Even though the presidential and Senate primaries are both mere formalities, Pennsylvania primary voters will cast their votes Tuesday in a series of important races in key battleground states.
That includes a hotly contested Democratic primary in the Pittsburgh area and a primary in eastern Pennsylvania that featured moderate Republicans trying to fend off right-wing challengers.
Additionally, activists angered by President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war are urging Democrats to write “irresponsible” on state primary ballots. And in the Republican primary, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who ended her campaign last month, could still be found on the ballot as Republicans seek to cast a protest vote against former President Donald Trump.
Pennsylvania is one of the most polarizing states in the nation, and both parties will be looking for clues in the primary about November’s election.
Voting ends at 8pm ET, so here’s what to watch Tuesday.
House district on the front lines of the Gaza war
In the 12th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee faces a challenge from Edgewood Ward Councilwoman Babini Patel in a race that puts the Israel-Hamas war at the forefront.
Mr. Lee, a member of Congress’s progressive “squad” and one of the first lawmakers to call for a ceasefire, accused the Israeli government of committing “war crimes” and called for unconditional military aid to the country. I asked for it to stop. And on Saturday, she joined 36 Democrats and 21 Republicans in voting against the aid package, which passed overwhelmingly. She and Republican Rep. Scott Perry were the only Pennsylvania lawmakers to vote against it.
Mr. Patel, who began his campaign days before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, said his refusal to distance himself from groups and activists seeking “non-committal” primary votes would be detrimental to Mr. Biden this fall. and is trying to cut into Mr. Lee’s support.
Lee, who won his first primary in 2022 after overcoming heavy spending from groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, appears to be even stronger this time around. She has made her sense of the district clear and has built her own campaign strategy around bringing federal money to the district against Republicans aligned with President Trump. The same AIPAC-affiliated group that ran against her last time is not spending money in this race.
The area includes Liszt, one of the most prominent historic Jewish neighborhoods in the country and the site of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre, where a white supremacist killed 11 worshipers in 2018.・Contains leeches. This was the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
Lee has called on Hamas to release the hostages it still holds and has repeatedly spoken out against anti-Semitism.
“We have communities that are hurting. The Jewish community is one of them. And there are people who don’t agree 100 percent with everything you say,” Lee said in an interview, adding that Ceasefire He added that he had been “very clear and frank” about his position on the matter. “I condemned Hamas. We have worked with the families of the hostages. We have done everything we think is necessary for that. And at the end of the day, we disagree.”
This race will be an early test of whether sentiment over the war in Gaza will play a role in this year’s race.
Preparing for important Senate race
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick are poised to cruise to victory Tuesday, creating a key contest in the battle for control of the Senate.
McCormick, who lost the 2022 Republican primary to Trump-backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, managed to clear the race ahead of this bid, contributing to his defeat up and down the polls. He rallied Pennsylvania’s Republican establishment, tired of infighting, behind him. During midterm exam. This dynamic allowed him to focus on the general election fight against Casey from the beginning.
The two will soon fight in what will be one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle. Casey, a three-term senator whose father was Pennsylvania’s governor, is trailing Biden in polls in a state where Democrats have won repeatedly since Trump’s stunning upset over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Always surpasses Mr.
This race could decide which party holds the majority in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 advantage.
A moderate Republican who values defense.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has built a brand as a moderate Republican, which often attracts primary challengers from the right. This year, Mr. Fitzpatrick has no chance in the primary against anti-abortion campaigner Mark Hauck.
According to recent campaign finance reports, the Fitzpatrick campaign has spent nearly $2 million so far, far exceeding Mr. Houck’s spending, and Mr. Houck has dropped $145,000 on April 3. As of that date, only $11,000 remained in the account. Fitzpatrick’s campaign had nearly $3.7 million on hand.
Houk was acquitted last year after making headlines for his arrest following an altercation with a Planned Parenthood volunteer. Fitzpatrick’s campaign has run several negative television ads against Hock, as well as spots reinforcing his own conservative credentials. “The far left is attacking the very ideals that brought so many to our country, instilling anti-American hatred in our children, and keeping our borders wide open,” Fitzpatrick said in one ad.
The primary has attracted the attention of outside groups, with two super PACs pouring money into the race to support Mr. Fitzpatrick: Defending America PAC and the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Republican leadership. There is. Politico reported that groups associated with the Democratic Party were also interfering in the primary election.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, has become an elusive target for Democrats seeking to flip the competitive 1st District in suburban Philadelphia. If Mr. Fitzpatrick wins the primary, Mr. Biden will lose by 10 points in 2022, even though Mr. Biden won the district by 5 points two years ago, according to calculations by Daily Kos Elections. He will once again face Army Veterans Democrat Ashley Ehass. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates the 1st District race as likely to go Republican.
Battlefield House Matchup Settings
Tuesday’s primaries will also solidify matchups in other competitive House races. Two of them have already been decided: businessman Rob Bresnahan will be the only Republican running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright in the 8th District, and state Rep. Rob Mercuri will be running in the 17th District. He is the only Republican running against Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio.
But in the battleground district, he is competing in a primary race against two other Pennsylvania senators: Democratic Rep. Susan Wilde and Republican Rep. Scott Perry.
In Wilde’s 7th Congressional District, north of Philadelphia, the top Republicans are state Rep. Ryan McKenzie and technology company owner Kevin Derricker. Mr. McKenzie has the support of “Prosperity Action” from the American people supported by Mr. Koch, but Mr. Derricker slightly outspent Mr. McKenzie in the primary election.
Mr. Wilde won a third term in 2022 by just 2 points, and Mr. Biden won the district in 2020 by less than 1 point. Cook Political Report calls the race a close one.
In the 10th Congressional District, which includes Harrisburg, six Democrats are vying to take on Perry, the former chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Top candidates include Mike O’Brien, a former Top Gun pilot and Marine veteran, and a former local TV newsman who is backed by Emily’s List, a group that backs women candidates who support abortion rights. They include anchor Janelle Stelson.
Democrats believe Perry is weak, especially given his conflict with a Justice Department investigation seeking to overturn the 2020 election results, an election Trump won by 4 points. Democrats will face an uphill climb in the district. Cook Political Report evaluates this election campaign as follows: Skinny Republicans.
biden protest vote
Biden is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, but activists opposed to the Gaza war are renewing calls for Democrats to vote against the administration’s support for Israel.
A coalition of groups called Uncommitted PA is asking voters to write “Uncommitted” in the Democratic presidential primary, following similar efforts in other primary states. The group is seeking 40,000 write-in votes, about half of Biden’s margin of victory in Pennsylvania in 2020. Only registered Democrats can participate in Tuesday’s primary.
correction (April 23, 2024, 1:30 PM ET): An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated: beginning The name of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s Republican primary challenger.he Mark Huck, not Matt.
