The results are in for Pennsylvania’s primaries. Here’s our roundup of the races and what to look out for in November.
PA-01: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick handily defeats rightwing challenger
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick easily won his primary against far-right candidate Mark Houck, taking more than 82% of the vote. The race was called by the Associated Press less than 15 minutes after polls closed. Yikes!
Fitzpatrick will face Democrat Ashley Ehasz in November in a seat that backed President Joe Biden in 2020. Ehasz is a U.S. Army veteran who lost to Fitzpatrick by roughly 10 points in 2022.
Fitzpatrick’s victory is a boost for Republican hopes of retaining the blue-leaning seat. A win by Houck would’ve likely turned off moderate and independent voters.
PA-10: Janelle Stelson will take on GOP Rep. Scott Perry in November
Janelle Stelson won a convincing victory in the six-person Democratic primary for Perry’s central Pennsylvania district.
Stelson, a former local TV anchor, is seeking to attract independent and moderate Republican voters by arguing Perry is too far right for the district. Perry is the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus who played a significant role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
We previously reported that Stelson was the frontrunner and had gotten some early support from Hill Democrats. Stelson also has the backing of the New Democrat Coalition’s campaign arm, Elect Democratic Women and EMILYs List.
Democrats still face an uphill battle in trying to dethrone Perry. Perry has strong congressional allies in the form of House conservatives. This district leans R+4.
PA-12: Rep. Summer Lee brushes off mainstream Democratic challenger
Rep. Summer Lee, a freshman Squad member, beat out center-left challenger Bhavini Patel by roughly 20 points in a sign of progressive strength in Pittsburgh. Patel had tried to portray Lee’s views on Israel as out of step with the district and argued that the leftist wasn’t fully supportive of Biden’s agenda.
But Lee had the support of House Democratic leadership and welcomed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to the district in the closing days of the race. Lee’s win is the first setback in what will be a busy summer for pro-Israel voices trying to knock off House progressives who have been sharply critical of the nation’s war against Hamas.
— Mica Soellner and Max Cohen
