Those of age might remember George Burns’ line from “Oh, God” when he said as the Almighty that the “last miracle I did was the 1969 Mets. Before that, I think you have to go back to the Red Sea. That was a beauty.”

Going back to the start of the 21st century, the northern half of Lancaster County that makes up the 36th State Senate District has never voted in a Democrat to represent them.

Never.

Closest race was in 2006 when Mike Brubaker defeated Jason Leisey by 23,000 votes and 32 percentage points.

So why are Republicans nervous about Tuesday’s special election and why are Democrats smiling from ear to ear when talking about their chances?

Those of more recent age would recall a line uttered by Jim Carrey in “Dumb and Dumber.”

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”

The special election pits Republican Josh Parsons against Democrat James Andrew Malone to finish the term vacated by Ryan Aument, who joined Sen. Dave McCormick’s staff as state director. Libertarian Zachary Moore rounds out the ballot.

Malone, the mayor of the borough of East Petersburg, has been bolstered by recent tweets stating that Republicans are “sounding the alarm” about the 36th.

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2025

And his Monday canvass of the district was enhanced by an appearance from Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17) from Allegheny County.

Why would Deluzio, who also represents Beaver County in southwest Pennsylvania, come to Lancaster for a state Senate race?

“This is a competitive special election,” he said. “This is a race that should not be on the map in a normal environment, and yet, Democrats are fired up. And independents and Republicans are walking away from some of the corruption, the attacks on the VA and Social Security and other issues that are happening in Washington that affect us here at home in Pennsylvania. I think that the mayor has done a great job of firing people up. He’s put this in play and to see the richest man on the planet – Elon Musk – be nervous about this season, it tells you that this is now a race that’s competitive. It’s up for grabs. It’s doing all I can do to try to help the mayor bring this home.”

Malone said that the last quarter-century does not play a factor in this year’s contest, as, in his opinion, Lancaster County has not had a serious Democratic candidate for the race during that period of time. What he does see as a factor is the chaos in Washington that he hears about from Democratic and independent voters.

“They say we need to make sure that this doesn’t happen in our state, talking about the disregard for the rule of law, the chaos of things being on and off, the lack of communication of a plan, the lack of even knowing who you’re releasing (from their jobs) and why,” he said. “What I’m hearing from everyone, including Republicans, is ‘Thank God you’re running.’

Malone said he was flattered by the attention that he is drawing, not only from Deluzio, but also from Harrisburg Democrats. But he also noted that this isn’t a traditional Red vs. Blue election.

“If folks went and talked to their Republican neighbors, they would find out that they’re in 80-90 percent agreement on a lot of things,” he said. “It’s easy to feel isolated, especially with the vitriol we have out of President Trump for the last 20 years. It’s very easy to feel like, ‘oh well, if they’re willing to follow him, they must buy into his bigotry and misogyny.'”

Deluzio agreed with Malone.

“I think he gets this right,” said the congressman. “I talk about the common good a lot. For me, that’s grounded in love for this country. It’s grounded in patriotism. It’s grounded in a sense that we are all in this together.”

The second-term Democrat also criticized those in power for taking away the American Dream for so many people.

“I don’t say slipped away, because there are people ripping it away,” he said. “It’s that corruption I see in Washington, that I think we know is in Harrisburg. It’s that corruption that distorts our elections. You get the richest people in the history of planet Earth funneling money in to beat this guy, to beat me. It’s that corruption and the money that pervades our politics and our society. They want to pick on the least and most vulnerable among us. I think it’s rubbish, and we defeat that with our solidarity that is our power.

“You’ve got the most powerful who want to distort and wreck our system of government coming at you,” Deluzio continued. “When those are your enemies, you know you’re doing something right. And I will tell you, Republicans are scared about this race. They absolutely are.”

It is still an uphill climb for Malone despite recent momentum. Fifty-three percent of registered voters in the District, which comprises most of northern Lancaster County, are Republican, compared to just 30 percent who are registered Democrat.

But Parsons isn’t resting on those numbers alone, as this fundraising email sent Monday indicates,

Still, the seat has been held by Republicans since its creation in 1983 as has been held by just four men – Aument, Brubaker, Philip Price and Noah Wenger. Surely Democrats see this as tilting at windmills, right?

“Yes, but Gov. Josh Shapiro won this district in 2022,” said Stella Sexton, vice chair of the Lancaster County Democrats. She also talked about Mike Zimmer’s win in a special election to flip a seat in Iowa’s 35th Senate district and said the campaign took lessons from Zimmer’s victory.

And from now through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Democrats may be invoking lines from the movie, “Miracle.”

“This is your time. Their time is done. It’s over. I’m sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw ’em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it.“