2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts.

The elections coincided with the 2018 gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

In January 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional map, ruling it had been unfairly gerrymandered to favor Republicans. New maps were subsequently adopted in February 2018.

The 2018 general election saw the Democrats gain four seats and the Republicans gain one seat, for a Democratic net gain of three seats, changing the state's representation from 12 to 6 Republican to a 9–9 tie. In addition, Pennsylvanians in several districts elected female candidates to the U.S. House, thus ending four years of all-male Congressional representation in the state.

Redistricting
In January 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional map, ruling it had been unfairly gerrymandered to favor Republicans. New maps were subsequently adopted in February 2018, for use in the 2018 elections and took effect with representation in 2019.

District
Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania:

District 1
The 1st district previously consisted of central and South Philadelphia, the City of Chester, the Philadelphia International Airport and other small sections of Delaware County. Under the new congressional map that was in place in 2019 (represented per 2018's elections), the first district overlaps with much of the former 8th district, which was represented by Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick took office in 2017, succeeding his brother, former Representative Mike Fitzpatrick. The new 1st district consists of Bucks County and a small portion of Montgomery County.

Nominee

 * Brian Fitzpatrick, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Dean Malik, former Bucks County Assistant District Attorney and candidate for this seat in 2010 & 2016

Withdrawn

 * Valerie Mihalek, former Yardley Borough council member and deputy district director for former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick

Democratic primary
The old 8th district was included on the initial list of Republican held seats being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Nominee

 * Scott Wallace, charitable foundation director and grandson of former Vice President Henry Wallace

Eliminated in primary

 * Steven Bacher, environmentalist
 * Rachel Reddick, former Navy prosecutor

Declined

 * Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Bucks County commissioner

Campaign
The race featured a number of negative ads between Reddick and Wallace. With Reddick's campaign releasing an ad calling Wallace a “Maryland multi-millionaire” and stating that he had case an absentee ballot cast from his second home in a South African “gated luxury estate”. The Wallace campaign responded with an ad higlishting Reddick flubbing a question about the so-called “global gag rule” during a campaign stop in Ottsville, and for her having been registered as a Republican for most of her adult life.

Many DC Democrats expressed excitement about Wallace's potential to spend big to defeat Fitzpatrick, especially in the expensive Philadelphia market. He loaned his campaign $2.5 million while Reddick only raised $363,000 and was shunned by most party strategists.

Analysis
Fitzpatrick held out to win re-election, despite many similar suburban districts held by Republicans falling to Democrats in the 2018 cycle. Fitzpatrick did this by establishing a reputation for himself as an independent centrist who attained endorsements from several usually-left-leaning and nonpartisan groups without enraging the more fervently pro-Trump wing of the Republican party. Analysts considered the Democratic nominee Scott Wallace an unusually weak candidate: he was a wealthy heir who moved to the district, opening up accusations of carpetbagging, and made several gaffes and missteps. Editor Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report wrote that Wallace was perhaps the weakest candidate of the 2018 cycle.

District 2
The 2nd district consists of the northern half of Philadelphia. It mostly overlaps with the old 1st District. That district's incumbent, Democrat Bob Brady, had served since 1998, but did not run for reelection. The incumbent of the old 2nd district is Dwight Evans, but Evans opted to follow most of his constituents into the 3rd District.

The new map drew the home of fellow Democrat Brendan Boyle, who had represented the neighboring 13th District since 2015, into the 2nd, leading to speculation that he would run for reelection there. Soon after the new map was released, Boyle confirmed that he would indeed run in the 2nd.

Nominee

 * Brendan Boyle, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Michele Lawrence, former Senior Vice President for Wells Fargo

Declined

 * Bob Brady, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * David Torres, community activist

District 3
The 3rd district was previously located in Northwestern Pennsylvania, but now covers downtown and northern Philadelphia, and overlaps with much of the previous 2nd district. The incumbent from the 2nd district is Democrat Dwight Evans, who had held office since 2016. Evans defeated incumbent Democratic Representative Chaka Fattah in the 2016 Democratic primary, and then went on to be elected with 90% in both the general election and a simultaneous special election for the remainder of the term after Fattah resigned.

Nominee

 * Dwight Evans, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Kevin Johnson

Nominee

 * Bryan Leib

District 4
The old 4th district was in South Central Pennsylvania, but the new 4th district is centered in Montgomery County. The district overlaps with the former 13th district. The incumbent from this district, Democrat Brendan Boyle, could have sought re-election in either this district or the new 2nd district, which absorbed his home and most of old 13th's share of Philadelphia. Boyle opted to run in the 2nd, making the 4th an open seat.

Democratic primary
State Senator Daylin Leach had announced that he would run for Congress in the old 7th District, but was expected to switch races after his home was drawn into the new 4th. However, on February 24, 2018, Leach succumbed to pressures from fellow Democrats, including Governor Tom Wolf, to abandon his congressional campaign in the face of accusations of sexual harassment. However, he remained in his Pennsylvania Senate seat.

Nominee

 * Madeleine Dean, state representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Shira Goodman, public policy advocate
 * Joe Hoeffel, former U.S. Representative, nominee for Senate in 2004 and candidate for governor in 2010

Withdrawn

 * Mary Jo Daley, state representative (endorsed Dean)
 * Daylin Leach, state senator and candidate for the 13th district in 2014

Declined

 * Allyson Schwartz, former U.S. Representative and candidate for governor in 2014

Nominee

 * Dan David, investor

District 5
The old 5th district was in North Central Pennsylvania, but the new 5th district consists of Delaware County, portions of southern Philadelphia, and a sliver of Montgomery County. The district overlaps with much of the old 7th district, whose incumbent Republican Representative Pat Meehan chose not to seek re-election, due to allegations regarding a sexual harassment complaint that was settled with the use of taxpayer funds, and subsequently resigned from office in April.

Nominee

 * Pearl Kim, former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Disqualified

 * Paul Addis

Declined

 * Pat Meehan, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Mary Gay Scanlon, attorney and former Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board member

Eliminated in primary

 * Larry Arata, teacher and environmental advocate
 * Margo L. Davidson, state representative
 * Thaddeus Kirkland, Mayor of Chester
 * Richard Lazer, former Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia
 * Lindy Li, financial manager and candidate for this seat in 2014
 * Ashley Lunkenheimer, former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
 * Molly Sheehan, scientist
 * Greg Vitali, state representative
 * Theresa Wright, entrepreneur

Withdrawn

 * George Badey III, attorney and nominee for this seat in 2012
 * Shelly Chauncey, attorney and former CIA agent (endorsed Lunkenheimer)
 * Dan Muroff, attorney
 * David Wertime, journalist

District 6
The 6th district consists of Chester County and Reading. The incumbent is Republican Ryan Costello, who had represented the district since 2015. He was re-elected to a second term with 57% of the vote in 2016. On March 24, 2018, Costello announced that he would no longer seek re-election due to the growing Democratic voter demographic in the 6th district. Costello formally withdrew his name on March 27.

Nominee

 * Greg McCauley

Withdrawn

 * Ryan Costello, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Chrissy Houlahan, former United States Air Force Captain, engineer and businesswoman

District 7
The 7th district was formerly centered on Delaware County, but the new district consisted of much of the Lehigh Valley. The new 7th district overlapped with much of the former 15th district, which was represented by retired Republican Representative Charlie Dent, who resigned early.

Nominee

 * Marty Nothstein, chairman of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners

Eliminated in primary

 * Dean Browning, former member of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners

Withdrawn

 * Ryan Mackenzie, state representative
 * Mike Pries, Dauphin County commissioner
 * Justin Simmons, state representative

Nominee

 * Susan Wild, former Allentown Solicitor

Eliminated in primary

 * David Clark, Catasauqua resident
 * Rick Daugherty, former chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Party and nominee for this seat in 2012 & 2016
 * Greg Edwards, pastor
 * John Morganelli, Northampton County District Attorney, candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2000, 2004 & 2016 and nominee in 2008
 * Roger Ruggles, Easton city councilmember

Withdrawn

 * David Weidman, Army veteran

District 8
The 8th district was previously centered on Bucks County, but now consists of portions of Northeastern Pennsylvania, including the city of Scranton. The new district overlaps with much of the former 17th district, which was represented by Democratic Representative Matt Cartwright. Cartwright had held office since 2013.

Nominee

 * Matt Cartwright, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * John Chrin, businessman

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Kuniegel
 * Joe Peters, former federal prosecutor

District 9
The old 9th district was in South Central Pennsylvania, but the new 9th district is in east central Pennsylvania. The new district overlaps with the old 11th district, which was represented by retiring Republican Representative Lou Barletta.

Nominee

 * Dan Meuser, former Secretary of Revenue of Pennsylvania

Eliminated in primary

 * George Halcovage Jr.
 * Scott Uehlinger, delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention

Nominee

 * Denny Wolff, former Secretary of Agriculture of Pennsylvania

Eliminated in primary

 * Laura Quick, delivery driver
 * Gary Wegman, dentist

District 10
The 10th district was previously in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but it now overlaps with much of the former 4th district in South Central Pennsylvania. Under the map released in 2018, the 10th district includes Harrisburg and a portion of York County. The incumbent from the 4th district is Republican Scott Perry, who had represented his district since 2013. He was re-elected to a third term with 66% of the vote in 2016. Several Democrats sought to challenge Perry in 2018, with George Scott, a 20-year Army veteran and Lutheran pastor, receiving the party's nomination.

Nominee

 * Scott Perry, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * George Scott, Lutheran pastor and former Army Lt. Colonel

Eliminated in primary

 * Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson, former assistant to the director for the Office of Management and Budget
 * Eric Ding, public health scientist
 * Alan Howe, Air Force veteran

Withdrawn

 * Christina Hartman, former nonprofit executive and nominee for Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district in 2016

District 11
The old 11th district was in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but the district now overlaps with much of the former 16th district in South Central Pennsylvania. The new district consists of Lancaster County and portions of York County. The incumbent from the former 16th district is Republican Lloyd Smucker, who had held office since 2017.

Nominee

 * Lloyd Smucker, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary
Christina Hartman, a former nonprofit executive who lost against Smucker in 16th had filed for a rematch; however, following the court-ordered redrawing, she considered switching to run in the more competitive 10th before withdrawing from the race altogether.

Nominee

 * Jess King, nonprofit director

Withdrawn

 * John George, former Warwick superintendent
 * Christina Hartman, former nonprofit executive and nominee for this seat in 2016
 * Charles Klein, pharmacist and candidate for state representative in 2016

General election
Meteorologist Drew Anderson planned to run without party affiliation and expected to be listed that way on the November ballot. However, he failed to file papers in time, and was not in the race.

Polling
{| class="wikitable" ! Poll source ! Date(s) administered ! Sample size ! Margin of error ! style="width:100px;"| Lloyd Smucker (R) ! style="width:100px;"| Jess King (D) ! Other ! Undecided
 * Susquehanna Polling and Research
 * align=center| October 21–22, 2018
 * align=center| 311
 * align=center| ± 5.6%
 * align=center| 50%
 * align=center| 46%
 * align=center| 1%
 * align=center| 3%
 * Public Policy Polling (D-King)
 * align=center| September 12–13, 2018
 * align=center| 552
 * align=center| ± 4.2%
 * align=center| 44%
 * align=center| 35%
 * align=center| –
 * align=center| 21%
 * align=center| –
 * align=center| 21%

District 12
The old 12th district was in Southwestern Pennsylvania, but the new district is in North Central Pennsylvania. It overlaps with the former 10th district, which was represented by Republican Tom Marino. Marino had held office since 2011.

Nominee

 * Tom Marino, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Douglas McLinko

Nominee

 * Marc Friedenburg, teacher

Eliminated in primary

 * Judith Herschel, certified drug and alcohol counselor

District 13
The old 13th district was in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but the new district is in Western Pennsylvania. The new district overlaps with much of the old 9th district, which was represented by retiring Republican Representative Bill Shuster.

Nominee

 * John Joyce, physician

Eliminated in primary

 * Stephen Bloom, state representative
 * John Eichelberger, state senator
 * Art Halvorson, businessman, Coast Guard veteran and candidate for this seat in 2014 & 2016
 * Benjamin Hornberger, laborer and former Marine
 * Doug Mastriano, retired Army colonel
 * Travis Schooley, businessman and candidate for this seat in 2012 & 2014
 * Bernard Washabaugh II

Declined

 * Bill Shuster, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results
[[File:2018 Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district Republican primary election results by county map.svg|thumb|200px|Results by county: {{legend|#E27F7F|Joyce}}

{{legend|#FFE0EA|20–30%}}

{{legend|#FFC8CD|30–40%}} {{legend|#FF9A50|Eichelberger}}

{{legend|#FFDAC1|20–30%}}

{{legend|#FFB580|40–50%}} {{legend|#51C2C2|Bloom}}

{{legend|#7DDDDD|40–50%}}

{{legend|#009696|70–80%}} {{legend|#5FD35F|Mastriano}}

{{legend|#AAE5AA|30–40%}} {{legend|#F1C92A|Halvorson}}

{{legend|#FFEEAA|30–40%}} ]]

Nominee

 * Brent Ottaway

District 14
The old 14th district consisted of the city of Pittsburgh and parts of surrounding suburbs, but the new district consists of suburbs to the south and west of Pittsburgh. The district overlaps with much of the former 18th district. The winner of the 2018 special election, Democrat Conor Lamb, ran in the more competitive 17th district.

Nominee

 * Bibiana Boerio, businesswoman and chief of staff to former representative Joe Sestak

Eliminated in primary

 * Tom Prigg
 * Adam Sedlock, psychologist
 * Bob Solomon, physician and candidate for this seat in 2018

Declined

 * Conor Lamb, incumbent U.S. Representative (running in the 17th)

Nominee

 * Guy Reschenthaler, state senator and candidate for this seat in 2018

Eliminated in primary

 * Rick Saccone, state representative and nominee for this seat in 2018

District 15
The old 15th district was in Eastern Pennsylvania, but the new district is in Western Pennsylvania. The new district overlaps with much of the former 5th district, which was represented by Republican G.T. Thompson. Thompson had held office since 2009.

Nominee

 * G.T. Thompson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Dave Reed, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Withdrew

 * Ryan Mackenzie, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 134th district, withdrew in March following redistricting

Nominee

 * Susan Boser, teacher

Eliminated in primary

 * Wade Jodun

District 16
The former 16th district was in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but the redrawn 16th district is in Northwestern Pennsylvania, overlapping with the former 3rd district. The incumbent from the 3rd district was Republican Mike Kelly, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected to a fourth term unopposed in 2016. Kelly had considered running for the U.S. Senate, but announced he would run for re-election instead.

Nominee

 * Mike Kelly, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Ron DiNicola, U.S. Marine veteran, Erie County solicitor, nominee for Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district in 1996

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Multari, physician
 * Chris Rieger, attorney

District 17
The former 17th district was in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but the new 17th district consists of suburbs west of Pittsburgh. The district overlaps with parts of the former 12th district, which was represented by Republican Keith Rothfus. Rothfus had held office since 2013, and ran for reelection in the new 17th.

The new map drew the home of Democrat Conor Lamb, who won a special election for the old 18th District, into the new 17th. The 17th is far less Republican than its predecessor, and voted for Democrats downballot, leading to speculation that Lamb would run for a full term in the 17th regardless of the special election result. On March 14, Democratic officials in Beaver County, which is entirely within the 17th, received a written request from Lamb for their endorsement in the 2018 general election. On March 20, Lamb formally filed to run for a full term in the 17th.

Nominee

 * Keith Rothfus, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Conor Lamb, incumbent U.S. Representative

District 18
The 18th district formerly consisted of the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, but the new district is now centered on Pittsburgh itself. The district overlaps with the former 14th district, which was represented by Democrat Michael F. Doyle. Doyle had held office since 1995. He ran unopposed in the general election.

Nominee

 * Michael F. Doyle, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Janis C. Brooks, pastor, CEO/founder of Citizens to Abolish Domestic Apartheid and candidate for this seat in 2012, 2014 & 2016