Primaries across Pennsylvania on Tuesday clarified key battlegrounds for November's midterm elections, as Democrats set their sights on four districts they view as essential for retaking the House of Representatives. Sixteen of the state's 17 US representatives are seeking re-election, and the races highlighted the high stakes in the Keystone State.
Donald Trump carried Pennsylvania by fewer than two points in 2024, and his return to the White House has sharpened Democratic focus on constituencies they see as vulnerable. With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House after 2024, and recent redistricting fights in several southern states giving the GOP incremental advantages, Democrats are treating every potential flip as critical.
Governor's Race and Key Congressional Primaries
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, sits at the top of the ticket this year. The incumbent faced no primary challenger and will run for re-election against Republican treasurer Stacy Garrity, who also ran unopposed.
In the state's first congressional district, Bob Harvie, vice-chair of the Bucks County board of commissioners, defeated Lucia Simonelli, a former science and climate adviser to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Only registered Democrats voted in Tuesday's primary. Harvie will now attempt to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican known for bipartisanship. Fitzpatrick, who ran unopposed, has served in the House since 2017 and won re-election by nearly 13 points in 2024, even though it was one of only three districts in Pennsylvania that Kamala Harris won. Fitzpatrick has occasionally broken with his party, voting against Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" and joining Democrats to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies after a government shutdown.
10th District Rematch
In Pennsylvania's 10th district, Janelle Stelson, a former local news anchor, defeated Justin Douglas, chair of the Dauphin County board of commissioners, in the Democratic primary. She consistently outraised Douglas throughout the race. In November, she will face Republican congressman Scott Perry in a rematch. Stelson challenged Perry in 2024 and lost by just one percentage point. Perry, a four-term incumbent and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, maintained that the 2020 election was stolen and introduced Trump to Jeffrey Clark, an election denier, before the January 6 insurrection.
7th District: Union Leader Emerges
The Cook Political Report ranks the state's 10th and seventh districts among the most competitive House seats nationwide. In the seventh district, which encompasses the Lehigh Valley, union leader Bob Brooks emerged from a four-way Democratic primary. Brooks defeated Lamont McClure, a former Northampton County executive; Ryan Crosswell, a federal prosecutor; and Carol Obando-Derstine, an engineer and former staffer to Senator Bob Casey. A former firefighter, Brooks received endorsements from Shapiro, Senator Bernie Sanders, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He hopes to flip the seat after Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated Democratic congresswoman Susan Wild in 2024. During the primary, out-of-state conservative PAC money poured into the district opposing Brooks and boosting McClure.
8th District: Scranton Mayor Wins Primary
In the northeast, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti won the Democratic primary in the eighth district. She will face Rob Bresnahan, the Republican who flipped the seat in 2024, in a district that includes President Joe Biden's hometown.
3rd District: Progressive Victory in Philadelphia
In the deep blue third district, which covers much of Philadelphia, Chris Rabb won a closely watched primary that became a microcosm of the Democratic Party's internal struggles. Sharif Street, a state senator and son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, entered with broad institutional backing. He faced Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon endorsed by retiring incumbent Dwight Evans, and Rabb, a state representative who ran as an "aggressively anti-establishment Democrat." Rabb gained support from progressive members of Congress like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna, campaigned on universal healthcare, and described US military aid to Israel as supporting genocide in Gaza. Rabb will have no trouble winning in November, as Kamala Harris won 88% of the district's votes in 2024. His victory underscores the appetite for insurgent candidates in liberal strongholds.
Down-Ballot Races
As November approaches, Democrats will fight to retain their one-seat majority in the state House of Representatives, while Republicans aim to hold control of the Pennsylvania Senate.
