As someone who climbs towers for a living, Brian Wrightson knows a few things about heights.
On Tuesday, he conquered a new one.
Wrightson, a Democrat from Archbald in Lackawanna County, defeated incumbent state Sen. Rosemary Brown in Tuesday's general election, according to unofficial results.
With all 179 precincts across the 40th Senate District reporting, Wrightson had 50,072 votes to 47,283 for Brown.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to all the voters in Northeastern Pennsylvania for placing their trust in me. I don’t take that responsibility lightly,” Wrightson said in a statement. “As a small business owner, you know I’m not a politician, but I’m ready to go to Harrisburg and do what I know best: fix things.”
Two other incumbent state senators who represent part of Northeast Pennsylvania, Marty Flynn and Lisa Baker, easily won reelection.
In the bigger picture, Wrightson's victory helped secure Democratic Party control of the state Senate for the first time since 1994. Statewide, Democrats won four of five hotly contested state Senate seats, which will give them a 26-24 majority. That means Democrats will control the governor's office and both houses of the state General Assembly, giving them the chance to pass a higher minimum wage and to legalize and tax recreational marijuana use.
At the Grange Valley Lakeside Inn & Winery in Mount Pocono, a dejected Brown spoke to reporters.
“I think we hoped for good results. We expected a good service to shine over whatever someone was unhappy with. It’s a process… It’s God’s plan,” she said.
She did not discuss why she lost, but said she hopes Wrightson prioritizes "really listening to people."
"That to me is concerning. It’s our job; it’s not easy. I hope he gives respect to the position, respect to the different views of people, and he’s not just a party-driven person. Which I don’t think I ever was,” she said, becoming teary-eyed as she spoke.
As she discussed what she'll do next, Brown grew more emotional, prompting a campaign staffer to seek tissues.
"I don’t know… good stuff," she said. "I’ve always been in private sector business. I never expected to do this, so this was actually a surprise to me. But I love writing legislation. I love problem solving. So, we’ll see. Lots of opportunities.”
She called for the nation "to stop being so partisan."
"I do think you have to look at what each party stands for so they can be guides for you. You can be associated with blue or red, but I feel we really need to get back to connected parties. Whether you’re Republican or Democrat, you’re connected… softer integration of both parties instead of painting everyone with the same brush," she said.
Brown, 55, Middle Smithfield Twp., and Wrightson, 57, Archbald, were unopposed for their respective party nominations in the May primary.
The race played out against the backdrop of data center development, an issue that has resonated across the district, which consists of all of Monroe County, along with parts of eastern Lackawanna County and southern Wayne County.
Brown maintained she has been one of the leading voices in Harrisburg fighting for a statewide moratorium on the development of data centers, including cosponsoring legislation.
She also touted her introduction in February of a "Residents First" legislative package that would, among other things, limit large-scale data center campuses to zoned industrial areas and establish pre-application requirements for developers.
Wrightson also supported a moratorium on data center development until additional safeguards are in place or said he would even back a ban if necessary. He argued the unchecked development of data centers would be a threat to the region's environmental resources and tourism economy.
Both encountered blowback on the issue.
Wrightson is the owner and operator of Fire Tower Communications, which installs and manages communications infrastructure and broadband across the district.
Republicans spent considerable money trying to tie Wrightson's business work to data centers and portraying him as friendly to data center developers.
Democrats hit back. Wrightson accused Brown of being for data centers before she was against them, citing a Senate hearing she chaired at a Lackawanna County school in 2025. Democrats also pointed to contributions her campaign received from billionaire Jeffrey Yass, a school choice advocate and data center developer.
Brown, who spent 12 years as a member of the state House before her election to the Senate in 2022, ran campaign ads highlighting her record of bipartisanship and promoting her support for having defibrillators at high school sporting events and banning cell phone use while driving.
Wrightson, a former emergency services director for the American Red Cross in Northeast Pennsylvania, pledged to promote recruitment and volunteer service programs as a pathway to careers in emergency services, public safety and health care.
The Democrats have a slight registration edge in the 40th District with 75,308 registered voters (41.2%), compared to 72,437 (39.6%) Republicans and 35,135 (19.2%) third party and unaffiliated.
In the general election four years ago, Brown received 55.3% of the vote in defeating Democrat Jennifer Shukaitis. Republican Donald Trump carried the district with 53.6% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Here are the unofficial results of the Pennsylvania Senate races in Northeast Pennsylvania with some voting precincts still missing:
DISTRICT 20 (Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming)
Democratic: Jackie Baker, 41,288
Republican: Sen. Lisa Baker, 66,006
DISTRICT 22 (Lackawanna/Luzerne)
Democratic: Sen. Marty Flynn, 58,015
Republican: Sharon Soltis Sparano, 30,465
DISTRICT 40 (Lackawanna/Monroe)
Democratic: Brian Wrightston, 50,072
Republican: Sen. Rosemary Brown, 47,283
