Shapiro-backed Democrats win Pennsylvania House primaries in swing districts

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Gov. Josh Shapiro’s backing helped Pennsylvania Democrats win Tuesday congressional primaries in swing districts where the party wants to challenge Republican incumbents in November, according to the Associated Press. The primaries also left Shapiro with a clear path to the fall governor’s contest, after he won without opposition and will face Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

In the three House swing districts with contested Democratic primaries, Shapiro-aligned Democrats secured nominations that the AP described as intended to shape the November congressional slate. The AP reported that all three were endorsed by Shapiro and backed by the House Democrats’ campaign operation during the intraparty contests.

In Brian Fitzpatrick’s district in suburban Philadelphia, Janelle Stelson won the Democratic nomination, defeating Justin Douglas, a progressive minister and Dauphin County commissioner, the AP reported. The AP said Stelson is a former local television anchor and personality.

In Ryan Mackenzie’s suburban district, the Democratic contest also went to Shapiro’s choice. Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner, defeated Lucia Simonelli, described by the AP as a first-time candidate and climate activist.

In Scott Perry’s seat, Bob Brooks emerged from a four-way Democratic primary that the AP said included former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, former Northampton County executive Lamont McClure and former legislative aide Carol Obando-Derstine. Brooks’ win sets him up to challenge Mackenzie in an Allentown-area seat, with the AP describing the three districts as the core of Democrats’ House flip efforts.

The AP reported that Democrats saw an additional opportunity in the fourth swing district, where the Democratic nominee was unopposed. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti won the Democratic nomination to take on GOP U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who was also unopposed in the primary.

On primary night, Shapiro spoke to supporters and argued that Democrats should use the November election to change Washington’s direction. The AP reported that Shapiro told the crowd, “The only way we can expect to change this is to win in November and bring some accountability back to our nation’s capital,” speaking at an event space that was once a centrifuge where the U.S. Navy tested G-forces on astronauts.

The AP said Shapiro also urged voters to help Democrats win control of the Pennsylvania Legislature for the first time in more than three decades. The governor tied that push to outcomes including funding mass transit, building more housing, and codifying abortion rights into state law, according to his remarks reported by the AP.

Beyond the House races, the AP said Shapiro and Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity will face each other in November after both won their uncontested primaries. The AP described the congressional races as part of a broader Democratic effort to retake control of the U.S. House and to block what Democrats describe as the last two years of Trump’s agenda.

In Philadelphia’s open Democratic primary for a seat in Congress, state Rep. Chris Rabb won the nomination, and the AP said he would be the Democratic candidate because no Republican sought the party’s nomination. The AP reported that Rabb was endorsed by progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and online streamer Hasan Piker, and drew financial backing from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, after beating state Sen. Sharif Street, former party chairman John F. Street, and Dr. Ala Stanford.

The AP also pointed to recent Pennsylvania election history to frame Democrats’ expectations. It reported that Pennsylvania Democrats flipped four Republican-held House seats in 2018 and that in 2024, Perry and Mackenzie’s margins of victory were among the slimmest, while noting that all three incumbents targeted by this year’s swing-district nominees won in districts that backed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

As Democrats settle into their general-election candidates, the outcome will hinge on whether they can consolidate support across a party that the AP described as divided in contested primaries. For the districts now set for November matchups, the Democratic nominations that Shapiro helped deliver place the party’s House gains strategy on candidates the AP reported as backed by Shapiro and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.