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State Senator, 40th District

Vote for
1
Term
4 years
Candidates
2
Election
Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state senator votes on Pennsylvania laws and the state budget and confirms many of the Governor's appointments.

All of Monroe County, plus parts of Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Calls for state policies providing relief on utility, housing, health care and child care costs.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    No documented position found.

Public safety

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Calls for securing federal funding for flood mitigation and property buyouts and resources for local emergency services.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    No documented position found.

Education

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Sponsored Greg Moyer's Law (Act 17 of 2026), requiring AEDs at all PIAA-sanctioned athletic events and practices.In office

Housing

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Calls for state funding and incentives to build housing and offset the cost of rehabilitating aging homes.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Sponsored SB 979, barring property reassessment for home improvements worth up to 20% of assessed value.In office

Economy & jobs

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Supports more investment in state economic development programs that finance job creation and retention.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Supports state investment in child care, including Child Care Works and Pre-K Counts, as a workforce issue.In office

Roads & infrastructure

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Says rural broadband is underfunded; calls for state resources to reach the communities that need them most.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Proposes requiring independent water impact studies before data center applications.In office

Environment & parks

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Supports a complete stop on new large-scale data center development in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Supports a temporary statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers; offered a 3-year moratorium amendment.

Health & human services

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Proposes expanding telehealth, protecting rural hospital reimbursement rates and opposing coverage cuts.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Sponsored SB 998, a grant program to expand nursing school capacity; it passed the Senate in April 2026.In office

Government & transparency

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    • Says he has never accepted money from corporate PACs or data center developers.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Proposes a one-year wait before a former municipal elected official can take a paid job with that municipality.In office

Courts & justice

  • Brian WrightsonDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Rosemary BrownRepublican

    • Co-sponsored SB 1284, setting a 20-year minimum for attempted murder of a police officer causing serious injury.In office

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 10 issues covered in this race.