Following The Leaders

With the 2024 general election now in the rearview mirror, Pennsylvania state lawmakers are gearing up for a new legislative session that will begin in January – a process that began with the selection of leadership teams for all four legislative caucuses. 

Those caucuses – the Senate Republican Caucus, the Senate Democratic Caucus, the House Democratic Caucus and the House Republican Caucus – have elected new leadership teams that contain a mix of familiar faces and new blood.

Below, City & State looks at some of the people who will be returning to the halls of power in Harrisburg, and those taking on new roles in the next term. 

Returning to the Fold

House Speaker Joanna McClinton

Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, who will once again have a one-seat majority in the chamber in the next legislative term, picked Joanna McClinton to resume the role of speaker. At a press conference with other Democratic leaders on Tuesday, McClinton urged the state Senate to consider policies advanced by Democrats over the last two years – including bills that would raise the minimum wage, bolster labor protections and enshrine protections for LGBTQ individuals into state law. And while Democrats often described their narrow majority as a “humble” one, McClinton said it nonetheless gives the caucus a mandate in Harrisburg. “Our work is not done, and we have a mandate before us to continue to change the way people live here in Pennsylvania, to improve their lives and create solutions for the problems that they face from day to day,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman

Senate GOP Leader Joe Pittman will once again lead the chamber’s majority caucus in the 2025-26 legislative session. In remarks following internal elections on Wednesday, Pittman referred to the Senate majority as a “big tent” that represents all corners of the commonwealth. “We have a big tent and, quite frankly, our tent got bigger last Tuesday, and so we’re eager to continue to exercise our electoral mandate to promote the agenda that we have been focused on over the last two years with this leadership team,” he told reporters. Pittman said the caucus’ focus will be on “empowerment,” adding that the Senate Republican agenda will focus on empowering taxpayers, parents, law enforcement and job creators. “Yes, we do have a divided government yet again, and we will seek to figure out how we can make that divided government a functional government without, as the president pro tem said, compromising our principles.”

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa

Much of the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership team will remain the same in the next term, and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa will continue leading the minority caucus over the next two years. In a statement following its own internal caucus elections, Costa said he was “honored and humbled” to continue in his role as leader. “I’d like to thank my fellow Democratic senators for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to the fight ahead,” the Pittsburgh-area senator said. 

New Blood

House Minority Leader Jesse Topper

Perhaps the biggest change in this year’s leadership shakeup was the election of Jesse Topper as the next leader of the House Republican Caucus. With longtime House GOP Leader Bryan Cutler choosing not to run again for a leadership role after Republicans failed to regain control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Topper – who represents Bedford and Fulton counties – will lead the 101-member caucus, as well as opposition to the agenda of the House Democratic Caucus. The GOP will remain committed to low taxes and limited government – “the kind of core Republican principles that have made our party successful on the statewide and national level,” Topper said in a statement following his election as leader.

House Majority Whip Mike Schlossberg

Democratic state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who represents a portion of Allentown in Lehigh County, served as chair of the House Democratic Caucus prior to November’s leadership elections. His colleagues elevated him to the role of House Majority Whip this week, replacing state Rep. Dan Miller, who opted not to run again for the position. Schlossberg, in a series of posts on X, said he will be “responsible for ensuring that the caucus has the agenda and support to enact an agenda that fulfills our vision to make Pennsylvania a better place to live and work.”

Senate Democratic Policy Chair Nick Miller

The one new face in the Senate Democrats’ leadership team will be Lehigh Valley state Sen. Nick Miller, who was elected chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on Wednesday. The policy committee examines and vets legislation, and frequently holds hearings to field input and advice from residents and stakeholders on key issues and how to address them through policy. Miller beat out former Policy Committee Chair Katie Muth for the role, who was seeking to win another two-year term.