Democrats in Pennsylvania backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro won their primaries Tuesday in three swing congressional districts, setting up November matchups the party believes could be decisive in the fight for a U.S. House majority. Janelle Stelson, Bob Harvie and Bob Brooks each won contested Democratic primaries and will challenge Republican incumbents in the fall.
The primary results solidify the state’s November landscape: Shapiro will face Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity in the governor’s race, and Democrats will target four Republican-held districts that rank among the most competitive in the country. As MSI previously reported, Shapiro’s endorsements were seen as a key test of his political influence within the party.
Speaking to a primary night crowd in Warminster, Pa., Shapiro spent a considerable portion of his speech attacking President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. He said the Republican Congress “is weak, serves Trump’s will and gives Trump a free pass on wrongdoing and corruption,” according to the Associated Press.
Shapiro, widely considered a potential White House contender in 2028, has put his clout behind a broader Democratic effort to flip GOP seats. His endorsement decisions in the primaries drew attention in part because they overrode some local progressive candidates — including a challenge to state Rep. Justin Douglas in the Philadephia region — while he also backed Stelson, a former television news anchor who ran as a moderate, over progressive candidate Lucia Simonelli in the 10th District. Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner, and Brooks, a former Montgomery County commissioner, both received his backing in districts currently held by Fitzpatrick and Mackenzie, respectively.
Democrats view the Pennsylvania seats — held by Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Rob Bresnahan — as critical to their strategy for winning a House majority. The National Democratic Congressional Committee has targeted all four as pickup opportunities. Fitzpatrick is the only Republican House member from Pennsylvania who voted to certify the 2020 election results and who also sits on the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, making him a particularly tough incumbent but also a prime target for national Democratic spending.
The governor’s race between Shapiro and Garrity has also been set. Garrity, who serves as state treasurer, won the Republican nomination unopposed. Shapiro out-raised Garrity by a wide margin in the pre-primary campaign finance period, reporting $30 million in cash on hand compared to Garrity’s $4 million, though national Republican groups have signaled they will spend heavily in the state.