Pa. election 2026: What Bucks County voters should know about the 6th Senate District race between Frank Farry and Eileen Hartnett Albillar

Pennsylvania state senators serve four-year terms. There are no term limits.

There are 50 senators in the legislative body. In their role as lawmakers, senators serve on committees, write and introduce legislation or changes to existing legislation, and debate and vote on proposed bills. To become law, bills must be passed by both the state House and the Senate before being sent to the governor’s desk to be approved or vetoed.

The Senate and the House also work with the governor to establish a state budget and tax policy.

A senator’s other duties include attending government meetings on a myriad of issues, and responding to constituents’ requests and queries.

The state Senate alone has the power to approve or reject gubernatorial cabinet nominations and appointments to commissions, boards and judicial vacancies.

Bucks County (part)

• Bensalem Township
• Hulmeville Borough
• Ivyland Borough
• Langhorne Borough
• Langhorne Manor Borough
• Lower Southampton Township
• Middletown Township
• Northampton Township
• Penndel Borough
• Upper Southampton Township
• Warminster Township
• Warrington Township
• Warwick Township
• Wrightstown Township

Unsure which Pennsylvania state Senate district you fall under? Residents may find their district online using their address.

The 6th Senatorial District has been a Republican stronghold for more than three decades. But Democrats have targeted it and two other districts in a bid to gain a “trifecta” in state government — control of the House, Senate and governorship — for the first time since 1993.

Republicans currently have a 27-23 advantage in the Senate, so Democrats would have to flip at least three seats to take power.

In his first Senate term, Farry said he authored or co-authored 55 bills that became law.

“All of them were signed into law with bipartisan support, which I think is something that’s very important,” Farry said.

Legislation expanding the PACE and PACENet programs, which lower out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs for low-income seniors, is among his top accomplishments in the Senate, Farry said. The House companion bill of Farry’s Senate bill was signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro in December 2025. The bill ensures that increased income due to Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments is not used as a reason to exclude adults aged 65 and up from the program.

As a House representative, Farry also supported legislation in 2018 that raised income eligibility for both programs.

Other legislation Farry has sponsored has been informed by his family’s lived experience, he said. His wife recently completed a successful two-year battle with breast cancer.

“Early detection, quite frankly, saved her life,” Farry said.

Farry was the prime sponsor of a bill signed into law last year that strengthens the state’s no-cost breast cancer screening legislation by eliminating costs for follow-up diagnostic imaging for those insured under Pennsylvania law.

Farry said he plans to work on authoring legislation covering screenings for other cancers, including ovarian, prostate and colorectal.

The senator also highlighted the successful bipartisan pushback on PECO proposed rate increases for electric and gas, a request the company withdrew in the spring.

Affordability “is the issue across the map,” Farry said. “But … not far behind it is this partisanship mess that’s going on.”

Open primaries “would help resolve some of that,” he said, along with candidates and elected officials being more focused on the people they represent rather than their party.

Farry said if he is reelected, he plans to continue working across the aisle to address major issues, including budgeting for SEPTA, increasing the minimum wage and public school funding. Farry said he has “probably the most independent voting record in the Senate.”

“If something’s put before me that’s not in the interest of my community, even if it’s put before us by our own party, I will vote against it,” Farry said. “If something is put before us from the other party and it’s good, I will vote for it.”

On affordability, Farry said a bipartisan “collective effort” is necessary to address pocketbook concerns for voters in his district and across the state.

“Having a robust public transit system, coupled with helping those that need to use public transit, is important,” he said. “Affordable health care is important. Access to health care is important, right? Ensuring the state is investing the resources … to have a good economy and good-paying jobs. These are all things that are important to do, but they’re not usually solved with a single piece of legislation.”

A youth activities tax credit is an example of one piece of legislation that he is working on that can make a difference for families’ economic well-being, Farry said.

Senate Bill 1441 would allow parents to file for tax credit for the cost of their children’s extracurricular activities.

“Whether it’s training, equipment, registration fees, that will not be a burden on our families here in Pennsylvania in the future if we’re successful with that legislation,” Farry said.

Farry cited SEPTA funding as a key issue.

Republicans and Democrats in Harrisburg were stalled in a monthslong gridlock over funding for the transit agency in 2025. Stopgap funding was approved to avoid service cuts, but questions concerning a long-term budget for mass transit in the state have gone unresolved.

Farry and other Senate Republicans voted down a House-approved bill that would have provided additional long-term funding for SEPTA via an increase in the portion of sales tax revenue allotted to mass transit.

Farry said he is committed to establishing a sustainable funding plan for SEPTA, and introduced legislation addressing the issue a few years before it became “such a huge, front-page issue.”

Raising the minimum wage, with yearly increases to keep pace with the cost of living, is another of Farry’s legislative priorities.

Farry’s endorsements include:

• American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
• Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 98
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 269
• Bucks County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 53
• International Association of Firefighters Philly Local 22
• Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association
• District Council 21
• Pennsylvania State Education Association
• Teamsters PA Conference
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 19
• United Food and Commercial Workers

Hartnett Albillar said raising the minimum wage is one of her top legislative priorities if elected. She said she has heard from voters in her district who are working multiple jobs, even when they are retired, to stay afloat.

“If you are working a 40-hour week, you should have the dignity of a livable wage that allows you to provide for your family,” Hartnett Albillar said. “Full stop. So we need to increase the minimum wage so that families are able to just meet their … basic needs without having to take out a small loan to fill up your car with gas, and to buy school supplies for your kids.”

She said she would also prioritize increasing public school funding — an issue that impacts her personally, she said, since her two children are entering middle and high school in public schools this year.

“I understand that not every student is getting the same resources they should across the commonwealth, and no student should be shorted,” she said.

Long-term sustainable funding for SEPTA is also a key issue for Hartnett Albillar, she said.

She grew up in Warminster and her family moved there because of its proximity to the Regional Rail, Hartnett Albillar said. Like many other families and households in the state’s 6th Senatorial District, her dad used the Regional Rail to commute to Philadelphia, where he worked for the U.S. District Court.

“Mass transit is a critical piece of the infrastructure in Bucks County, especially in my district, and the Senate Republicans have not been able to support a sustainable long-term plan, and we need to do that,” she said.

Hartnett Albillar also highlighted her commitment to reducing energy costs for residents and exploring ways to maximize weatherization opportunities for homeowners.

“Reducing energy burden for all families is something that I feel very strongly about,” she said. “Ensuring … we’re holding the energy companies accountable for passing on their fees to the ratepayers … that’s something we really need to do something about too.

Hartnett Albillar said she also wants to break down the partisan gridlock in Harrisburg.

“The kind of leader that I see myself as [is] a listener, problem solver, and an advocate, right? And advocating for what’s best,” she said. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to get everything you want, and sometimes you need to give a little to get a little. But real bipartisanship is true leadership, and that is definitely missing.”

Hartnett Albillar’s endorsements include:

• Jane Fonda Climate Action PAC
• Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
• American Federation of Teachers
• Committee to Protect Healthcare
• League of Conservation Voters
• Climate Cabinet
• Sierra Club
• Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance
• Vote Mama Foundation
• Moms Fed Up
• The First Ask
• Represent PA
• Emily’s List
• Planned Parenthood Action PAC
• Kennedy Democrats
• Bucks County Democrats