 2011.

Fetterman did well in urban counties. He has garnered 63% of the vote in Allegheny county, which includes Pittsburgh. In the counties surrounding Philadelphia, Fetterman has also won a majority of the vote – 82% of the vote in Philadelphia county, 63% in Montgomery, 55% in Chester, and 62% in Delaware county.

Compared to the 2020 presidential election results, several counties across the state have shifted blue. Joe Biden had held off Donald Trump, 50.01% to 48.84%.

Fetterman's win came after after a serious health scare. In October, Fetterman's doctor released a report stating that he was cleared for work and "can work full duty in public office" after suffering a stroke in May.

The gubernatorial race also proved successful for Democrats. Josh Shapiro earned a convincing victory over hard-right Republican Doug Mastriano. Shapiro, Pennsylvania's attorney general, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Mastriano, a Republican state senator and retired colonel, was a central figure in the 2020 attempt to overturn election results. With 94% of ballots counted, Mastriano received just 42.4% of the vote. Libertarian candidate Matt Hackenburg gained 1% of votes.

Shapiro was able to flip four counties: Berks, Beaver, Cumberland, and Luzerne. In 2020, Trump won by over 5 points in all counties.

Votes for Pennsylvania's congressional races are still in the process of being counted, but several Republican incumbents have seemingly secured their next term while Democrats claimed victory to two key races.

Republican incumbents Mike Kelly, Glenn Thompson, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Brian Fitzpatrick and Lloyd Smucker have all won in their districts. Additionally, Republican representatives John Joyce and Guy Reschenthale won uncontested elections for the state's 13th and 14th district seats.

Democratic Rep. Susan Wild is being challenged by Republican Lisa Scheller in district 7. The race has not been called yet but with 95% of votes counted, Wild currently leads with 51% of the vote compared to Scheller's 49%.

While Republicans claim victory in House races across the state, two key races have been won by Democrats – Matt Cartwright in district 8 and Chris Deluzio in district 17. Cartwright faced a challenge by Republican Jim Bognet in his district, which Trump carried by 2.9 points in 2020.

Deluzio and Republican opponent Jeremy Shaffer ran for the open seat in Pennsylvania's western region. Deluzio is a voting-rights attorney and Iraq war veteran, Shaffer, is a former township commissioner and tech entrepreneur.

Pennsylvania's races provide key insight into which party will control Congress. Republicans are expected to take control of the House while Democrats aim to maintain Senate control.

Democrats had worried about the status of Pennsylvania since 2016, when Trump edged Hillary Clinton, 48.18%-47.46%. In 2020, Joe Biden, who was born in Scranton, defeated Trump, 50.01%-48.84%.

Before Trump's win in 2016, the last time a Republican nominee won the Keystone state was George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Republicans had previously looked strong in senate races. The seat occupied by Toomey had belonged to Republicans since the 1968 election. Republican Arlen Spector, who was considered a centrist, served five terms as senator. Rick Santorum, a hard-right Republican, served two terms.

Republicans had also performed well in gubernatorial races. Since 1990, Tom Ridge served two terms and Tom Corbett served one.

A reason for the Republican struggles might be due to poor showings in Philadelphia suburbs. In the 2020 election, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks counties saw a surge in both the size of the electorate and support for Biden.

Pennsylvania Elections