Battle for Keystone State: Pennsylvania’s 5 Crucial Districts Hang in the Balance in US Congressional Election

[Epoch Times September 23, 2024](Epoch Times reporter Cheng Wen comprehensive report) There is a saying in the US presidential election that “whoever wins Pennsylvania wins the White House”, which shows that Pennsylvania is a key swing state (battleground state) that both parties are determined to win, and the same is true in the congressional election. Pennsylvania has 17 seats in the US House of Representatives, of which 9 belong to the Democratic Party and 8 belong to the Republican Party. The two parties are evenly matched. In the 2024 congressional election, the two parties will compete in at least 5 constituencies in Pennsylvania.

Of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, a party needs 218 seats, which is the threshold for party status. Currently, the Republican Party has a slim majority with 220 seats to the Democratic Party’s 211 seats, so changes in a few seats will affect the balance of party status.

In Pennsylvania’s 17 congressional seats, or 17 congressional districts, the Democrats are preparing to flip the Republican-dominated 1st and 10th districts, while the Republicans are also planning to take away the Democratic-held 7th, 8th and 17th districts. Below is a summary of various media reports to understand the general election situation in these districts.

Pennsylvania No. 1Congressional Districts: Fitzpatrick vs.Ehas

The incumbent congressman in the district is Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, who is less than 51 years old, and his challenger is Democrat and former U.S. Army female pilot Ashley Ehasz. This is also a rematch after the two fought in the 2022 midterm elections.

Republican Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick first served in Congress in 2017 and is now seeking re-election to his fifth term as a U.S. Representative.

Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, speaks at an event in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Brian Fitzpatrick successfully ran for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District in the 2016 election to succeed his brother Mike Fitzpatrick, who decided to fulfill his promise to retire after four terms in Congress.

In the 2018 election, the 8th District was renumbered as the 1st District due to court-ordered redistricting. The new 1st District remains essentially the same as the old 8th District, except that much of central Montgomery County was added, making the new 1st District more Democratic.

Despite this, Fitzpatrick still managed to defeat the Democratic candidate by 2.6 percentage points, making the 1st District one of three Republican districts won by former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 that survived the 2018 congressional elections.

In the 2020 election, Fitzpatrick was successfully re-elected in the 1st District with an absolute advantage of 13.2 percentage points. In the presidential election of that year, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden defeated then-President Trump in the district by 6 percentage points, making Fitzpatrick one of the nine House Republicans who successfully won in the district won by Biden.

In the 2022 election, Fitzpatrick easily defeated Democratic candidate Ashley Ehasz by 9.8 percentage points.

Fitzpatrick is considered one of the most independent and bipartisan members of Congress.

For the 2024 congressional elections, Fitzpatrick said his campaign is also a movement against hyper-partisanship. He said: “I am the vice chairman of the (House of Representatives) bipartisan problem solvers caucus, which is composed of 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans who work together to reach consensus and find common ground to solve our country’s challenges. I was rated as the most independent congressman in the country, which is exactly what our community deserves. Our community is not extreme left or extreme right, we are centrist and pragmatic.”

Fitzpatrick said he supports economic measures that focus on increasing job opportunities for American workers. “In Congress, I’m working to provide opportunity for all Americans. I support a simpler, fairer tax code. In our communities, small businesses are already hiring more employees and their workers are receiving bonuses and higher take-home pay. We must do everything we can to advance the ‘Made in America’ initiative. American manufacturing means American jobs,” he said.

With an MBA and a Juris Doctor from Penn State University, prior to entering Congress, Fitzpatrick served as an FBI agent; national director of the FBI’s Public Corruption Section, overseeing campaign finance and election crimes enforcement programs; and special assistant U.S. attorney.

With such a professional law enforcement background, Fitzpatrick also said that he is also focused on improving the political system in Washington, D.C. in Congress. He said: “As a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, I have spent my entire career arresting corrupt politicians, and now my mission is to deal with a broken and dysfunctional Washington.

“On my first day in office, I proposed a bold and comprehensive package of government reform to challenge career politicians, impose term limits, and abolish congressional pensions for members of Congress.”

Democrat Ehas

Ehas first challenged Republican Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District in the 2022 congressional election, but failed. In 2024, Ehas made a comeback and challenged Fitzpatrick again.

If elected, Ehas would become the first female member of Congress to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Ehasz holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating from West Point, she served in the U.S. Army Aviation Corps and became an Apache helicopter pilot. During her service, she was deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and South Korea.

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Ehas earned a master’s degree from Oxford University.

Before running for Congress, Ehas worked as a policy writer and project coordinator for the county government in Bensalem County, Pennsylvania, where she lives, and as a public service consultant.

As can be seen from Ehas’ campaign platform, she supports women’s abortion rights, responds to climate change, and supports the green economy and carbon reduction movement.

To improve the U.S. economy, Ehasz believes that restrictions and regulations on the banking industry need to be strengthened, and that holding companies and large banks need to be held accountable for economic inequality.

She has also pushed for affordable housing, equal pay for equal work, protections for labor rights, and called for a higher minimum wage, saying, “We need to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.”

As a military veteran, Ehasz supports citizens’ right to bear arms and has called for universal background checks for gun buyers to prevent gun violence.

Ehasz expressed sadness over the harm opioid addiction has caused to ordinary Americans and members of the military, saying: “In Congress, I will pursue every avenue to work in bipartisanship with my Republican colleagues to address the deadly opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities.”

Pennsylvania No. 7Congressional Districts: Wilder vs.Mackenzie

The incumbent congressman for the district is 67-year-old Democrat Susan Wild, and her challenger is 42-year-old Republican Ryan Mackenzie.

CNN and the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, among other media outlets, have called the 7th District a bellwether in Pennsylvania, a district that both parties are targeting. In 2022, Wilder defeated the Republican candidate by 2 percentage points in the district, the most expensive in Pennsylvania, giving Republicans some chances to turn the tables in the 2024 congressional elections.

Democrat Wilder

Wilder is running for her fourth term as a congresswoman representing Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District since 2019. She is the first woman to represent Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in Congress.

For her congressional post, Wilder said on her official website that her legislative priorities include “lowering prescription drug prices, expanding Medicare, supporting labor and education, addressing the climate crisis, and supporting Pennsylvania’s thriving manufacturing sector to continue growing Pennsylvania’s economy and provide more good-paying jobs in our communities.”

She also listed women’s abortion rights and families as her top campaign issues, saying: “I will always fight for women’s rights to control their own bodies, make their own health care decisions, and have equal rights and protections in the workplace.”

Wilder stressed that she is someone who can work with both parties. She said: “My philosophy is simple: getting work done in Washington requires hard work, listening to my constituents and working with people on the other side of the aisle.”

Wilder, who holds a Juris Doctor degree, was a partner in a law firm specializing in litigation, medical malpractice and municipal law before entering Congress. She served as an attorney in Allentown, Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2017.

Wilder is sympathetic to illegal immigrants. In 2019, she voted in Congress against allowing victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities to report their crimes to the Department of Homeland Security; in 2023, she voted against condemning Washington DC’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to vote in local elections.

Republican McKenzie

McKenzie is a member of the Pennsylvania State Assembly. He was first elected in 2012 and has been re-elected ever since. His current term will expire on November 30, 2024.

His mother, Milou Mackenzie, is also a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. They are the first mother and son to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives at the same time.

McKenzie highlighted his experience as a state legislator in his run for Congress, praising himself on his campaign website, saying, “As a state legislator, he has proven his ability to bring people together and pass bipartisan initiatives into law. Just this year, Ryan authored legislation — signed by (Democratic) Governor Shapiro — to ensure our first responders get the recognition and support they deserve.”

If elected to Congress, McKenzie said his top priority would be to change the Democrats’ wrong policies, including reducing spending and ensuring border security. He said: “The United States is on the wrong path, and politicians in Washington are only making things worse – high inflation, open borders, rising crime, playing political games – while we struggle in the real world. My goal for Congress is simple: Make government work for you again and focus on the priorities that can help us most immediately.”

McKenzie said he would work to “cut and eliminate taxes that take money out of the pockets of American workers and hinder economic growth” and “stop the excessive regulation that is destroying American entrepreneurship.”

With a bachelor’s degree in finance and international business from New York University and an MBA from Harvard University, Ryan McKenzie served as policy director for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry prior to serving in elected office.

Pennsylvania No. 8Congressional Districts: Cartwright vs.Bresnahan

Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District includes a large area of northeastern Pennsylvania, centered on Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and the Poconos.

The incumbent congressman from the district is 63-year-old Democrat Matt Cartwright, and his challenger is Republican rising star Rob Bresnahan Jr.

PoliticsPA called Cartwright the most vulnerable incumbent congressman in Pennsylvania in 2024. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has included Cartwright’s re-election campaign in the “frontline plan”, indicating that he will receive additional fundraising support from the DCCC.

On the Republican side, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R) and senior Rep. Burgess Owens all visited Pennsylvania to support Bresnahan’s campaign.

PolitiFact called Bresnahan a “strong newcomer who, as a political newcomer, does not have a voting record that the Cartwright campaign could exploit,” according to bipartisan consensus.

Democrat Cartwright

Cartwright is a six-term member of the House of Representatives. He has served as the representative for Pennsylvania’s 17th District since 2013, which was renumbered as the 8th District in 2019.

The district supported former President Trump by a clear margin in both the 2016 and 2020 elections—10 percentage points and 4.4 percentage points, respectively. But in the four congressional elections from 2016 to 2022, Cartwright was still able to win in this district, with his percentage point advantages being 7.6, 9.2, 3.6 and 2.4, respectively.

Cartwright became one of only three Democrats in the House of Representatives to successfully defend their seats in a congressional district that Trump won twice.

In the 2024 congressional election, Cartwright says on his campaign website that his top priority is “relieving the burden on working families in our community,” that he “supports tax cuts for working people while requiring the wealthy to pay their fair share,” and that he has been “a staunch advocate for raising the minimum wage and supporting collective bargaining to provide a long overdue pay raise for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

Cartwright supports abortion rights, and his campaign website says, “Matt is committed to fighting for women’s health and freedoms” and “he will continue to advocate for expanded access to Planned Parenthood and IVF so women in all states can make their own reproductive decisions.”

Cartwright has also focused specifically on health care, with his campaign website saying, “One of the reasons Matt first ran for public office was to protect and expand affordable health care for all Northeastern Pennsylvanians.” Cartwright said he helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which “lowered insurance premiums, capped insulin copays at $35 and limited out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare.”

Cartwright holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Hamilton College and a doctorate in election law from Pennsylvania State University. Before entering politics, he worked in several law firms and later joined his father-in-law’s law firm and became a partner. He and his wife have two sons.

Republican Bresnahan

Bresnahan is a complete “political novice,” calling himself a “fifth-generation northeastern Pennsylvanian,” a successful businessman, college athlete, and community philanthropist who is “fully committed to facing challenges and solving problems.”

On his campaign website, Bresnahan said he is running for Congress because he is “committed to bringing people together and is uniquely qualified to bring a new energy to Congress and deliver results for everyone in Northeast Pennsylvania.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton, Bresnahan joined Kuharchik Construction, the electrical contracting company founded by his grandfather, at age 19 as chief financial officer.

After graduation, as his grandparents retired from the company, Bresnahan took over as CEO, helping the company expand into new areas and scale its business to support more than 150 families in Pennsylvania.

Bresnahan then founded RPB Ventures to give back to the community where he grew up, Pittston, and to provide innovation space for other local entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.

Bresnahan said his goal in running for Congress was to end inflation. “We need to stop reckless spending, get inflation under control, and cut taxes so you can leave more money for your family,” he said.

“We spend too much money on things we don’t need and send billions of dollars overseas while people in Northeastern Pennsylvania are struggling to put food on their tables.”

Opposing the Democrats’ open border policy, Bresnahan criticized: “Our borders are open” and “Fentanyl is actually killing our families.”

He added: “We must secure our border, build our wall, reverse the failed Biden/Harris policies, and stop the flow of illegal drugs and criminals into our communities.”

Bresnahan also supports health care and welfare, saying: “I will always fight to protect Social Security and Medicare for future generations. It’s your money, you pay into this system, and the government needs to deliver on its promises to every American. I will not support plans to raise the retirement age or cut any benefits.”

Pennsylvania10Congressional District:PerryvsStetson

The district includes Harrisburg, York and most of the inner city’s suburbs. The incumbent congressman is 62-year-old Republican Scott Perry, a retired U.S. Army National Guard brigadier general, and his challenger is Democrat Janelle Stelson, a former anchorwoman.

In the 2022 congressional election, Perry defeated the Democratic challenger by 7.6 percentage points. His district represents a safe Republican district in Pennsylvania. Perry is also one of former President Trump’s staunch allies in Congress, which is one of the main reasons why Democrats want to overthrow him. The Washington Post reported: “Democrats say they can defeat Perry this time with a stronger candidate and a more targeted message.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Perry’s campaign team tried to link Stetson to far-left policies and criticized her for not living in the district.

Republican Perry

Perry first entered Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 2013 and has been re-elected for six terms. He joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1980 and retired as a brigadier general in 2019.

On June 7, 2021, hundreds of people attended the 2021 Gun Rights Rally in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. U.S. Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania was the main speaker at the rally. (Song Shenghua/NTD)

When Perry first ran for the congressional seat in 2012, he won by a landslide 27 percentage points over his Democratic opponent in what was then Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District, which was renumbered in 2018 to become the 10th District.

In the following re-election campaign, Perry won without suspense. During his time in Congress, he was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Before entering Congress, Perry was re-elected to the Pennsylvania State Assembly for three terms from 2007 to 2012. In these three state assembly elections, Perry was invincible and unbeatable.

Before entering politics, Perry also had business experience. He mentioned his support for small business owners in his 2024 campaign. He said: “As a former small business owner for many years, I know that over-taxation and over-regulation will hinder small businesses from creating jobs… Since being elected to Congress, I have continued to work to stop excessive government regulation that makes it more difficult for small businesses to grow and plan for the future.”

Perry supports replacing Obamacare with more affordable health care, the Affordable Care Act. “Everyone deserves access to affordable health care, which is why I support repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with a health care system that covers pre-existing conditions, lowers the cost of prescription drugs, and allows individuals and their doctors to make health care decisions, not insurance companies and the government,” he said on his campaign website.

Perry also emphasized his support for policies to reduce government spending, saying: “Our national debt has soared to over $20 trillion, which is unsustainable… We must stop spending money we don’t have. I have supported many efforts to responsibly reduce spending, balance the federal budget, and make government more accountable to hardworking American taxpayers.”

During the campaign, Perry not only emphasized his congressional record, but also mentioned his military career and personal story. His campaign website said: “Scott Perry brings a unique background to the United States House of Representatives – hard work, small business, military leadership and community involvement… He is the grandson of Colombian immigrants and the son of a single mother who fled two abusive situations and worked multiple jobs to survive and raise her children.”

Perry, who grew up in a difficult environment, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pennsylvania State University in 1991 and a master’s degree in strategic planning from the U.S. Army War College in 2012.

In 1980, Perry joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and obtained multiple helicopter pilot qualifications with the United States Army Aviation, as well as an instructor pilot rating.

Perry was deployed to Iraq from 2009 to 2010 during the Iraq War.

Perry was promoted to brigadier general in 2015 and retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2019. He and his wife have two children.

DemocratStetson

Janelle Stetson is a former news anchor, reporter, and weather anchor for WGAL-TV.

Before pursuing a career in broadcasting, her first job was as a speechwriter for the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, DC.

Stetson said she is running for office based on her experience reporting on the district, writing on her campaign website: “For nearly 40 years, I have been listening to and advocating for our community as a TV news anchor and reporter. You trust me to shine a light on our problems, big and small. Now, our fundamental rights and democracy are under attack, and I am joining the fight. You deserve a representative in Congress who will fight for your freedoms and work to make life more affordable for middle-class families.”

“Whether it’s working with small business owners, partnering with local law enforcement, or covering rising housing and healthcare costs, Janelle has been listening to and telling the stories of countless families across the region. Over and over again, she’s heard that people in Central Pennsylvania are tired of career politicians who don’t listen to them.”

Stetson has said she wants to restore federal abortion rights. Her campaign website says: “Janel will stick with her old ways in Washington, supporting term limits, a ban on members of Congress trading stocks, and a ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists after retirement. She will work in a bipartisan way to address the crisis at our border and ensure abortion is a decision made by women and families, not the government.”

Stetson does not live in the 10th District, but she said she would move there if she wins the election.

Pennsylvania17Congressional District: DeruziovsMcCurry

The district’s incumbent congressman is 40-year-old Democrat Chris Deluzio, whose challengers include 43-year-old Republican Rob Mercuri and American Congress Party candidate Clayton Cuteri.

For the 2024 election, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) endorsed McCurry and included Pennsylvania’s 17th District as part of a national list of “seats currently held by vulnerable House Democrats that represent a major Republican takeover opportunity.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) supports DeRuccio and has included the district in its “Frontline Initiative” to focus on vulnerable Democratic turf.

DemocratDeruzio

DeRuzio was first elected to Congress in 2022, defeating Republican candidate Jeremy Shaffer by 7.6 percentage points, 53.4% to 45.6%. This is DeRuzio’s first re-election campaign.

Prior to entering Congress, DeRuccio worked as a voting rights attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice and the University of Pittsburgh.

Earlier in his career, Deluzio received a bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy. After graduation, he served as a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2012, and was deployed to Iraq. After retiring, Deluzio received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

In the congressional race, DeRuzio said his background gives him experience in veterans affairs and voting rights.

He said his time in the military made him realize that “forever wars have cost trillions of dollars and even more in American lives.”

Citing his service on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, DeRuzio said he “stood up to defend veterans health care and services from cuts proposed by congressional Republicans.”

DeRuccio cited his experience as a voting rights lawyer as making him “deeply committed to defending our democracy and the freedom to vote.” He said he sees partisan redistricting and corporate money in politics as threats to voting rights.

During the campaign, DeRuzio voiced support for unions and opposition to corporate greed, calling them “one of the most important tools we have to fight corporate power” and saying “union workers get better wages, benefits and working conditions.” He mentioned his experience in labor, including helping to organize the University of Pittsburgh faculty union.

DeRuccio also said he believes inadequate rail safety standards pose a threat to western Pennsylvania, saying, “Much of my first term in Congress was focused on fighting for rail safety after the East Palestine (Ohio) train derailment.”

He met his wife while attending Georgetown Law School.

Republican McCurry

McCurry is currently a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, a position he first assumed in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.

McCurry also has experience in military service. He served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2009 and was promoted to the rank of captain.

He received his BA from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

His career experience also includes working for accounting firms and as a senior vice president and financial risk manager at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. He and his wife also own a small business in the packaging and shipping business.

During the campaign, McCurry, referring to his own experience in the military, said he believed “nothing is more important than adequately funding our troops and taking care of those who defend our country and their families when they come home.” McCurry said he would work to improve the capacity and quality of care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

At the same time, he also believes that the U.S. military should “return to the time-tested doctrine of ‘peace through strength'” to deal with terrorism and security threats facing the world. McCurry also said that he will “continue to maintain the United States’ strong strategic partnership with Israel to ensure the continuation of the Jewish state and promote peace in the Middle East and around the world.”

On the economy, McCurry said he disapproves of the Biden administration’s economic policies and regulations, arguing that “federal overspending, cumbersome regulation, rising utility costs and poor leadership” have increased the cost of living. He said investing in various energy sources in western Pennsylvania will help reduce utility costs and the cost of living in Pennsylvania.

McCurry said the legislation he authored during his tenure in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives showed that he was “a champion for fiscal responsibility and economic development through innovation, lower taxes and reduced barriers to business entry.”

The current crisis at the southern border of the United States and the problem of illegal immigration are also a key issue that McCurry is concerned about. He said: “The only way to stop this problem is to seal the border once and for all, and at the same time we have to develop a comprehensive immigration solution.”

Editor in charge: Li Yuyuan#