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.
Latest headlines:
- Last big projections of the evening: McClelland secures the treasurer upset
- Republican Jeffrey Olsommer on track to win Pennsylvania's only special election
- Mackenzie projected to win PA-07 and take on Rep. Susan Wild
- DePasquale projected to win the Democratic AG primary
- Stelson projected to win Democratic primary in 10th District
Last big projections of the evening: McClelland secures the treasurer upset
In what look to be the last statewide or federal projections of the evening, ABC reports that Chris Dziados is projected to win the 14th Congressional District Democratic primary, which Geoff mentioned earlier. And in perhaps the surprise of the night, the AP has projected Erin McClelland as the winner in the Democratic primary for state treasurer. McClelland overcame what seemed like a prohibitive fundraising deficit to best the party’s preferred pick, state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro.
And with that, we're about ready to wrap up! We'll get you all a wrapup post shortly to recap the major outcomes, and let you go with an hour to spare before the clock strikes midnight.
Last call for hot Pennsylvania takes, everyone!
—Tia Yang, 538
A final check-in on female candidates
All of today's congressional primary contests where women were running have been projected, according to ABC News. There aren't too many surprises, here. In most places where Democratic women lost, another woman won (e.g. Summer Lee fended off Bhavini Patel in the 12th; Janelle Stelson prevailed over Shamaine Daniels in the 10th). The exception is Tracey Gordon who was mounting a challenge to Democratic incumbent Dwight Evans in the 3rd. For the GOP, in the 7th, Maria Montero would've advanced to a competitive November race, but failed to win. In the 5th, Alfeia Goodwin was uncontested, but she will face an uphill battle in that blue district.
—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor
Final check-in with anti-abortion Republicans
Tonight I've been tracking anti-abortion Republicans, and there was one notable loss: Houck, a far-right anti-abortion activist, lost to moderate incumbent Fitzpatrick. In most of the other races, anti-abortion Republicans ran unopposed, and in Pennsylvania's 7th, all three Republican primary candidates were on our list. As Kaleigh noted, Mackenzie is the projected winner in that race to take on Wild in what's expected to be one of the most competitive House races this fall.
—Monica Potts, 538
Answer: It was B!
Meredith called it with the Matty Healy reference wrapped in a namedrop of "The Starting Line" (who subsequently thanked T Swift for the shoutout). In her song “The Black Dog,” Swift sings about an ex, asking how he can not miss her when in a pub and somebody plays "The Starting Line," but "she’s too young to know this song.” That said, Swift has dropped a political reference or two before, though more general. She uses the term “also ran” on this latest album and has the cutting line “did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman?” in “Anti-Hero,” her big single from her last album.
—Kaleigh Rogers, 538
Tracking anti-abortion Republican primary candidates
Abortion is likely to once again be a big issue in this year's election cycle, and perhaps a winning issue for Democrats. The issue could divide Republicans, as some voters may prefer their party to focus on other issues, while others prefer candidates who promise to push for a national abortion ban. To that end, tonight we're tracking Republican primary candidates whose campaign websites use the phrase "pro-life," "sanctity of life," "right to life," "no abortion," "against abortion" or "unborn" and do not say abortion is an issue of states' rights:
Abortion remains legal, with restrictions, in Pennsylvania. It was a critical issue during the state's 2022 gubernatorial election. That year, Republicans in the state House and Senate and their candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, promised to pass abortion restrictions, but voters elected Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who supports access to abortion (and handed Democrats a bare majority in the state House as well).
Whether these candidates win or lose could tell us more about the potential battle lines on abortion in their respective districts, and in this critical swing state, for the general election.
—Monica Potts, 538