Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, speaks at a Capitol press conference (Capital-Star photo).
State Republican Sheryl Delozier announced Tuesday that she would not seek re-election after nine terms, putting her Cumberland County district up for grabs.
Delozier represented the 88th District, which includes: Mechanicsburg, New Cumberland, Shiremanstown, Hampden Township and part of Lower Allen Township since 2008. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.
Pennsylvania Democrats immediately saw Delozier’s mandate as a golden opportunity for the party to strengthen its majority in the House of Representatives.
With all 203 House seats up for election in November and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro seeking re-election, state Democratic Party Chairman Eugene DePasquale said he hopes to build on the momentum in the 2025 elections. The party retained three seats on the state Supreme Court and won dozens of votes across the commonwealth.
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“Not only are we going to re-elect Governor Josh Shapiro, but we are in a great position to increase our majority in the House of Representatives and flip the Senate. With the trifecta in Harrisburg, Governor Shapiro will be able to do even more for Pennsylvanians in his second term,” DePasquale said.
The state Democratic Party said Delozier’s departure from the House is a sign that state Republicans are aware that “fully embracing Donald Trump’s toxic Washington agenda puts them on shaky ground for 2026.”
The partisan makeup of the House could change before the Nov. 3 general election. House Speaker Joanna McClinton has called a special election later this year.
On February 24, voters will elect state representatives to fill the unexpired terms of former Rep. Joshua Siegel (D-Lehigh), who was elected as Lehigh County Executive, and former Rep. Dan Miller (D-Allegheny), who was elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
On March 17, voters will choose representatives to replace former state Rep. Lou Schmitt (R-Blair), who resigned as a Blair County judge on December 31, and former Republican Toren Ecker (R-Adams), who was elected as an Adams County judge.
Delozier he told PennLive leaves the House to pursue other opportunities and did not give a specific reason.
As leader of the House Republican Caucus, Delozier made a name for himself as a bipartisan legislator at a time when the General Assembly was more divided. As of 2023, Democrats in the House of Representatives control the chamber by one seat, while the GOP has held a majority in the state Senate for three decades.
In the second case, Delozier teamed up with House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris revision of Pennsylvania’s 2018 Clean Slate Actresulting in the removal of low-level convictions for thousands of people who had not committed another crime.
She also sponsored 2019 legislation called Marsy’s Law codifying the constitutional rights of crime victims to information about trials, hearing dates and their right to be present and participate.
