Pay attention to these competitive Pennsylvania congressional races as 2024 campaigns heat up

Now that the 2023 election has wrapped up, all eyes are on 2024.

The attention of the nation will be on Pennsylvania, watching which way the state swings for president and whether Sen. Bob Casey will hold onto his seat against David McCormick as Democrats defend a slim majority in the Senate.

And across the state, a number of congressional seats will be hotly contested.

While most races in the Philadelphia region aren’t very competitive, there are a number of races across the state in which Democrats or Republicans think they can flip a seat. Those swing districts will also be battlegrounds that help determine statewide contests.

Key races to watch will be in Bucks County, the Lehigh Valley, and Northeastern, Central, and Western Pennsylvania.

Republicans have their eye on the 7th District, where U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat, won by just under two percentage points in the 2022 midterms. Wild has represented the district since a November 2018 special election. The district includes Lehigh, Carbon, and Northampton Counties, as well as part of Monroe County.

The Cook Political Report described this race as one of the most competitive in the country, and three Republicans have filed to compete for their party’s nomination.

Here’s who is running:

Republicans are also trying to flip the 8th District, another highly competitive race in a district that former President Donald Trump won twice. Rob Bresnahan, a businessman, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat who won by just 2.4 percentage points in 2022. Republicans hope to highlight Bresnahan’s community connections and paint Cartwright as a D.C. insider in contrast.

The district includes Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties, as well as part of Luzerne County.

Democrats are lining up to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus and a longtime Trump ally. Democrats saw local wins in the 2023 general election, when they flipped control of the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners and won competitive school board races, as a hopeful sign. Perry easily held onto his district in 2022 despite intense opposition from Democratic constituents.

The district includes Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York Counties.

Here’s who is running:

Republicans are hoping to flip the 17th District, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Democrat. Deluzio has only been in Congress for about a year. He was elected to the seat after former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb mounted an unsuccessful run for Senate instead of running for reelection.

State Rep. Rob Mercuri, a Republican who represents parts of Allegheny County, has mounted a challenge against Deluzio for the general election.

The Cook Political Report determined that while this race will be competitive, Democrats have an advantage. Both parties touted local wins in the 2023 general election.

The district includes Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County.

The 1st District is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican. Ashley Ehasz, a Democrat who lost to Fitzpatrick by nine percentage points in 2022, is planning to challenge him again in 2024.

Fitzpatrick is a well-known incumbent who has represented the district since 2017 and managed to hang on even in years that have been tough for Republicans in the state. Democrats, however, won 2023 Bucks County races for county commissioner and school board and see opportunity in the rematch. Ehasz, a former military helicopter pilot, also has the benefit of running for a second time — and so far, a clear Democratic primary field.

The district includes all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County. The Cook Political Report lists the race as likely a Republican hold.

The National Republican Congressional Committee — which supports incumbents in primaries — has another battle to face in the meantime. Mark Houck, a Catholic antiabortion activist who is no stranger to headlines, will challenge Fitzpatrick in the primary.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a five-term incumbent, does not face any primary challengers.

Republican Haroon Bashir filed to run against Boyle, though he also filed to run against Philly State Rep. Jared Solomon, another Democrat.

The district includes much of Philadelphia east of Broad Street, encompassing the Northeast, Kensington, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and part of Center City.

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat, is running for reelection in the 3rd District, which includes most parts of Philadelphia west of Broad Street, as well as parts of South Philadelphia. He has served in Congress since 2016, and before that served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 35 years.

He faces a primary challenge from Democrat Tracey Gordon, the former Philadelphia Register of Wills. Gordon lost reelection to her city post last year after several controversies.

Incumbent three-term U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean is running for reelection and faces no primary challenges.

Republican David Wrinkler, a combat veteran, will challenge her in the general election. The district includes most of Montgomery and Berks Counties, and is likely to remain Democratic given the makeup of its voters.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who has represented the district since a 2018 special election, is running for reelection.

Though she doesn’t face a primary challenger, two Republicans Alfeia DeVaughn-Goodwin and Dasha Pruett are competing to face Scanlon in November. DeVaughn-Goodwin is an Army veteran and former Philly police officer and Pruett, a Russian immigrant who touts the American Dream, was the Republican nominee in 2020.

The district includes Delaware County and parts of South Philly and southern Montgomery County, and is likely to remain Democratic.

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a three-term Democratic incumbent, is running for reelection in the 6th District, which includes Chester County and part of Berks County.

Republican Neil Young, a social studies teacher and coach, will challenge her in the general election.

This story was updated to reflect the petitions for each seat.