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.


0

But PA-01 may be a tighter race this time around

That’s right, Meredith, and as I mentioned earlier, Fitzpatrick beat Ehasz by 10 points in 2022, but there are signs that this race could be tighter. It’s a purple district that has seen some shifts to the left, namely some recent school board elections. Voters flipped the Central Bucks School District from majority Republican to majority Democratic in an election last year, and Democrats swept the Pennridge School Board election. Of course, school board elections have their own quirks, particularly with some of the identity politics issues that have come to a head in recent years, but we could see a similar friction emerge with abortion as a hot-button issue in the general. While Fitzpatrick is hardly an anti-abortion activist, it’s an area where he hasn’t been as clearly moderate (he’s voted for abortion bans, for example, and his campaign website avoids the issue entirely), and Ehasz has a clear advantage on this front. Of course, Fitzpatrick’s incumbency and the more conservative reaches of the district could certainly be enough to keep him in his seat, but I’d be willing to bet it will be by a slimmer margin than last time, if he manages to pull it off.

—Kaleigh Rogers, 538


Biden and Trump projected to win their primaries in Pennsylvania

Coming as no surprise to anyone, ABC News projects that Biden and Trump will win their respective primaries in the Keystone State. But that doesn't mean voters are going to be happy about the outcome in November. In a March survey by Franklin and Marshall College, a majority of Pennsylvania voters said they would be sad if either Biden or Trump is reelected. When asked if they would feel happy or sad if each candidate won, 50 percent said they would be sad if Biden won and 53 percent said the same about Trump. Forty-eight percent said they would be happy if Biden won, and 43 percent would be happy if Trump won.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538


Incumbent Dwight Evans wins in the 3rd

ABC reports that Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans is projected to win his primary in the central and west Philadelphia-based 3rd District. With 29 percent of the expected vote reporting, Evans has a resounding 89 percent of the vote over challenger Tracey Gordon, the city's former register of wills. Evans has effectively secured a fifth term in Congress tonight, with no Republican challenger currently on the ballot in this majority Black, deep-blue district.

—Irena Li, 538


Fitzpatrick will likely face off against Ehasz, again

As Kaleigh just mentioned, Fitzpatrick is well ahead of his challenger from the right, Houck, in the 1st District. This means those voters will see a redux of the 2022 race, when he beat Democrat, Army Apache helicopter pilot Ashley Ehasz. Ehasz is supported by EMILY's List, the pro-choice organization working to elect more women to Congress.

—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor


Some key General Assembly races in Pennsylvania tonight

In tonight's primaries, voters aren't just deciding on federal candidates for November's general election; they're also setting up the battles for control of the state House and Senate. In 2022, Democrats won the governorship, and they currently hold a one-vote majority in the House they've struggled to maintain through a series of special elections. The party is looking to expand that House majority and gain control of the Senate for a trifecta by targeting opportunities (and defending some vulnerable seats) in the purple areas of this purple state. And, of course, Republicans want to keep their Senate majority, which they've held for 30 years, and take back the House.

Republicans have a six-vote majority in the state Senate, so Democrats need to pick up at least three seats for a tie, which could be broken by Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. Half the chamber is up for election this cycle. Among the handful of key races, Democrats will be defending an Allegheny County seat and challenging Republicans for a Harrisburg-based seat that are both opening up because of retirements. In both districts, each party is holding a contested primary today and redistricting could give Democrats a boost in November. Democrats are also challenging Republican incumbents in two seats that flipped to red in 2016 and 2020; one will hold a competitive Democratic primary today between Erie County Democratic Party Chair Jim Wertz and former Sen. John Fetterman staffer Selena King.

In the House, the hot primary action will largely be on the Democratic side, as the party's more progressive and centrist flanks face off in districts around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In West Philadelphia, Rep. Amen Brown is defending his seat against two challengers, Sajda Blackwell, whose family has a history in area politics, and progressive community activist Cass Green. Brown ran unsuccessfully for mayor on a tough-on-crime stance, and has sided with Republicans in criticizing progressive Philly DA Larry Krasner. Elsewhere in the city, three incumbents endorsed by progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia are facing challengers of their own. And in the Pittsburgh area, state Rep. Abigail Salisbury, who stepped into U.S. Rep. Summer Lee's former seat, is facing a challenge from Ashley Comans, a progressive school board member who lost to Salisbury last year and is endorsed by Lee herself.

Tonight's results will have an effect on their party's chances to hold onto the state House majority in November, and also the direction the Democratic party may try to take should it seize a trifecta.

—Monica Potts, 538