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PENNSYLVANIA - Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity will compete for Pennsylvania’s top job in November after both won uncontested primaries Tuesday. The race puts Shapiro, the incumbent, against Garrity, the state treasurer, in a contest where Shapiro is considered a heavy favorite to win reelection.
Democrats set sights on U.S. House gains and state control
What we know:
Shapiro is on track to break his own campaign spending record and has reported outraising Garrity by more than 10-to-1, according to the Associated Press.
For Shapiro, the election is also a chance to demonstrate his political strength in a battleground state, should he decide to run for president in 2028.
In addition to his own race, Shapiro is working to help Democrats flip key Republican-held U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania and deliver Democratic control of the state Legislature.
Republicans acknowledge Shapiro’s electoral strength, and many in the party hope Garrity can make it a close contest to help protect other Republicans on the ballot.
The U.S. House campaigns will put Pennsylvania on the front lines of Democratic efforts to retake control of Congress and block the last two years of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Democrats in Pennsylvania are also settling primary fights to shape their congressional slate for the fall election, when they hope to capture the state’s four swing districts and ultimately a U.S. House majority.
The backstory:
In 2018, Pennsylvania Democrats flipped four Republican-held congressional seats during the last midterm election cycle under Trump. In 2024, Perry and Mackenzie’s margins of victory were among the slimmest in that year’s House races, smaller than the margin by which Trump won those districts in the presidential election.
Fitzpatrick won more comfortably, but he is just one of three House Republicans elected in districts that also backed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Fitzpatrick and Perry are perennial targets of Democrats and have survived repeatedly, while Mackenzie is a freshman facing his first reelection test.
Contested primaries and key districts
What they're saying:
Washington U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the party wanted "top tier" candidates who were the strongest to take on Republican incumbents.
Shapiro and the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, teamed up to endorse the same candidate in each of the three contested primaries.
Big picture view:
Three of the four swing districts have contested Democratic primaries, in addition to a wide-open contest in Philadelphia that will almost surely anoint the next seatholder, according to the Associated Press.
Those three swing districts are held by Republican U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie and Scott Perry.
Two of the endorsed candidates — Janelle Stelson and Bob Harvie — are facing opponents on the left, while another, Bob Brooks, is in a four-way primary contest.
In the fourth swing district, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti was unopposed for the Democratic nomination to take on GOP U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who also was unopposed in the primary.
Philadelphia’s open seat and local endorsements
Local perspective:
In Philadelphia, the Democratic primary for a seat in Congress is widely viewed as a toss-up among three candidates. No Republican is seeking that party’s nomination, making the Democratic primary winner a shoo-in to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans.
The race features Sharif Street, a state senator, former state party chairman and son of the city’s former mayor John F. Street. He is backed by Mayor Cherelle Parker, former Gov. Ed Rendell and the city’s building trades unions.
A state lawmaker, Rep. Chris Rabb, was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and online streamer Hasan Piker and has drawn financial backing from the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Dr. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon who started a Black doctors’ consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic, was helped by millions of dollars from 314 Action, a left-leaning political action committee aimed at electing scientists to Congress.
The Philadelphia contest is expected to determine the next representative, as no Republican is running.
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear who will win the contested Democratic primaries in the swing districts or in Philadelphia, or how these outcomes will affect the broader balance of power in Congress in November.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report.