Democrat James Andrew Malone narrowly won a special election for a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in Republican-leaning suburbs and farming communities, scoring an upset for a party roiled by infighting since President Donald Trump’s victory. Malone’s victory over Republican Josh Parsons in Tuesday night’s election might provide a light in the darkness for Democrats who are at each others’ throats publicly and struggling to unify around a strategy to counter Trump. Malone’s victory came in a county that Democrats say they haven’t represented in the chamber in over a century. Malone said in an interview Wednesday that he was helped by Trump’s embrace of chaos and rejection of a methodical, cohesive and by-the-book strategy of accomplishing his agenda in his first two months. “He’s chosen to do it the way he does everything, right? Throw a brick in the basket and see what comes out,” said Malone, a computer application designer and mayor of tiny East Petersburg, population 4,500. Several voters backed that up, saying they hoped to send a message about Trump and Republican policies and politics. Michelle McCall, a registered independent who said she has voted for both Republicans and Democrats in the past, cast her ballot for Malone as more of a moderate than Parsons. She also described the Republican Party as becoming less centrist than she would like and exhibiting “a general attitude in the party that ‘I’m going to do whatever I want and to heck with lawfulness or the Constitution.’” Patty Mazzei, a loyal Democratic voter working at a clothing boutique in touristy downtown Lititz, said she is “tired of the bullyism” under Trump and wanted to “stick it” to Republicans. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday after receiving information from county officials that there were fewer ballots left to be counted than the margin in the race. Parsons conceded Wednesday. A Malone victory narrows GOP control of the state Senate to a 27-23 seat advantage. One of the top Democrats in the state Senate said Malone’s victory shows the national party the value of talking about protecting Social Security and health care access, amid what he sees as the chaos and pain that Trump’s administration is sowing. “As much anger that people have, they have anxiety too,” Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia said. “And last night’s election sends a message that people are going to respond.” Pennsylvania’s Republican Party chairman, Greg Rothman, said he didn’t think Trump’s performance in office hurt Parsons. The prices of gas and eggs are dropping and the federal government hasn’t cut Social Security or Medicare, he said. Rather, Democrats did a better job at getting their supporters to vote early by mail, he said, while the more traditional Republican campaign apparently didn’t work. Republicans need to treat the loss as a “wake-up call” and more vigorously embrace early voting, Rothman said. Malone, 51, said he also was helped by Republican voters being turned off by what he described as Parsons’ confrontational and secretive style. Parsons is a Lancaster County commissioner who has talked about having visited the White House four times and working with Trump staff on policy issues. Malone’s victory could be short-lived. The term only runs through 2026 and Rothman said recapturing the seat will be the GOP’s biggest target among state Senate races next […]