Pennsylvania primaries 2024: Lee and Fitzpatrick survive, matchups set for November

In the 7th District in eastern Pennsylvania, hometown boy and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is leading the GOP primary to face Democratic Rep. Susan Wild this fall. With 65 percent of the expected vote reporting, Mackenzie has 42 percent, while business owner Kevin Dellicker has 31 percent and attorney Maria Montero has 27 percent. While ABC News is not yet reporting a projection, the AP has projected Mackenzie to take the W, and Wasserman saw enough 45 minutes ago. The winner of this primary will attempt to unseat Wild, a three-term member of Congress who held onto her seat by just 2 points in 2022. It's set to be one of the most competitive House races in the country this fall.

—Kaleigh Rogers, 538

As a Pennsylvanian, one issue I was looking out for in the attorney general primary was discussion of legalizing marijuana. While the candidates did discuss it at their April 4th debate, it didn't come up much in the conversation around the race. Despite advocating legalization during his term as auditor general, the issue doesn't appear at all on DePasquale's campaign site. That may be because Pennsylvanians' views on legalization have been evolving.

According to the annual Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania Health survey, support for legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania has decreased in the last few years. In the 2021 survey, 58 percent of Pennsylvanians said they supported legalizing the use of marijuana "for any purpose," and 26 percent opposed legalization, a margin of 32 points. In the years since, the margin has steadily decreased, and in the 2024 survey conducted in February and March, 49 percent said they supported legalizing marijuana, while 31 percent opposed, a margin of 18 points.

Not all of these voters are necessarily opposed to legalization, though: The share of Pennsylvanians who express indifference about legal weed has also grown, with 20 percent saying they "neither favored nor opposed" legalizing marijuana in 2024, compared to 14 percent in 2021.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538

ABC News reports that Eugene DePasquale is projected to win the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. The only candidate from Western Pennsylvania, he overcame a fundraising advantage held by his opponents. DePasquale made a name for himself as a state auditor general and has promised to prosecute hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people, protect abortion, and other issues.

—Monica Potts, 538

As I mentioned earlier, only two Republican women are running in House races today, compared to 15 Democratic women. And only one woman, Maria Montero in the 7th, is running in a seat where the party could be competitive in November. Pennsylvania has slightly below average female representation in their state legislature (which is just 32 percent female), and they've never had a female U.S. senator or governor (of any party). A state's history of electing women to political office is actually a pretty good predictor of electing more women in the future. Research indicates that once a state has elected a woman to a particular office, future female candidates are more likely to be successful in seeking that same office. Experts suggest this is due to increased familiarity and acceptance of women in political leadership and the establishment of support networks and resources for female candidates.

ABC hasn't made a projection in Montero's race yet, but The Associated Press has already projected it for state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. Per the latest results, with 50 percent of the expected vote reporting, Montero trails, with 28 percent of the vote to Mackenzie's 43 percent and business owner Kevin Dellicker's 30 percent.

—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor