In the 10th District, former Lancaster County resident and WGAL-TV anchor Janelle Stelson, a Democrat, is running against incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Perry. In 2024, Stelson lost to Perry by 1.2 percentage points, but polling of more than 350 voters from Sept. 9-20 shows Stelson leading Perry, 52% to 48%.<\/p>\n
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Former WGAL newscaster Janelle Stelson on Monday announced she will again challenge U.S. Rep\u2026<\/p>\n In the 7th District, Democrat Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union leader, also is leading by 4 percentage points over Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.<\/p>\n Partisans are closely watching the two races \u2014 along with races in Buck County\u2019s 1st District and the 8th District in northeastern Pennsylvania \u2014 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Democrats see the four Pennsylvania races as crucial to their efforts to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which currently favors Republicans 219-214.<\/p>\n About half of surveyed voters said they are worse off financially now compared to a year ago and believe Pennsylvania is on the wrong track. In both districts, only about 1 in 4 voters rated President Donald Trump\u2019s performance as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cexcellent.\u201d About 40% of residents said they voted for Trump in 2024.<\/p>\n Trump won the 7th and 10th districts by 3.2 and 5.2 percentage points, respectively, in 2024. The districts\u2019 congressional races were much closer that year, with Republicans edging their Democratic opponents by about 1 percentage point.<\/p>\n Compared to Trump, Gov. Josh Shapiro showed greater support among the same voters, with 43% of 7th District and 48% of 10th District voters rating Shapiro’s performance as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cexcellent.\u201d The approval ratings match broader statewide results from an August F&M poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump\u2019s approval ratings continue to fall among Pennsylvania voters, giving\u2026<\/p>\n Economy drives voter frustration<\/p>\n Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research and the Floyd Institute for Public Policy at F&M, said the president\u2019s party and candidates often receive blame for conditions during their term.<\/p>\n The economy and finances are the top issue in Pennsylvania for the largest plurality of voters (29% in the 7th District and 22% in the 10th District). In both districts, more voters think Democrats can \u201cdo a better job of handling the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The 7th and 10th districts differ demographically with voters from the 7th District tending to be more religious and politically moderate than 10th District respondents, Yost said. Accounting for those differences, he said, the results show a \u201csimilar swing from the 2024 vote\u201d between the two districts.<\/p>\n Yost attributed some of the leftward shift in the districts to declining support for Trump among his base voters \u2014 white, working-class Pennsylvanians. Yost said that decline, also reflected in August statewide polling<\/a>, may not be permanent.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery election seems to bounce back and forth between the parties,\u201d Yost said. \u201cUnless one of the parties when they have power is able to tamp down some of this concern that voters have that they’re not being well served, I think we\u2019re gonna see things continue to flip back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n Still anyone\u2019s race<\/p>\n Despite the significant swing in polling, Yost said the outcome of the fall general election remains up in the air, in part due to the number of undecided voters (16% in the 7th District and 9% in the 10th). He also said advertisements from both parties can still shape election outcomes, but it remains to be seen how much ads matter when the national mood appears to favor Democrats.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s actually a lot of registered voters who still have to make up their mind or still have to start paying attention and still could turn out to vote,\u201d Yost said.<\/p>\n
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