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

538 tracked congressional and downballot primary races in the Keystone State.

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.


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Stelson projected to win Democratic primary in 10th District

ABC News reports that Janelle Stelson is projected to win the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania's 10th District. With 63 percent of the expected vote reporting, she leads with 44 percent, well ahead of Mike O'Brien's 23 percent in second place. Stelson will advance to the general election to face Rep. Scott Perry, who has arguably the most conservative voting record of any Republican who represents a seat that Trump would've won by less than 5 points in 2020 or that Biden would've carried. However, the GOP starts out as favorites for the general election, as ratings outlets view it as a Lean Republican seat.

—Geoffrey Skelley, 538


Kenyatta projected to win Democratic primary for Auditor General

ABC News reports that progressive Philadelphia State Rep. Malcom Kenyatta is projected to win in the Democratic Auditor General primary. He's currently ahead of Mark Pinsley by around 23 percentage points, a significant improvement from the last time he appeared on a statewide primary ballot, winning just 11 percent of the vote in the 2022 Senate primary. He will face Republican incumbent Timothy DeFoor in November, who ran unopposed today.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538


Fitzpatrick projected to win in PA-01

ABC News reports that Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is projected to win the GOP primary in the 1st District, conquering his right-flank challenge from anti-abortion activist Mark Houck. He's faced a primary challenger in every election since he was first elected in 2016, but has always triumphed. Fitzpatrick will once again go up against Democrat Ashley Ehasz this fall, whom he beat by 10 points in 2022.

—Kaleigh Rogers, 538


Downballot races show incumbents leading

I wrote earlier about some of the races for state House. So far, it looks like state Rep. Brown, in West Philadelphia, and state Rep. Salisbury, in the Pittsburgh area, are fending off challenges from the left, according to The New York Times. In the Brown race, Blackwell and Green may have split the vote against him. In the Democratic race for state Senate in Erie, Erie County Democratic Party Chair Jim Wertz is projected to defeat former Fetterman staffer Selena King, according to The New York Times.

—Monica Potts, 538


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.

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.

—Tia Yang, 538