The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 18
U.S. 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 ...
from the
Commonwealth 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, Maryl ...
, one from each of the state's 18
congressional districts
Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...
struck down the state's congressional map, ruling it had been unfairly
gerrymandered
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
to favor Republicans. New maps were subsequently adopted in February 2018.
The 2018 general election saw the Democrats gain four seats and the Republicans gain one seat, for a Democratic net gain of three seats, changing the state's representation from 12 to 6 Republican to a 9–9 tie. In addition, Pennsylvanians in several districts elected female candidates to the U.S. House, thus ending four years of all-male Congressional representation in the state.
Redistricting
In January 2018, the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...
struck down the state's congressional map, ruling it had been unfairly
gerrymandered
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
to favor Republicans."Second, should the Pennsylvania General Assembly choose to submit a congressional districting plan that satisfies the requirements of the Pennsylvania Constitution, it shall submit such plan for consideration by the Governor on or before February 9, 2018. If the Governor accepts the General Assembly's congressional districting plan, it shall be submitted to this Court on or before February 15, 2018." New maps were subsequently adopted in February 2018, for use in the 2018 elections and took effect with representation in 2019.
Results summary
Statewide
District
Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania:
District 1
The 1st district previously consisted of central and
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.City of Chester, the
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...
and other small sections of Delaware County. Under the new congressional map that was in place in 2019 (represented per 2018's elections), the first district overlaps with much of the former 8th district, which is represented by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick took office in 2017, succeeding his brother, former Congressman
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 ...
. The new 1st district consists of Bucks County and a small portion of Montgomery County.
Fitzpatrick held out to win re-election, despite many similar suburban districts held by Republicans falling to Democrats in the 2018 cycle. Fitzpatrick did this by establishing a reputation for himself as an independent centrist who attained endorsements from several usually-left-leaning and nonpartisan groups without enraging the more fervently pro-Trump wing of the Republican party. Analysts considered the Democratic nominee Scott Wallace an unusually weak candidate: he was a wealthy heir who moved to the district, opening up accusations of
carpetbagging
In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by White Southerners, Southerners to describe opportunistic Northern United States, Northerners who came to the Southern United States, Southern states after th ...
, and made several gaffes and missteps. Editor Dave Wasserman of the
Cook Political Report
''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...
wrote that Wallace was perhaps the weakest candidate of the 2018 cycle.
The 2nd district consists of the northern half of Philadelphia. It mostly overlaps with the old 1st District. That district's incumbent, 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 2019. ...
, had served since 1998, but did not run for reelection. The incumbent of the old 2nd district is
Dwight Evans Dwight Evans may refer to:
* Dwight Evans (baseball) (born 1951), American former baseball player
* Dwight Evans (politician) (born 1954), American politician
{{hndis, Evans, Dwight ...
, but Evans opted to follow most of his constituents into the 3rd District.
The new map drew the home of fellow Democrat
Brendan Boyle
Brendan Francis Boyle (born February 6, 1977) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing a district in the Philadelphia area since 2015. He represented the 13th district ...
, who has represented the neighboring 13th District since 2015, into the 2nd, leading to speculation that he would run for reelection there. Soon after the new map was released, Boyle confirmed that he would indeed run in the 2nd.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 3
The 3rd district was previously located in
Northwestern Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
, but now covers downtown and northern Philadelphia, and overlaps with much of the previous 2nd district. The incumbent from the 2nd district is Democrat
Dwight Evans Dwight Evans may refer to:
* Dwight Evans (baseball) (born 1951), American former baseball player
* Dwight Evans (politician) (born 1954), American politician
{{hndis, Evans, Dwight ...
, who has held office since 2016. Evans defeated incumbent Democratic representative
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 Ph ...
in the 2016 Democratic primary, and then went on to be elected with 90% in both the general election and a simultaneous special election for the remainder of the term after Fattah resigned.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 4
The old 4th district was in
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of west ...
, but the new 4th district is centered in Montgomery County. The district overlaps with the former 13th district. The incumbent from this district, Democrat
Brendan Boyle
Brendan Francis Boyle (born February 6, 1977) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing a district in the Philadelphia area since 2015. He represented the 13th district ...
, could have sought re-election in either this district or the new 2nd district, which absorbed his home and most of old 13th's share of Philadelphia. Boyle opted to run in the 2nd, making the 4th an open seat.
State Senator
Daylin Leach
Daylin Leach (born June 23, 1961) is a former American politician and lawyer, who was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 17th senatorial district from 2009 until 2020. He was previously a member of the Pennsylvania House of Rep ...
had announced that he would run for Congress in the old 7th District, but was expected to switch races after his home was drawn into the new 4th. However, on February 24, 2018, Leach succumbed to pressures from fellow Democrats, including Governor
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 guber ...
, to abandon his congressional campaign in the face of accusations of sexual harassment. However, he remained in his Pennsylvania Senate seat.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, and a sliver of Montgomery County. The district overlaps with much of the old 7th district, whose incumbent Republican Congressman
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 Ho ...
chose not to seek re-election, due to allegations regarding a sexual harassment complaint that was settled with the use of taxpayer funds, and subsequently resigned from office in April.
Democratic primary
Polling
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 6
The 6th district consists of
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee
Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, th ...
and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. The incumbent is Republican
Ryan Costello
Ryan Anthony Costello (born September 7, 1976) is an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representa ...
, who has represented the district since 2015. He was re-elected to a second term with 57% of the vote in 2016. On March 24, 2018, Costello announced that he would no longer seek re-election due to the growing Democratic voter demographic in the 6th district. Costello formally withdrew his name on March 27.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Endorsements
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 7
The 7th district was formerly centered on Delaware County, but the new district consists of much of the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
. The new 7th district overlaps with much of the former 15th district, which was represented by retired Republican Congressman
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 ...
who resigned early.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Endorsements
Polling
Results
District 8
The 8th district was previously centered on Bucks County, but now consists of portions of
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbon ...
, including the city of
Scranton
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
. The new district overlaps with much of the former 17th district, which is represented by Democratic Congressman
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, inc ...
. Cartwright has held office since 2013.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Endorsements
Polling
Results
District 9
The old 9th district was in
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of west ...
, but the new 9th district is in east central Pennsylvania. The new district overlaps with the old 11th district, which was represented by retiring Republican Congressman
Lou Barletta
Louis John Barletta (born January 28, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2010. ...
.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Polling
Results
District 10
The 10th district was previously in
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbon ...
, but it now overlaps with much of the former 4th district in
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of west ...
. Under the map released in 2018, the 10th district includes
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
and a portion of York County. The incumbent from the 4th district is Republican Scott Perry, who has represented his district since 2013. He was re-elected to a third term with 66% of the vote in 2016. Several Democrats sought to challenge Perry in 2018, with George Scott, a 20-year Army veteran and Lutheran pastor, receiving the party's nomination.
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbon ...
, but the district now overlaps with much of the former 16th district in
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of west ...
. The new district consists of Lancaster County and portions of York County. The incumbent from the former 16th district is Republican
Lloyd Smucker
Lloyd Kenneth Smucker (born January 23, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district, which includes Lancaster County and most of southern York County. He is a member of the ...
, who has held office since 2017.
Meteorologist Drew Anderson planned to run without party affiliation and expected to be listed that way on the November ballot. However, he failed to file papers in time, and was not in the race.
Southwestern Pennsylvania
Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania ...
, but the new district is in North Central Pennsylvania. It overlaps with the former 10th district, which 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 ...
. Marino had held office since 2011.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 13
The old 13th district was in
Southeastern Pennsylvania
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the List of United States cities by population, sixth most populous city in the nation ...
, but the new district is in
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
. The new district overlaps with much of the old 9th district, which was represented by retiring Republican Congressman
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 ...
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and parts of surrounding suburbs, but the new district consists of suburbs to the south and west of Pittsburgh. The district overlaps with much of the former 18th district. The winner of the 2018 special election, Democrat
Conor Lamb
Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district since 2019. The district includes most of the northwestern suburbs of Pittsburgh ...
, ran in the more competitive 17th district.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 15
The old 15th district was in
Eastern Pennsylvania
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the nor ...
, but the new district is in
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
. The new district overlaps with much of the former 5th district, which is represented by Republican G.T. Thompson. Thompson has held office since 2009.
Democratic primary
Primary results
Republican primary
Primary results
General election
Results
District 16
The former 16th district was in
Southeastern Pennsylvania
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the List of United States cities by population, sixth most populous city in the nation ...
, but the redrawn 16th district is in
Northwestern Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
, overlapping with the former 3rd district. The incumbent from the 3rd district was Republican Mike Kelly, who has represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected to a fourth term unopposed in 2016. Kelly had considered running for the U.S. Senate, but announced he would run for re-election instead.
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbon ...
, but the new 17th district consists of suburbs west of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. The district overlaps with parts of the former 12th district, which is represented by Republican
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 de ...
. Rothfus has held office since 2013, and ran for reelection in the new 17th.
The new map drew the home of Democrat
Conor Lamb
Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district since 2019. The district includes most of the northwestern suburbs of Pittsburgh ...
, who won a special election for the old 18th District, into the new 17th. The 17th is far less Republican than its predecessor, and voted for Democrats downballot, leading to speculation that Lamb would run for a full term in the 17th regardless of the special election result. On March 14, Democratic officials in Beaver County, which is entirely within the 17th, received a written request from Lamb for their endorsement in the 2018 general election. On March 20, Lamb formally filed to run for a full term in the 17th.
The 18th district formerly consisted of the southern suburbs of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, but the new district is now centered on Pittsburgh itself. The district overlaps with the former 14th district, which is represented by Democrat
Michael F. Doyle
Michael F. Doyle Jr. (born August 5, 1953) is an American politician who is the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. The ...
. Doyle has held office since 1995. He ran unopposed in the general election.
Democratic primary
Primary results
General election
Results
See also
*
2018 United States House of Representatives elections
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 6, 2018, as part of the 2018 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's term, with early voting taking place in some states in the weeks preceding that date. ...
Vote Smart
Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...
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). ...
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
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, ...
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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...