Live Updates: Pennsylvania Primary Night Begins as Polls Close
Pennsylvania voters are choosing primary nominees, including President Biden and former President Trump. The down-ballot races are crucial for Senate and House control. Biden secured the Democratic primary, while Trump won the Republican primary. Incumbent Senator Casey and Republican McCormick won their primaries. Races in congressional districts 1, 7, and 10 are also key. Outcomes will shape November’s elections.
Voters in Pennsylvania are headed to the polls on Tuesday to select the nominees in a series of key primary races up and down the ballot.
While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will appear on the state’s primary ballots, the presidential nominating contests are largely ceremonial as both candidates claimed the required delegates to become their party’s presumptive nominee earlier this year.
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Both Trump and Biden are seeking a foothold in the battleground state ahead of their expected November rematch. Biden recently completed a three-day swing in the state that began in Scranton, his hometown. Trump, meanwhile, held a rally in Lehigh County on April 13, during his third visit to the state this year.
Still, the down-ballot races, including the Senate and a handful of House primaries, are likely where most of Tuesday’s excitement will stem from as the outcome of the primaries will be critical in setting the stage for November, when control of both the Senate and House will be up for grabs. Polls closed at 8 p.m.
Results:
Presidential
President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, with the Associated Press calling the race in his favor only two minutes after polls closed, at 8:02 p.m. Biden won 95.4% of the vote with 6% counted. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who has suspended his campaign, secured 4.6%.
However, as in previous nominating contests this cycle, an uncommitted vote effort against Biden was promoted by a coalition that urged voters unhappy with Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war to cast their ballots as “uncommitted.” It is unclear how many write-in votes the effort received.
The “Uncommitted PA” effort, whose website is paid for by the Democratic Socialists of America, was seeking to secure 40,000 votes, about half of Biden’s victory in 2020, in Tuesday’s primary. Only registered Democrats could vote in the Democratic primary.
In the Republican primary, Trump defeated his one-time U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, 64.9% to 35.1%, with 3% of the vote counted for, with the Associated Press calling the race at 8:09 p.m. Eastern time.
Only registered Republicans could vote in the GOP primary.
Delegates at stake: 67 Republican delegates, 159 Democratic delegates
Senate
Both incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), who is seeking a fourth term, and Republican Dave McCormick won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Both candidates, who ran unopposed, are likely to use their expected primary wins to propel their campaigns ahead of their general election matchup.
The Associated Press called the races for both primaries at 8:01 p.m. Eastern time.
The 2024 race is McCormick’s second time seeking a Senate seat in the Keystone state, after losing the Republican primary race to Dr. Mehmet Oz during the 2022 midterm elections. Oz, who had the backing of Trump, then went on to lose in the general election to now-Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
The race between Casey and McCormick, who has the backing of Trump, is expected to be one of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle and could decide which party controls the Senate in November.
Races to watch:
1st Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is facing a primary challenge from Republican Mark Houck in the GOP primary for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
Fitzpatrick, who is the co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, is a centrist Republican who has served in Congress since 2017.
Houck, an anti-abortion activist who is in favor of banning abortion with no exceptions for rape and incest, first came into the national spotlight in 2022 when he was federally charged for allegedly pushing a 72-year-old Planned Parenthood volunteer outside an abortion clinic in Philadelphia. Houck was later acquitted in the case in 2023.
In the Democratic primary, Ashley Ehasz, a former Army helicopter pilot, is running unopposed, meaning Ehasz will face whoever wins Tuesday’s Republican primary. Fitzpatrick previously defeated Ehasz in 2022.
Fitzpatrick’s seat is one of 16 districts that Biden carried in 2020 that was won by a Republican, making the district a pivotal seat both parties will be seeking in November.
7th Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) is running unopposed for her seat in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
However, in the GOP primary, three Republicans are vying for the chance to unseat the Pennsylvania Democrat from the seat she has held since 2018. Those candidates include state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, personal injury lawyer Maria Montero, and business owner Kevin Dellicker.
10th Congressional District
Six Democrats are running in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District for the opportunity to take on incumbent Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) in November.
The Democratic candidates that will appear on the ballot are retired Marine Mike O’Brien, former WGAL-TV anchor Janelle Stelson, former WITF-FM executive Blake Lynch, Harrisburg Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels, Army veteran and Carlisle school board member Rick Coplen, and businessman John Broadhurst.
Perry, a former chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, has been a staunch ally of Trump and was an alleged participant in the effort to keep the former president in power in 2020.
12th Congressional District
Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) is facing a primary challenge in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District from local Councilwoman Bhavini Patel.
Lee, a prominent member of the “Squad” who is seeking her second term in the House, has been a vocal critic of Israel and its response to the Oct. 7 attack on the country by Hamas. While Lee’s seat is not expected to be competitive in November, Tuesday’s primary will offer one of the first tests of how lawmakers who are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza will fare in 2024.
In the GOP primary, businessman James Hayes is running unopposed.
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Attorney general
Five Democrats and two Republicans are running in the attorney general race to replace Democrat Michelle Henry, who was appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) in January when he stepped down as attorney general and was sworn in as governor.
Former Philadelphia chief public defender Keir Bradford-Grey, former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, Philadelphia state Rep. Jared Solomon, and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer are all vying for the Democratic nomination.
Meanwhile, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday is running against state Rep. Craig Williams for the attorney general race in the GOP primary.
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