By Eugene DePasquale

As I’ve traveled across the Commonwealth for the past year, the message I’ve heard from Pennsylvanians is clear: they’re sick and tired of the chaos, corruption, and high prices coming out of Washington.

This November, we have the chance to do something about it.

Up and down the ballot, all across this Commonwealth, this election comes down to a choice: Donald Trump’s Washington agenda of chaos and high prices, or more freedom and getting stuff done for Pennsylvanians.

The Pennsylvania Republican Party completely embraced Trump’s agenda, and Pennsylvanians have paid the price. Over the past year and a half, we’ve watched our health insurance premiums skyrocket by an average 102% — and up to 485% in some communities. More than 145,000 Pennsylvanians have been forced to drop their insurance coverage altogether, and that number is growing every day.

Trump’s war of choice in Iran has caused gas prices to rise by more than a dollar per gallon across Pennsylvania and has made it harder for our farmers to afford fertilizer and key supplies.

And our businesses have struggled to stay afloat as illegal tariffs raise operating costs and have taken billions out of Pennsylvanians’ pockets.

This year, Pennsylvanians can send a message to Washington: we won’t pay the price while you sell us out to appease Donald Trump, and we’re ready to elect Democrats who’ve proven they’ll put our Commonwealth first.

For the past three and a half years, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis have gotten stuff done for Pennsylvanians — securing over $41 billion in private sector investments to create nearly 23,000 jobs and making historic investments in K-12 education across the Commonwealth, while cutting taxes for seniors, working families, and small businesses.

And when Trump’s chaos has threatened the Commonwealth, Gov. Shapiro’s gone to court, and he’s won — protecting Pennsylvania’s students and teachers from devastating funding cuts, restoring frozen SNAP payments to make sure no Pennsylvanian goes hungry, and standing up for their healthcare.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Stacy Garrity, is running to bring that chaos to the Commonwealth as she backs Trump’s policies that are raising prices, hurting farmers, and stripping Pennsylvanians of their healthcare.

As Gov. Shapiro sets an example for how to get stuff done in the Commonwealth, we need leaders who will fight for us in Congress.

In 2026, Pennsylvania has four swing seats in the U.S. House of Representatives — more than any other state in the country — giving us the power to swing control of the chamber and put a check on the cost-raising policies coming out of Washington.

These four members of Congress — Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mazkenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry — are vulnerable because they have abandoned their constituents in favor of complete loyalty to Trump. They’ve advanced devastating healthcare cuts, backed illegal and cost-raising tariffs, and refused to place necessary checks on Trump’s reckless war of choice in Iran — and their constituents are ready to hold them accountable for lacking spines this November.

But this opportunity for change doesn’t stop in Washington.

We have a historic opportunity this year to flip control of the state Senate and expand the current one seat Democratic majority in the state House — giving Democrats our first trifecta in more than 30 years.

That means Pennsylvanians will get their first raise since 2009 when we increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. It means making life more affordable for Pennsylvania families — providing student debt relief, expanding the Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, and supporting the Governor’s plans to lower energy and housing costs.

We know momentum is on our side. Last year Pennsylvanians rejected Trump’s agenda at the ballot box, leading to historic Democratic wins across the Commonwealth. We were even able to flip a state Senate seat that Trump won by double digits. For the first time in years, Democrats are registering more voters than Republicans, delivering on a promise I made on Day One as chair.

Between now and November, Democrats across the Commonwealth — from Bethlehem to Beaver Falls — are united in our goal to elect leaders who put Pennsylvanians first, and we’ll work tirelessly to finally put a check on the chaos, corruption, and high prices of Trump’s Washington.

Eugene DePasquale is the chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.