The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee on Thursday announced its latest “spotlight” candidate - Jim Prokopiak, who is running for a critical legislative seat in a Feb. 13 special election that will determine the majority in the Pennsylvania House.

“The special election in Pennsylvania House District 140 could not be more important to preserving fundamental freedoms in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said DLCC President Heather Williams in a statement. “This election represents the tie-breaker in the Pennsylvania House, and winning this election is crucial to preserving the Democratic majority and keeping the gavel in the hands of Speaker Joanna McClinton.”

Currently, Republicans in the statehouse control the Senate, while Democrats had a slim majority in the House until a Democratic member of the House resigned after winning a judgeship last November.

Prokopiak, a local school board member, is running against Republican nominee Candace Cabanas for the 140th House District.

Although there is only one legislative seat up for grabs in the February 13 election, the DLCC said they see this race as a prime example of how critical it is for national Democrats to pay attention to elections down the ballot.

“We think that this special [election] shows just how important a single legislative seat is for determining a majority and why Democrats broadly must pay attention and invest in state legislative races today, but also all through this general election,” Williams told The Messenger.

According to Williams, Pennsylvania took a “hard right turn during the Trump times, particularly with the questionable election denying slash certification conversations.” Now, Williams says that the state is “ripe” for conversations with voters about “fundamental freedoms” and democracy.

The seat represents parts of what has widely been considered a bellwether county in suburban Philadelphia, and what Axios previously described as “the epicenter” of any potential Republican comeback in Pennsylvania. This upcoming special election could also be a glimpse into voters’ minds ahead of the highly anticipated November races.

Williams noted that this race will allow the group to get in front of voters and collect data ahead of November.

“It’s in Bucks County, obviously an important place. It's going to give us some really good information, some good data. We're going to learn a lot from it,” Williams said.

This is just the latest race that the DLCC has its sights set on. Earlier this week the organization released its “roadmap” for 2024, which detailed its plans for the rest of the year going into November’s election. According to the memo, the group has already raised more than $21 million this election cycle.

There has been a recent focus on down-ballot races, including state legislatures, since issues like abortion access and transgender rights have increasingly been decided at the state level. Last year, the DLCC was involved in a handful of wins, including in Virginia, where Democrats won the majority in both chambers.

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Dems Invest Heavily in Critical Swing State Seat (Exclusive)