Eugene DePasquale, new state chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, seems pretty clear-eyed when he speaks about its challenges. The party is still reeling from President Donald Trump’s MAGA surge in 2024 and sorely needs new leadership and a new direction. That’s the honest truth.

Outgoing state Democratic Party Chair Sharif Street, D-3, now a candidate for Congress, seems to have left DePasquale with a bit of a mess. The former legislator and Auditor General told PennLive’s Editorial Board the state party’s coffers were so depleted, it couldn’t make payroll last month when he stepped into office.

And he acknowledged the string of election losses is staggering. Statewide, Democrats have recently lost a U.S. Senate seat, two congressional races and all statewide row offices.

It a

See Full Page