Pennsylvania Primary Offers Window Into General Election

"I Voted" stickers on a table during the Pennsylvania primary at St. Thomas United Church of Christ in Harrisburg, Pa., on May 17, 2022. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Every presidential election cycle, someone in the Pennsylvania Legislature introduces a bill to make the commonwealth’s primary earlier on the calendar. That way, voters would have a say in their party’s top ballot pick.

But the measure always fails. So, here Pennsylvania is with primary day on April 23, and the primary work is essentially over. The presidential race is down to Democrat President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump.

Still appearing on the party ballots in Pennsylvania are Democrat Dean Phillips and Republican Nikki Haley, both of whom have dropped out of the race. Democrats who wish to register dissatisfaction with President Biden over his handling of the Hamas/Israel war may write-in “uncommitted.” This has been a pro-Palestine movement in many recent primaries.

Much like the presidential race, there is nothing to see here in the U.S. Senate race, as Democrat incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican candidate Dave McCormick are both unchallenged in the primary. But it is the calm before what promises to be a turbulent and expensive race with much out-of-state funding.

Democrats currently hold 48 seats in the Senate, Republicans hold 49, and there are three independents. Both parties seek a solid majority.

Mr. McCormick has bought some television advertisements raising his profile and reintroducing himself to voters, but there’s been nothing controversial yet. Mr. McCormick ran in the 2022 cycle but lost the primary to medical doctor and television personality Mehmet Oz, who lost in the general election to Sen. John Fetterman. Often, unchallenged candidates build their war chest in the primary and save hefty spending for the main event.

Mr. Casey will enter the general election with $11.8 million to spend and Mr. McCormick starts with $6.3 million.

There are other contested races that will bring voters out, including many local state Legislature races.

Statewide Races

Republicans are offering two options for attorney general: Dave Sunday of York County and Craig Williams of Delaware County.

Democrats have five candidates seeking the seat, formerly held by Gov. Josh Shapiro. They are Jack Stollsteimer of Delaware County; Eugene DePasquale of Allegheny County; Joe Khan of Bucks County; Keir Bradford-Grey of Philadelphia County; and Jared Solomon of Philadelphia County.

For auditor general, Democrats have two candidates: Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia County and Mark Pinsley of Lehigh County, who are looking to unseat Republican Tim DeFoor of Dauphin County, who is unchallenged in the primary.

Another unchallenged Republican, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity of Bradford County, waits to see which Democrat she will face in the general election, Ryan Bizzarro of Erie County or Erin McClelland of Allegheny County.

Several contested congressional battles will set the stage for the general election, which will determine the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Currently the U.S. House has 218 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and four vacancies. Of the vacancies, three had been held by Republicans, and one by a Democrat.

Republican Congressional Brawls

Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District, just outside Philadelphia, encompasses Bucks and Montgomery counties, where some of the toughest battles in the state have been waged at school board meetings over bathroom gender policies and overly graphic content in school libraries. Moms for Liberty has been active in the area and voters are engaged in elections here.

Republican Mark Houck is challenging U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the Republican primary.

Mr. Houck made national news after roughly 25 FBI agents pounded on his door early one morning in 2022 and arrested him at gunpoint for an alleged violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

A longtime sidewalk counselor at a Philadelphia abortion clinic, Mr. Houck pushed a clinic volunteer after the man made vulgar comments to Mr. Houck’s son and wouldn’t stop. Local police refused to bring charges in the case, but the U.S. Department of Justice said the shove was a FACE violation. He faced federal prison. A jury found Mr. Houck not guilty.

He has said he didn’t think of running for Congress until this happened. Now he wants to make sure it doesn’t happen to others. Mr. Houck has spent $145,000 on his campaign.

Mr. Fitzpatrick is on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; the Subcommittee on National Intelligence; and the Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence. He also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means; the Subcommittee on Health; and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He is also on numerous caucuses and task forces.

Mr. Fitzpatrick is a former FBI special agent and federal prosecutor. He specialized in domestic and international political corruption, global counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts, and was embedded with U.S. Special Forces as part Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He was national director for the FBI’s Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement Program. He is also an attorney, a certified public accountant and a certified emergency medical technician. Mr. Fitzpatrick has spent almost $2 million to defend his seat.

The winner of this race will face unchallenged Democrat Ashley Ehasz, a West Point graduate and former Apache helicopter pilot. She is interested in climate change and says on her campaign website that one immediate way to combat climate change is to reduce the carbon emissions of the U.S. military. She has spent $563,000 in the primary.

Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District, covering the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem, is home to unchallenged incumbent Democrat Rep. Susan Wild. Three Republicans are running to unseat her in the general election.

Republican Kevin Dellicker is a small-business owner, veteran, and former environmental policy adviser to the New York State Senate. He also served as an economic policy adviser to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge in Harrisburg.

Republican Ryan Mackenzie is a state representative with a background in finance and international business.

Republican Maria Montero is an attorney. She has served as executive director of the State Commission on Women under Gov. Tom Ridge and as the leader of the Pennsylvania Latino Commission.

Congressional Democrat Clashes

The 10th Congressional District—covering Harrisburg, York, and Hershey—features Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry as the unchallenged incumbent, with six Democrats seeking the party nod.

Democrat Mike O’Brien retired from the military in August 2023 as a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and jumped right into politics. He spent 20 years as an F-35 Stealth Fighter pilot, completed two combat deployments, and is a graduate of the Naval Academy.

Democrat Janelle Stelson is a former local Pennsylvania television news anchor. She left her news position in September.

Democrat Rick Coplen is a parachute combat veteran, teacher, and school board member. He attended West Point and served in the Army and later taught economics, business ethics, strategic leadership, and international relations to cadets at West Point, adult learners at Elizabethtown College, and senior leaders at the U.S. Army War College.

Democrat Blake Lynch previously worked as the director of development at the Boys and Girls Club of Harrisburg, then served as the first director of community relations for the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Later he worked at the local public broadcasting station, WITF.

Democrat Shamaine Daniels is a Harrisburg City Council member and immigration attorney who ran against Mr. Perry in 2022, losing by 24,000 votes.

Democrat John Broadhurst is a business owner and the director of B21 Capital, an international consulting and business development firm.