Pennsylvania is already in the thick of campaign season for November's presidential and U.S. Senate races, but on April 23, Democrats and Republicans in the Keystone State chose their candidates in a slate of other consequential races down the ballot this fall.
Among the key races to watch: a couple of incumbent House members — progressive Democrat Summer Lee and moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick — both fended off challengers from their right, and ballots are now set for a few other consequential contests that could help determine control of the House next year. Plus, some key battle lines for control of the state government in November are set, with the parties finalizing their candidates for attorney general, auditor, treasurer and both chambers of the state legislature.
538 reporters and contributors broke down the election results as they came in with live updates, analysis and commentary. Read our full live blog below.
Voters closely split on Biden's support for Israel and Palestine
According to a Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research/Fox News poll released last week, a plurality, 40 percent, of Pennsylvania voters feel that the Biden administration has been about right in its support for both the Israelis and Palestinians. Twenty-four percent said the administration has been too supportive of the Israelis, and a similar 23 percent said it has been too supportive of the Palestinians.
Pennsylvania features the first real primary challenge against The Squad
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has paved the way for some bitter Democratic primary fights in 2024. Among those most critical of Israel's actions in the conflict has been The Squad, an informal group of around nine progressive Democrats who often clash with their party's establishment. Of that cohort, Rep. Summer Lee of Pittsburgh is the first to face a contested primary in 2024 — but she won't be the last. At least four members, including Lee, have potentially significant primary opposition in part because of their vocal denouncements of Israel — although increasingly negative views of the Middle East nation's actions among the Democratic base means the conflict may not be as helpful to The Squad's challengers as some may have expected.
Should Lee survive, she would join Reps. Greg Casar of Texas and Delia Ramirez of Illinois among those who've won renomination (Casar and Ramirez faced no opposition in their March primaries). But some members with primaries later this summer may have problems, especially the two who are arguably most endangered: New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Missouri Rep. Cori Bush. For one thing, they've each been outraisedby their leading challengers, and they both have potential scandals that could derail their reelection efforts. Last fall, Bowman pulled a fire alarm in a Capitol office building right before a vote, which resulted in him paying a fine and receiving a censure from the House. And Bush faces investigations by the Department of Justice, Federal Election Commission and House Ethics Committee into alleged misuse of funds to pay her security team, including payments to her husband as part of that team.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (C), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (2nd L), Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (2nd R), Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and Rep. Summer Lee hold a press conference with Rabbis in front of the US Capitol to call for a ceasefire and end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza in Washington DC, Nov. 13, 2023.
Attorney general and other statewide races to watch tonight
One of the most competitive races today could be the Democratic contest for the open state attorney general, where Pennsylvania voters have a full slate of five candidates to pick from. It seems to be anyone's contest here, with each candidate bringing endorsements and support from different Democratic factions to the table.
The fundraising leader in this race is Northeast Philadelphia State Rep. Jared Solomon, a veteran who's emphasized anti-corruption and public safety on the campaign trail and in the state legislature. But his good-government bent hasn't seemed to win him friends in the party — he came in last in balloting for the Democratic Party endorsement (which no candidate ended up winning). The next biggest fundraising numbers came from Delaware County DA Jack Stollseimer and former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, who previously served as a prosecutor in Philadelphia.
Joe Khan, a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General, walks from his polling place in Doylestown, Pa., Apr. 23, 2024.
Matt Rourke/AP
But there are two other candidates who may have other advantages in their pockets: The top vote-getter in the inconclusive party endorsement contest was Eugene DePasquale, who likely has a name recognition advantage. A Pittsburgh native, he represented York County as a state rep before winning statewide office as auditor general, and he's the only candidate from Western Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, the most progressive candidate in the race is likely Keir Bradford-Grey, a former chief public defender in both Montgomery County and Philadelphia. She's backed by the progressive Working Families Party and is looking to become the state's first Black AG, and the first AG in the country with a background primarily as a public defender. Her showing could tell us something about Pennsylvania Democrats' mood at a time when progressive prosecutors like Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner have come under increased scrutiny.
Whoever wins will be gearing up for a competitive general election, where they'll face the winner of today's GOP primary between York County DA David Sunday, who has his party's endorsement, and state Rep. Craig Williams, another veteran who represents parts of Chester and Delaware Counties and served as the chamber's impeachment manager against Krasner last year.
Further down the ballot, Democrats are also choosing their candidates today to challenge incumbent Republicans for two other statewide posts. In the Democratic primary for auditor general, the state's top fiscal watchdog, progressive Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta earned the party nod, and is likely favored over Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley. For state treasurer, Erie state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro is similarly favored over Pittsburgh-area small business owner Erin McClelland. These races are expected to be highly competitive in November too: They were each decided by just a few percentage points in 2020, and Democrats have set their sights on reversing the results this time around.
Today, five Democratic women will be up for reelection in the House: Reps. Summer Lee, Susan Wild, Madeleine Dean, Mary Scanlon and Chrissy Houlahan. Of these incumbents, only Lee is facing a challenger. In 2022 Lee, now a member of the progressive group known as The Squad, narrowly defeated Steve Irwin in the Democratic primary despite heavy opposition spending by AIPAC. This year, Lee's challenger is Bhavini Patel, an Indian-American small business owner. As Irena mentioned, Patel has aligned herself as a more moderate, pro-Israel foil to Lee, who's been endorsed by a full slate of progressive groups including the Justice Dems, Working Families Party, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Sunrise Movement and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Beyond the Democratic women running as incumbents, a couple running in open primaries for competitive races in November are on the ballot today, too. In the 1st District, Army Apache helicopter pilot Ashley Ehasz is running unopposed to face Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in November. Ehasz lost to Fitzpatrick in 2022 by about 10 percentage points and is backed by the pro-choice organization, EMILY's List.
Ashley Ehasz, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvanias 1st Congressional District, attends a campaign rally with Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and Democratic candidate for Senate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in Newtown, Pa., on Nov. 6, 2022.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, FILE
In the 10th district, two women, Shamaine Daniels and Janelle Stelson, are running in a crowded primary field to face Rep. Scott Perry in November. Daniels lost to Perry in 2022 by less than 10 points. But it is Stelson who may have front-runner status, and has the backing of EMILY's List, today. I'll be watching the 10th to see if Daniels will get a rematch in November, or if support from EMILY's List (and some other key endorsements) gives Stelson the edge.
We'll be updating the table below as we track how each of these women do tonight: