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In the Pennsylvania primary election on Tuesday, Democratic voters will choose their candidates in several of the most important House of Representatives races in the country — races that will be conducted under a new, less gerrymandered map.
Republicans, meanwhile, will choose their nominees to take on Sen. Bob Casey, one of 10 Senate Democrats running for reelection this fall in a state Donald Trump won in 2016, and incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
Polls have now closed. Live results can be seen below as they come in.
Pennsylvania Senate Republican primary: Lou Barletta versus Jim Christiana
Who is the Democrat? Incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, first elected in the 2006 election. His dad was the governor a few decades ago.
Who are the Republicans? US Rep. Lou Barletta and state Rep. Jim Christiana.
What’s the story? Barletta is the establishment’s favored son in this race, but Christiana is running on a “Washington outsider” message. We just saw in the Indiana Senate primary last week that House Republicans like Barletta are having a hard time winning over voters at the polls right now. But whoever wins will have a tough time against Casey. The most recent polls put him up by at least 16 points over Barletta. The Cook Political Report says this race is a Likely Democratic win. But it can’t be ignored after Trump’s surprising win here in 2016.
Pennsylvania governor Republican primary: who will challenge Gov. Tom Wolf?
Who is the Democrat? Incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf, first elected in 2014.
Who are the Republicans? It’s a three-way race in Tuesday’s GOP primary: state Sen. Scott Wagner versus attorney Laura Ellsworth versus former paratrooper Paul Mango. Wagner has the endorsements of both Steve Bannon and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, which is quite the spectrum. Conservative stalwart Sen. Tom Cotton endorsed Mango; former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina backed Ellsworth.
What’s the story? Wolf seems to be in good shape. Morning Consult places his approval rating at 45 percent, with 39 percent disapproval. Cook says the race leans toward Wolf. A March poll showed him with solid leads over all his potential Republican challengers. Still, the GOP has hopes of picking up this seat in a state Trump surprisingly won in 2016.
Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District primaries: Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick runs again
Who are the Democrats? The local party is backing Scott Wallace, a wealthy lawyer who’s already put $2.5 million of his own money into the race. He’s being challenged by Rachel Reddick, a former Navy prosecutor blasting him as a “Maryland multimillionaire.” Reddick has her own problem, though — she was a registered Republican until last year. Progressive activist Steve Bacher is also running.
Who are the Republicans? Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is the incumbent and expected nominee, though he’s facing a primary challenge from the right, from attorney Dean Malik.
What’s the story? Hillary Clinton won this eastern district by 2 percentage points, so it’s a top target for Democrats this fall. Yet Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent who’s only in his first term in Congress, could be a tough target. Some Democrats hope Wallace will win so he can self-fund and they can spend their general election money elsewhere.
Pennsylvania’s Fifth Congressional District Democratic primary: who will succeed Rep. Pat Meehan?
Who are the Democrats? Ten Democrats are running in this incredibly crowded race, so we won’t list them all. Lawyer Mary Gay Scanlon and former prosecutor Ashley Lunkenheimer raised the most money, but a recent poll showed state Rep. Greg Vitali (who’s foresworn big-dollar fundraising) in the hunt too.
Who is the Republican? Pearl Kim, a former prosecutor, is unopposed for the GOP nomination.
What’s the story? This open seat in the southeast of the state was vacated by Republican Rep. Pat Meehan, who resigned due to accusations that he sexually harassed an aide. But it’s already a near-certain Democratic pickup — Pennsylvania’s new map changed this from a swing district to one Hillary Clinton won by 28 points. So the main drama is which of the 10 Democratic candidates in the race will emerge triumphant in an incredibly crowded primary race — and no one really knows! With no obvious frontrunner, it’s entirely possible someone could win with less than 20 percent of the vote.
Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District primaries: who will succeed Rep. Charlie Dent?
Who are the Democrats? There’s a clear ideological contrast among the leading Democratic candidates in this race. John Morganelli, the Northampton County district attorney, is well-known in the district — but he’s also anti-abortion and pro-gun, and has said harsh things about unauthorized immigration and positive things about Donald Trump. Greg Edwards is an African-American pastor supported by progressive activist groups, including the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution. Susan Wild, former Allentown city solicitor, is backed by Democratic women’s groups like Emily’s List and NARAL.
Who are the Republicans? Former Olympic cyclist Marty Nothstein is facing off against businessman Dean Browning.
What’s the story? There’s a wide-open race to succeed former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent, who had been in Congress for 14 years and co-chaired the House GOP’s moderate “Tuesday Group” but retired due to frustration with polarized politics. And under the new map, Clinton won the district by 1 point, making it a prime pickup opportunity. But if Morganelli wins, Democrats fear he’d be an unreliable vote for the party in Congress.
Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District Republican primary: who will take on Rep. Matt Cartwright?
Who is the Democrat? Rep. Matt Cartwright, first elected to Congress in 2012, represents one of the most conservative US House districts currently held by a Democrat.
Who are the Republicans? Wealthy self-funder John Chrin hopes to win the GOP nomination, even though he doesn’t actually live in the district anymore under the new map. Former prison guard Robert Kuniegel and former police officer Joe Peters are also running.
What’s the story? In a normal year, Cartwright would be a top target for the GOP — Trump won his district by nearly 10 points. But with the midterm environment looking tough for Republicans in general, the Cook Political Report currently ranks this race as Likely Democratic.
Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District Democratic primary: who will take on Rep. Scott Perry?
Who are the Democrats? The top fundraisers on the Democratic side are public health scientist Eric Ding and former Capitol Hill and Obama administration staffer Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson. Air Force veteran Alan Howe and pastor George Scott are also in the race.
Who is the Republican? Rep. Scott Perry, an Iraq War veteran who was first elected in 2012.
What’s the story? Perry represents a district Trump won by about 9 points — so it’s not out of the question that Democrats could pick it up in a wave year. It’s definitely not one of their easiest pickup opportunities in Pennsylvania, though, and the party lacks a top-tier recruit.
Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District Republican primary: Rep. Lloyd Smucker faces a primary
Who is the Democrat? Jess King, a progressive nonprofit leader backed by Bernie Sanders, is running unopposed.
Who are the Republicans? Rep. Lloyd Smucker is facing a primary challenge from the right, from Chet Beiler. Beiler has pledged to join the Freedom Caucus if elected.
What’s the story? Smucker seemed to be one of the few incumbent Republicans to benefit from Pennsylvania’s new map, since his district became more conservative. Still, if he can best Beiler’s right-wing ideological challenge in the primary, he’ll have to rebut King’s progressive platform in the general.
Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District: Rep. Tom Marino tries to defend his record on opioids
Who are the Democrats? Drug and alcohol counselor Judy Herschel and Penn State professor Marc Friedenberg are competing for the nomination.
Who is the Republican? Rep. Tom Marino is running for reelection, but he’s facing a primary challenge from Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko.
What’s the story? Marino was nominated as Trump’s drug czar last year, but he withdrew from consideration after reports described his role in passing a law that critics say hindered the government’s response to the opioid epidemic. So McLinko is trying to make Marino’s record the centerpiece of his primary challenge. Trump won by 36 points, so it’s probably safely in the GOP’s hands for the general.
Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District primaries: Rick Saccone is back
Who are the Democrats? Four Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination, with emergency physician Bob Solomon putting more than $100,000 of his own money into the race against former Ford executive Bibiana Boerio, veteran Tom Prigg, and Adam Sedlock.
Who is the Republican? State Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost against Conor Lamb in March’s special election and was generally viewed as a weak candidate, is running in the Republican primary. Some prominent Republicans hope state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler will win the primary instead of Saccone.
What’s the story? Conor Lamb won a seat in Congress in that special election, but that was under Pennsylvania’s old map, in a district that was then split between the new 17th (where he’s running) and the more conservative new 14th. Trump won this new district by 29 points, so it will likely be, technically, a Republican pickup canceling out a Democratic gain elsewhere.
Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District Democratic primary: who will take on Rep. Mike Kelly?
Who are the Democrats? Attorney Ron DiNicola is the leading fundraiser. Physician Robert Multari and Chris Rieger are also running.
Who is the Republican? Rep. Mike Kelly.
What’s the story? This northwestern district went to Trump by 20 points, but to Mitt Romney in 2012 by only 5 points — so the Cook Political Report deems it Likely Republican rather than safe. It’s probably a reach for Democrats, though.
