The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, a loss of one seat following the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held Tuesday, April 24. Republicans control redistricting in Pennsylvania, which lost one seat in reapportionment. A map released on December 13, 2011, effectively merged the 4th and 12th congressional districts, represented by Democrats Jason Altmire and Mark Critz. The map was passed by the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ...

. Critz won the incumbent-on-incumbent primary, but then lost the general election.

Overview

District 1

Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district Pennsylvania's first congressional district includes all of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County in southeastern Pennsylvania. It has been represented by Brian Fitzpatrick (Am ...

has been represented by Democrat

Bob Brady Robert A. Brady (born April 7, 1945) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2019. He was the ranking Democrat and Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration from 2007 to 20 ...

since 1998.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Bob Brady, incumbent

Withdrew

*Jimmie Moore,

Philadelphia Municipal Court The Philadelphia Municipal Court is a trial court of limited jurisdiction seated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has 27 judges elected by the voters of Philadelphia. The Municipal Court has three divisions: the Criminal Division, the Civil Divi ...

judge

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

*John Featherman, realtor and former candidate for mayor of Philadelphia

Primary results

General election

Results

District 2

Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district Pennsylvania's second congressional district includes all of Northeast Philadelphia and parts of North Philadelphia east of Broad Street, as well as portions of Philadelphia's River Wards. It has been represented by Democrat Brendan Boyle since 2 ...

was represented by Democrat

Chaka Fattah Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House for from 1995 to 2016. The district included portions of North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and West P ...

since 1995. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Robert Allen Mansfield, Jr. ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Independent candidate James Foster also ran, creating a three-way race.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 3

Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district Pennsylvania's third congressional district includes several areas of the city of Philadelphia, including West Philadelphia, most of Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia. It has been represented by Democrat Dwight Evans since 2019. With ...

has been represented by Republican Mike Kelly since January 2011. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Missa Eaton, president of Democratic Women of Mercer County

Disqualified

*Mel Marin *George Schroeck

Declined

* Kathy Dahlkemper, former U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district *Ron DiNicola, attorney and Marine Corps veteran and 1996 candidate for

Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district Pennsylvania's twenty-first congressional district was a congressional district in northwestern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Nor ...

Joe Sinnott Joseph Leonard Sinnott (; October 16, 1926 June 25, 2020) was an American comic book artist. Working primarily as an inker, Sinnott is best known for his long stint on Marvel Comics' '' Fantastic Four'', from 1965 to 1981 (and briefly in the l ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 4

Republican

Todd Platts Todd Russell Platts (born March 5, 1962) is an American attorney and Republican Party politician who serves as a Judge on the York County Court of Common Pleas and is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2001 to 2013. The district, ...

, who represented Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district since 2001 and had been expected to seek re-election in the new

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

, did not seek re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Harry Perkinson,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

-based

defense contractor The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and se ...

employee *Ken Lee

Declined

*Matt Matsunaga, former co-chair of the College Republicans at Catonsville Community College *Doug Hoke, York County Commissioner *Ryan Sanders, 2010 nominee for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district * John Brenner, former Mayor of York *

Eugene DePasquale Eugenio Anthony DePasquale (born August 3, 1971) is an American Democratic politician who served as the Pennsylvania Auditor General from 2013 to 2021. From 2007 to 2013, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the ...

, state representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

*Kevin Downs *Eric Martin * Scott Perry, state representative *Chris Reilly, York County Commissioner *Sean Summers, lawyer who represented Albert Snyder in '' Snyder v. Phelps'' *Mark Swomley *Ted Waga, member of the York 912 Patriots

Declined

*Brock McCleary, deputy political director of the

National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and ...

Primary results

General election

Results

District 5

Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district Pennsylvania's fifth congressional district encompasses all of Delaware County, an exclave of Chester County, a small portion of southern Montgomery County and a section of southern Philadelphia. Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon represents the distri ...

was represented by Republican incumbent Glenn Thompson, who was first elected in 2008.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Charles Dumas, professor at Penn State University

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 6

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Ho ...

was represented by Republican

Jim Gerlach James W. Gerlach (born February 25, 1955) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Gerlach retired from Congress after completing his sixth term. Early life, education and caree ...

since 2003, and he ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Manan Trivedi, physician,

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veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

, and 2010 nominee for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district

Declined

*Doug Pike, 2010 candidate for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 7

Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district includes all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties; and parts of Monroe County. The district is represented by Democrat Susan Wild. From 2013 through 2018, the district incorporated parts of th ...

was represented by Republican

Pat Meehan Patrick Leo Meehan (born October 20, 1955) is a former American Republican Party politician and federal prosecutor from Pennsylvania who represented parts of Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Lancaster counties in the United States Hou ...

since January 2011. He ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*George Badey III, attorney

Declined

Joe Sestak Joseph Ambrose Sestak Jr. (born December 12, 1951) is an American politician and retired U.S. Navy officer. He represented in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in ...

, former U.S. Representative and 2010 candidate for U.S. Senate *Jack Stollsteimer, former Safe Schools Advocate

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 8

Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district is located in the northeastern region of the state. It encompasses all of Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties; along with portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties. The district had been anchored ...

was represented by Republican

Mike Fitzpatrick Michael Gerard Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1963 – January 6, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2005 to 2007 and 2011 to 2017. He was fir ...

since January 2011. Fitzpatrick previously represented the district from 2005 until 2007. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Kathy Boockvar, attorney and 2011 candidate for

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of Pennsylvania's two intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with jurisdiction over administrative and civil public law. The Superior ...

Declined

*Cynthia Philo, Doylestown Township Supervisor *Det Asinn, Doylestown Borough Council President *Diane Marseglia,

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Commissioner

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 9

Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district is located in the east central part of the state and encompasses all of Carbon County, Columbia County, Lebanon County, Montour County, and Schuylkill County, as well as parts of Berks County, Luzern ...

was represented by Republican

Bill Shuster William Franklin Shuster (; born January 10, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party, and is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster. In J ...

since 2001. He ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Karen Ramsburg, a nurse from

Mercersburg Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

, had been running as an Independent, but after no Democrat filed to run, she mounted a write-in campaign for the April primary. She was successful, receiving enough write-in votes to receive the Democratic nomination.

Republican primary

Candidates

*Bill Shuster, incumbent

Disqualified

*Travis Schooley, businessman

Primary results

General election

Results

District 10

Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district was represented by Republican

Tom Marino Thomas Anthony Marino (born August 13, 1952) is an American politician and attorney, who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2019. He represented the from January 3, 2011 to January 3, 2019, and the from Janu ...

since January 2011. He ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Philip Scollo

Declined

Chris Carney Christopher P. Carney (born March 2, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Carney is also an associate professor of political science at Penn State Worth ...

, former U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 11

Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district is located in the southeast-central part of the state. It includes all of Lancaster County and portions of York County south and east of but not including the city of York. Republican Lloyd Smucker re ...

was represented by Republican Lou Barletta since January 2011.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Gene Stilp, activist, 2006 candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently o ...

, and 2010 candidate for Pennsylvania House of Representatives *William Vinsko, lawyer and assistant

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

Declined

* Chris Doherty, mayor of

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

Paul Kanjorski Paul Edmund Kanjorski (born April 2, 1937) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1985 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district included the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, ...

, former U.S. Representative *Michael Lombardo, former mayor of Pittston *Corey O'Brien,

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

Commissioner

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 12

Democrats Mark Critz, who represented

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee. Prior to 2018, the 12th district was located ...

since 2010; and Jason Altmire, who represented

Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district Pennsylvania's fourth congressional district, effective January 3, 2019, encompasses the majority of Montgomery County and a small sliver of Berks County in southeastern Pennsylvania. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the Pennsylvania district ...

since 2007, both sought re-election in the new 12th district.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Jason Altmire, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district * Mark Critz, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Keith Rothfus Keith James Rothfus (born April 25, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He succeeded Democratic Representative Mark Critz, whom he d ...

, 2010 candidate for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district

Declined

Jim Christiana James J. Christiana III (born October 3, 1983) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. The great-grandson of Italian immigrants, Christiana is a fourth-generatio ...

, state representative *

Mike Turzai Michael Coyne Turzai (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician and former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the House. He is from Allegheny County and represented the 28th legislative ...

majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Primary results

General election

Results

District 13

Democrat Allyson Schwartz, who represented Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district since 2005, sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Allyson Schwartz, incumbent

Declined

*Nathan Kleinman, member of the Occupy Philadelphia movement and field organizer for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 14

Incumbent Democrat

Mike Doyle Michael, Mick or Mike Doyle may refer to: Politics * Michael Doyle (Irish politician), Irish Farmers' Party politician from Wexford, TD from 1922 to 1927 *Michael Doyle, alleged member of the Molly Maguires *Mike Doyle (American politician) (born ...

defeated challenger Janis C. Brooks in the Democratic primary. He faced Republican Hans Lessmann in the general election.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 15

Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district has been located in western Pennsylvania since February 2018. The district includes all of Warren County, McKean County, Forest County, Venango County, Elk County, Cameron County, Clarion County, ...

was represented by Republican

Charlie Dent Charles Wieder Dent (born May 24, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2005 to 2018. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dent worked in a variety of occupations ...

since 2005. He ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Rick Daugherty, chairman of the Lehigh County Democratic Party *Jackson Eaton, Army veteran

Declined

* John Callahan, mayor of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

and 2010 candidate for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 16

Incumbent Republican Joe Pitts, who represented the district since 1997, faced Democrat Aryanna C. Strader. They each ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 17

Democrat

Tim Holden Thomas Timothy Holden (born March 5, 1957) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2013. Holden was the dean of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation durin ...

, who represented

Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district is represented by Democrat Conor Lamb. The district encompasses the entirety of Beaver County, a small portion of southwestern Butler County, and all parts of Allegheny County not part of the 18th ...

since 2003, ran for re-election. Pennsylvania Republicans, who controlled the redistricting process after the

, drew this district to be much more Democratic, taking in parts of

and Wilkes Barre. Holden, a Blue Dog Democrat who had represented a very Republican district for 10 years, was considered vulnerable to a primary challenge due to the bluer hue of the new district. Holden was defeated in the Democratic primary by attorney

Matt Cartwright Matthew Alton Cartwright (born May 1, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district, numbered as the 17th district from 2013 through 2019, i ...

, 57–43. Holden's opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and climate change legislation are believed to have contributed to his defeat by a more liberal opponent.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, attorney *

, incumbent

Declined

Corey O'Brien Corey Daniel O’Brien (born September 11, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners from 2008 to 2015. In 2010, he challenged incumbent Congressman Paul Kanjorski in the May 2010 ...

and 2010 candidate for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

*Laureen Cummings,

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

activist

Primary results

General election

Results

District 18

Republican

Tim Murphy Timothy Murphy may refer to: Politics * Tim Murphy (American politician) (born 1952), American Republican Party politician from Pennsylvania * Tim Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1959), Canadian politician * Timothy J. Murphy (1893–1949), I ...

, who represented

Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district was a district including the city of Pittsburgh and parts of surrounding suburbs. A variety of working class and majority black suburbs located to the east of the city were included, such as McKeesport ...

since 2003, successfully sought re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

*Evan Feinberg, former aide to U.S. Senators

Tom Coburn Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator for Oklahoma from 2005, until his resignation in 2015. A Republican, he previously served as a United St ...

and Rand Paul *

, incumbent

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Larry Maggi, Washington County Commissioner

Declined

* Ralph Kaiser, former state representative

Primary results

General election

Results

References

External links

Pennsylvania Secretary of State

Official election resultsUnited States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2012
at Ballotpedia
Pennsylvania U.S. House
from OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Pennsylvania
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...

Outside spending
at the Sunlight Foundation {{2012 United States elections

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...