{"id":265524,"date":"2026-08-14T21:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/265524\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T21:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:06:08","slug":"meet-the-candidates-whos-running-in-pennsylvanias-midterm-election-on-nov-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/265524\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the candidates: Who\u2019s running in Pennsylvania\u2019s midterm election on Nov. 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pennsylvanians will head to the polls<\/a> on Nov. 3 to cast their ballots for the commonwealth\u2019s next governor and lieutenant governor, all 17<\/a> U.S. House seats, half<\/a> of the seats in the state Senate, and all<\/a> state House seats.<\/p>\n

You can go to the League of Women Voters Education Fund\u2019s Vote411 website<\/a> to see who will be on your ballot<\/a>, learn about upcoming voting deadlines, and find more information about November\u2019s election.<\/p>\n

Here are the midterm races in Pennsylvania:<\/p>\n

Governor and lieutenant governor\u00a0<\/p>\n

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, who became governor in January 2023 and previously served as the commonwealth\u2019s attorney general, is running for reelection. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity<\/a> is the Republican nominee, Anthony Dastra<\/a> is the Green Party candidate, and Ken Krawchuk<\/a> is the Libertarian Party candidate.<\/p>\n

Shapiro\u2019s running mate is Lt. Gov. Austin Davis<\/a>. Jason Richey<\/a>, an Allegheny County attorney, is running alongside Garrity. Craig Bolton<\/a>, chair of the Philadelphia Green Party, is Dastra\u2019s running mate. John Thomas<\/a>, an educator, is on the ticket with Krawchuk.<\/p>\n

Access to abortion and other healthcare has been a prominent topic during the gubernatorial campaign.<\/p>\n

Shapiro has been a vocal supporter<\/a> of abortion rights and other reproductive care\u00a0 in Pennsylvania, where abortion remains legal<\/a> through the 23rd week of pregnancy. Shapiro has vowed<\/a> to ban legislation that would outlaw or restrict access to abortion and as governor and joined a lawsuit<\/a> against a federal court\u2019s decision to ban the mailing of abortion medication. The governor\u2019s administration ended<\/a> the commonwealth\u2019s contract with a nonprofit that counsels women against abortion.<\/p>\n

Garrity has long advocated against reproductive rights and celebrated<\/a> the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization ruling that ended the constitutional right to an abortion. While running for state treasurer in 2022, Garrity\u2019s campaign sold anti-abortion merchandise<\/a>, including a T-shirt with the phrase \u201cDefund Planned Parenthood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since launching<\/a> her gubernatorial campaign in August 2025, Garrity has said<\/a> she would \u201crespect\u201d Pennsylvania\u2019s law legalizing access to abortion and last year said<\/a> she would not support an abortion ban.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. House races<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania is expected to play a critical role in November\u2019s midterm election, and political analysts have said<\/a> the state may be one of the most important in the country for determining which party controls the House.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, Republicans hold a 218-212<\/a> majority in the House. There is one independent House member who caucuses with Republicans and four vacancies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All of the House\u2019s 435 seats are being contested . The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that analyzes U.S. elections, rates<\/a> 19 of the 435 seats as toss-ups, 10 as leaning Democratic, and nine as leaning Republican. The three Pennsylvania districts categorized as toss-ups are the 7th in the Lehigh Valley, the 8th in northeastern Pennsylvania and the 10th in Dauphin County. Those districts are represented by Republican U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry, respectively.<\/p>\n

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted<\/a> four districts<\/a> in Pennsylvania to flip from Republican to Democratic control: the 1st in southeast Pennsylvania and the 7th, 8th, and 10th. Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick represents the 1st Congressional District.<\/p>\n

Sixteen of Pennsylvania\u2019s House incumbents are running for reelection. The only House incumbent who isn\u2019t is Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans<\/a> of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

1st Congressional District<\/p>\n

In southeastern Pennsylvania\u2019s 1st Congressional District, Fitzpatrick<\/a> is running for reelection. Bucks County Commissioner<\/a> and former teacher Bob Harvie<\/a>, a Democrat, is running against him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harvie has focused much of his campaign on affordability. On his campaign website<\/a>, Harvie said, if elected, he would work to repeal the president\u2019s tariffs, which have driven up costs for Pennsylvanians. He also wants to increase the federal minimum wage that\u2019s currently at $7.25 and expand access to affordable housing and college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick, who was first elected to Congress in 2016 and often focuses<\/a> on his record of bipartisanship, has faced criticism for not holding<\/a> in-person events in his district and praise<\/a> for voting against<\/a> the One Big Beautiful Bill Act \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019 budget bill that has set much the economic and domestic agenda during his second term \u2014 which slashed funding for Medicaid and food assistance. He voted<\/a> in favor of an earlier version of the bill that passed in May 2025. GovTrack describes<\/a> Fitzpatrick as \u201cpurple,\u201d meaning he falls fairly in the center ideologically.<\/p>\n

7th Congressional District<\/p>\n

Mackenzie<\/a> is running for reelection in the Lehigh Valley\u2019s 7th Congressional District<\/a>. In 2024, he defeated<\/a> Democratic Rep. Susan Wild by winning 50.4% of the vote. Democrat Bob Brooks is challenging Mackenzie, running<\/a> largely on the affordability issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mackenzie has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and has backed his\u00a0 tariffs<\/a> and the war in Iran<\/a>. The Republican lawmaker has faced mounting criticism<\/a> in his district for voting for the OBBBA. In a 2025 press release<\/a>, Mackenzie called the law \u201can unprecedented win for workers and small businesses in the Greater Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other congressional Republicans, Mackenzie did not extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits <\/a>that helped millions of Americans purchase healthcare through their state marketplaces. More than 191,000<\/a> Pennsylvanians have lost their marketplace coverage following the lapse of the tax credits at the end of 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On his campaign website, Brooks said he supports banning corporate political action committee money from politics, eliminating stock trading in Congress, implementing term limits in Congress, and \u201cno more free rides for billionaires and big corporations.\u201d<\/p>\n

8th Congressional District<\/p>\n

Rep. Rob Bresnahan<\/a>, a Republican, and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti<\/a>, a Democrat, are running to represent the 8th Congressional District in northeastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bresnahan defeated former Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat, with 50.7%<\/a> of the vote in 2024. He has gone on to be an ardent supporter<\/a> of Trump in Congress, backing the president\u2019s tariffs<\/a>, the war in Iran<\/a> and voting<\/a> for the OBBBA.<\/p>\n

Cognetti, who was sworn in as mayor of Scranton in 2020, has also focused on economic concerns during her bid for office. On her campaign website<\/a>, Cognetti said she supports breaking up corporate monopolies that are hurting small businesses, strengthening unions, increasing access to healthcare, reforming insurance, and fighting for paid family leave and affordable childcare.<\/p>\n

10th Congressional District\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rep. Scott Perry<\/a>, a Republican, and former journalist Janelle Stelson<\/a> are running to represent the 10th Congressional District, which includes Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties. The district includes the state capital, Harrisburg.<\/p>\n

Perry has been a staunch ally<\/a> of Trump\u2019s in Congress and a leader of the far-right House Freedom Caucus<\/a>. He has represented the district since 2013. The congressman\u2019s support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and his votes against\u00a0 extending ACA tax credits has garnered criticism<\/a> from constituents, including those who depended on the tax credits to purchase insurance. Perry has also received backlash from fellow Republicans, prompting the formation of a Republicans Against Perry<\/a> campaign made up of members who say<\/a> that he fails to represent the interests of his constituents.<\/p>\n

During his time in office, Perry has voted against<\/a> a bipartisan affordable housing bill, introduced a resolution calling for the elimination of a federal program that provides funding for smaller airports<\/a>, and worked to repeal<\/a> the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which capped out-of-pocket prescription drug and insulin costs for millions of older Americans, among other initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stelson, who worked as a television journalist in Pennsylvania for more than three decades, challenged Perry in the 2024 election. Perry won the 2024 election with 50.5% of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stelson is focusing<\/a> much of her campaign on the need to combat rising costs. On her campaign website, Stelson said she wants to increase access to affordable housing<\/a>, supports lowering the cost of prescription drugs through the federal government negotiating prices, backs removing medical debt from credit reports, and hopes to boost access to affordable healthcare for small business owners and constituents at large.<\/p>\n

State House and Senate races<\/p>\n

All 203<\/a> seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and half<\/a> of the 50 seats in the state Senate are up being contested this November. Democrats hold 102 seats, while Republicans have 100 seats. There is one vacancy in the 12th House District in southwestern Pennsylvania, for which a special election<\/a> is being held on Aug. 18.<\/p>\n

Democrats flipped<\/a> the House in 2022 and have held a narrow majority since then. In the state Senate, Republicans have 27 seats compared to Democrats\u2019 23 seats. Republicans have largely controlled the Senate since 1978<\/a>, though Democrats did take control for one year in 1993.<\/p>\n

Now, Democrats are hoping<\/a> a blue wave this November could lead to Democrats holding a trifecta for the first time in about 50 years. Should Democrats keep control of the governorship and the House and flip the Senate, Shapiro said the state legislature would raise the minimum wage and codify abortion rights into law, according<\/a> to reporting from WHYY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pennsylvanians will head to the polls on Nov. 3 to cast their ballots for the commonwealth\u2019s next governor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-265524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}