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Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District election, 2020

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Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 18, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Scott Perry (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
Inside Elections: Toss-up
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District
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Pennsylvania elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Incumbent Scott Perry (R) defeated Eugene DePasquale (D) in the general election for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District on November 3, 2020.

Perry was first elected to represent Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District in 2012. Following court-ordered redistricting in 2018, he was elected to the 10th District. Perry defeated George Scott (D) 51.3% to 48.7%.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) named DePasquale as a member of its Red to Blue program in January 2020.[3]

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+6, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Republican than the national average.

The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.

Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District is located in southern Pennsylvania and includes portions of Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties.[4]

This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 47.8 46.7
Republican candidate Republican Party 50.7 53.3
Difference 2.9 6.6

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Pennsylvania modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: The mail-in ballot receipt deadline for the general election was extended to November 6, 2020. Drop boxes were made available to return ballots. The state provided prepaid return postage for all mail-in and absentee ballots.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10

Incumbent Scott Perry defeated Eugene DePasquale in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Perry
Scott Perry (R)
 
53.3
 
208,896
Image of Eugene DePasquale
Eugene DePasquale (D)
 
46.7
 
182,938

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 391,834
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10

Eugene DePasquale defeated Tom Brier in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Eugene DePasquale
Eugene DePasquale
 
57.5
 
45,453
Image of Tom Brier
Tom Brier Candidate Connection
 
42.5
 
33,661

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 79,114
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10

Incumbent Scott Perry advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Perry
Scott Perry
 
100.0
 
79,365

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 79,365
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.


Scott Perry

Image of Scott Perry

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Perry graduated from the Cumberland-Perry Vocational-Technical School and received an associate degree from Harrisburg Area Community College, a bachelor's in business administration/management from Pennsylvania State University, and a master's in strategic studies from the United States Army War College. Perry served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from 1980 to 2019. He was a brigadier general. Perry founded Hydrotech Mechanical Services, Inc. in 1993.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Perry emphasized his background being raised by a single mother and living in a house with no plumbing or electricity. He said he knew the importance of hard work and dedication.

Perry said his record included cutting middle-class taxes, voting to guarantee people with pre-existing conditions can't be denied coverage, and fighting for seniors.

A Perry ad said DePasquale supported socialized medicine, the Green New Deal, and defunding the police.

Show sources

Sources: Scott Perry's 2020 campaign website, "About Scott Perry," accessed October 20, 2020; YouTube, "Patriots for Perry, Videos," accessed October 20, 2020; Vote Smart, "Scott Perry's Biography," accessed October 20, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 in 2020.

Eugene DePasquale

Image of Eugene DePasquale

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  DePasquale received a B.A. in political science from the College of Wooster, an M.P.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law. He worked as an attorney and for the City of York as director of economic development. DePasquale then worked as deputy secretary for the Department of Environmental Protection. He also served as chair of the York County Democratic Party from 1998 to 2002.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

DePasquale said he grew up in a working class family. He said he knew struggle, discussing his father's addiction and his brother's death due to muscular dystrophy. He said he understood the need to protect people with pre-existing conditions and would fight for working families instead of special interests.

DePasquale said he had a record of protecting taxpayers, exposing corruption, and reducing the backlog of untested rape kits. 

A DePasquale campaign ad said Perry supported taking away healthcare during the pandemic.

Show sources

Sources: Eugene DePasquale's 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed October 20, 2020; YouTube, "Eugene for Congress," accessed October 20, 2020; Vote Smart, "Eugene Pasquale's Biography," accessed October 20, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District: General election polls
Poll Date Republican Party Perry Democratic Party DePasquale Undecided/Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
DFM Research Aug. 6-9 44% 46% 10% ± 5.0 384 SMART Transportation Division’s Pennsylvania State Legislative Board


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Scott Perry Republican Party $4,020,494 $3,905,340 $169,200 As of December 31, 2020
Eugene DePasquale Democratic Party $4,546,247 $4,538,350 $7,896 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]

Race ratings: Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesToss-upToss-upToss-upTilt Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean DemocraticToss-upToss-upToss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Perry (R) DePasquale (D)
Newspapers and editorials
PennLive editorial board[12] ✔
Elected officials
President Donald Trump[13] ✔
Gov. Tom Wolf (D) ✔
Individuals
Former President Barack Obama (D) ✔
Former Vice President/2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ✔

Timeline

2020


Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Scott Perry

Supporting Perry

"ACCOUNTABLE" - Perry campaign ad, released October 29, 2020
"MOM" - Perry campaign ad, released September 18, 2020
"VALUE OF A DOLLAR" - Perry campaign ad, released April 4, 2019

Opposing DePasquale

"Plain Crazy" - Perry campaign ad, released August 31, 2020

Democratic Party Eugene DePasquale

Supporting DePasquale

"Anthony" - DePasquale campaign ad, released October 26, 2020
"The Uniform" - DePasquale campaign ad, released October 20, 2020
"Uphill" - DePasquale campaign ad, released October 13, 2020
"Three Thousand" - DePasquale campaign ad, released October 1, 2020
"Watchdog" - DePasquale campaign ad, released September 22, 2020
"Struggle" - DePasquale campaign ad, released September 8, 2020
"Punch Back" - DePasquale campaign ad, released August 25, 2020
"Restaurant" - DePasquale campaign ad, released August 11, 2020
"Dysfunction" - DePasquale campaign ad, released May 19, 2020
|

Opposing Perry

"Lies" - DePasquale campaign ad, released September 24, 2020

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Republican Party Scott Perry

Perry’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Strengthening the Economy & Lowering Taxes
As a former small business owner for many years, I know that excessive taxes and over-regulation prevent small businesses from creating jobs. For years, small business owners have pleaded with Congress to reduce federal regulation and reform the Tax Code to unleash the power of our private sector economy; they were right – of course. The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped to jump-start an economy that had remained stagnant during the Obama Administration. Today, more people are working, wages are increasing, and retirement accounts are growing! The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also cut taxes for every tax bracket, doubled the standard deduction, expanded tax benefits for middle class families and eliminated special interest loopholes.
Another barrier to a strong economy is over-regulation. Since being elected to Congress, I’ve continued the fight to block excessive government regulations that make it harder for small businesses to grow and plan for the future. Government regulations cost the average American family more than $15,000 each year. Thankfully, President Trump made this a priority in his Administration, and the positive impact of these changes on the economy are growing every day. Still, more needs to be done.
  • Reforming Health Care for Everyone
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to reduce healthcare costs and provide greater healthcare options; it failed. Everyone should have access to affordable health insurance, which is why I supported repealing of the ACA and replacing it with a healthcare system that covers pre-existing conditions, reduces the cost of prescription drugs and allows individuals and their doctors to make healthcare decisions, not insurance companies and the government. I support or sponsored / co-sponsored:
  • Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions, and making it illegal for insurance companies to increase premiums or deny coverage for a pre-existing condition;
  • Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs and ending “surprise medical bills” by forcing drug company rebates to go to the consumer, not the insurance companies;
  • Right To Try legislation that allows people suffering from terminal illness the chance to try potentially lifesaving treatments;
  • Providing Healthcare for Women and Families by providing funding for health centers that provide critical services such as mammograms, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and prenatal and postpartum care; and
  • “Charlotte’s Web Medical Access Act,” my bill to ensure that children and individuals with epilepsy and other seizure disorders have access to life-changing Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil, without forcing families to split up / move to another state for access.
  • PRESERVING MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security and Medicare are benefits earned by Senior Citizens during their lifetimes. We must keep our promise to our Seniors, and I’ve tirelessly supported preserving and protecting our Medicare and Social Security. I believe strongly in:
  • Protecting Social Security by supporting reforms that do not touch benefits for low income and middle-class Seniors. Many Central Pennsylvania Seniors, like my ow mom, rely upon Social Security as a primary source of income. I’m committed to protecting the benefits that they’ve earned, and protecting Social Security for them and future generations; and
  • Preserving Medicare by joining a bi-partisan effort to protect the Medicare Advantage Program, which provides coverage for 20 million Americans. At a time when radical socialists are calling for “Medicare for All” (which is actually “Medicare for None”) and socialized government healthcare, we must stand up for our Seniors and the benefits they’ve earned.
  • Fiscal Responsibility & Government Reform
Our National debt has skyrocketed to over $20 trillion, and it’s unsustainable. The lack of leadership on both sides of the aisle threatens our economic stability and the long-term growth of our economy. We must stop spending money we don’t have. I’ve supported many efforts to responsibly reduce spending, balance the federal budget and make government more accountable to hard-working American taxpayers. I’ve:
  • Sponsored a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to balance the budget within 10 years, rein in spending and right-size the federal government without raising taxes;
  • Sponsored legislation to make government more transparent and accountable by opening government checkbooks to reveal exactly where and how tax dollars are spent;
  • Blocked the Congressional Pay Raise by offering amendments to the Budget to stop Speaker Pelosi and leadership from sneaking in a $4,500 pay raise for Members of Congress. I was proud to stand with Members from both parties to saying “NO” to a pay raise; and
  • “No Budget, No Pay” legislation that withholds the salaries of Members of Congress if they’re unable to pass a budget. If Members are unable to carry out one of their basic duties of governing, then they shouldn’t get paid.
  • Infrastructure & Transportation
One of the core functions of government is to maintain a safe, secure and efficient transportation infrastructure system to support interstate commerce and strengthen America’s competitive edge in the global economy. I’ve continued to support bills to strengthen our roads, bridges, airports, sea ports and other infrastructure projects, all of which are critical to growing our economy and creating jobs.
  • Protecting Your Second Amendment Rights
The Second Amendment is a Constitutional right guaranteed to all American citizens, and I fully support it. Like all the rights granted to our citizens by the U.S. Constitution, we must be extremely vigilant when anyone seeks to limit those freedoms and/or erode our civil liberties.
  • Defending Life
I’m strongly Pro-Life. All life, born and unborn, is sacred and must be defended. I supported efforts in Congress to protect the rights of the unborn, block taxpayer funding for abortion, and defund Planned Parenthood while shifting its funding to local health clinics.
  • Supporting Our Veterans
We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Nation’s bravest – the men and women in uniform who serve(d) our Nation and put their lives on the line in defense of our safety, security, freedom and liberty. Our Service Members deserve every effort possible to honor their service. I’m a member of various military caucuses in Congress, and supported legislation to reform and make our Veterans Administration more accountable, give Veterans more healthcare options and greater education benefits, and help post-9/11 Veterans transition to civilian life.[15]
 ”
—Scott Perry's campaign website (2020[16]


Democratic Party Eugene DePasquale

DePasquale’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Health Care
Eugene believes that access to good quality health care is a fundamental human right, and he will work to lower out-of-pocket costs, increase access to care, protect people with pre-existing conditions, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. That is why Eugene signed Health Justice for All’s pledge to reject campaign contributions from Big Pharma.
When Eugene’s youngest brother was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, health insurance companies declared it a pre-existing condition and denied coverage. Medical bills piled up and nearly bankrupted his family. In Congress, Eugene will reform our health care system to make quality, affordable health care a reality for everyone.
Specifically, Eugene supports a public option that builds on and expands the Affordable Care Act. It would allow those with private insurance to keep it, and provides the option to buy into Medicare at an affordable rate. Eugene also supports automatic enrollment into Medicaid for those who cannot afford insurance.
Eugene knows that too many families are not able to afford the prescription drugs that their families need. As Auditor General, Eugene has worked tirelessly to help lower the cost of prescription drugs and this would be one of his top priorities in Congress.
Specifically, Eugene supports the “Lower Drug Costs Now Act” which is commonsense, bipartisan legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs for all families and seniors. The legislation gives Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare recipients and those on private insurance, saving families thousands of dollars per year.
  • Protecting Social Security and Medicare
Eugene knows that hardworking Pennsylvanians have paid into and earned Medicare and Social Security benefits over their whole lives, and that it’s essential to protect these programs.
Eugene opposes the recent proposal to gut these programs because he knows seniors need these programs now more than ever.
In Congress, Eugene will always protect these essential programs from cuts, especially to pay for tax giveaways for the very rich and big corporations.
  • Wages and Job Creation
Eugene has a proven record of working to build and create better-paying jobs for all Pennsylvanians. He knows in order to remain competitive in a global economy, we must make sure South Central Pennsylvania offers employers an educated, skilled, and job-ready workforce.
As Auditor General, Eugene conducted an audit of Pennsylvania’s workforce development system that called for a stronger commitment and more effective oversight to ensure Pennsylvania’s vision and goals for workforce development are met.
Eugene will take that same type of leadership to Washington. He supports encouraging greater emphasis on well-paying jobs in skilled trades and he encourages enhancements designed to better help older workers update their skill-sets.
Eugene is advocating for a $15 minimum wage because no one who works full-time should live in poverty because their wages are too low. A family-supporting wage puts more money in our local economy, benefitting local businesses and workers.
  • Climate Change and the Environment
Eugene believes that we must take aggressive action to truly tackle the climate change crisis, while creating good clean energy jobs. He knows we must protect our environment and prioritize clean air and water for our children. That’s why he earned the endorsements of the League of Conservation Voters and Clean Water Action Pennsylvania.
Eugene has a long track record of fighting for our environment, including his role as Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, where he was part of the team that helped secure the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act. Later, in the legislature, Eugene sponsored laws to invest in renewable energy projects and tackle climate change. He sponsored and passed with bi-partisan support the Alternative Energy Investment Act.
As Auditor General, Eugene’s first audit was to assess the impact of fracking on the environment and drinking water quality. His audit found that the Department was not prepared to protect drinking water and enforce environmental protections, which led to the Department hiring more inspectors. In November 2019, Eugene released a special report on the fiscal impact of climate change on the state of Pennsylvania. His report found the state is spending millions of dollars annually on climate-related costs and called for an urgent, proactive, and comprehensive strategy to combat climate change.
In Congress, Eugene will focus on investment in alternative energy, including research on smarter energy storage for solar and wind, and a more durable grid. He also supports tax credits to incentivize the use of solar. Ultimately, Eugene’s goal is to have a 100% clean energy economy as quickly as science will allow while ensuring good-paying, family-supporting union jobs.
Eugene is also laser-focused on improving the air and water quality for families in South Central Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River is suffering from over-pollution. Eugene supports improving our stormwater infrastructure and increasing stream buffers to protect our waterways from agricultural runoff to clean it up. Air quality in South Central Pennsylvania is some of the worst in the country and Pennsylvania has the highest premature death rate per capita due to air pollution. If elected, Eugene will demand, regardless of who is in the White House, that the EPA enforce anti-idling regulations along trucking corridors in the district, which are a major contributor to this problem
  • Infrastructure
Eugene knows that Pennsylvania’s existing infrastructure is crumbling due to a lack of federal investment, and that we must modernize for the future. Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges are crumbling, rail systems and ports are antiquated and there is a lack of investment in rural broadband, our transit systems and more.
Pennsylvania has extremely high rates of truck traffic as well as extreme weather, which means roads and bridges deteriorate faster than other states. This has led to serious issues in our community, like the poor condition of Route 81 and Route 83.
Eugene supports making long term investments in our public transit systems like rabbittransit in York, Capital Area Transit (CAT) in Cumberland and Dauphin counties, and Amtrak throughout the region.
In Congress, Eugene will fight for a robust, bipartisan infrastructure investment, in order to improve safety and security of our infrastructure and grow our economy. This will include investment in highways, public transit, rural broadband, modernized energy grids, storm resiliency, green energy and more.
Eugene will only support an infrastructure plan that is bought in America and built in America. A strong buy America plan would ensure that steel, concrete and other key components and technology are produced here – ideally in Pennsylvania. And Eugene would only support a plan that is built in America, so that Pennsylvania’s union workers are being put to work with strong wages and strong labor protections throughout.
  • Government Reform
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale uncovered more than $1 billion in wasteful government spending by exposing waste, fraud and abuse and by demanding local, county and state governments be more transparent and accountable.
Now he’s dedicated to making reforms in Washington as Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District representative.
Here’s what he intends to do.
End Government Shutdowns
Eugene believes government shutdowns are intolerable and a failure of leadership.
When a government shutdown occurs, not only do citizens lose access to certain government services or programs, but many federal employees and federal contractor employees go without their pay entirely.
Eugene will reach across the aisle to create a bipartisan solution that prevents future government shutdowns. Legislative options to address these issues include:
  • End shutdowns all together, by passing legislation that continues appropriations at or near a level—such as 95 percent of current spending—as set in the prior year until a new appropriations measure is enacted by both Chambers
  • Enact “No Budget, No Pay” legislation to halt all pay to Members of Congress if they fail to prevent a government shutdown
  • Ensure workers deemed to be “essential” during a government shutdown continue receiving their paychecks
  • Establish provisions to guarantee that furloughed federal employees and employees of government contractors receive back pay for work that was suspended during a government shutdown
Make Congress More Transparent and Accountable
When Eugene was a state legislator he was the first-ever to publicly post all of his expenses online for citizens to see. As state Auditor General, he was the first statewide public official to do the same. In Congress, Eugene will demand more federal government transparency:
  • Require both U.S. Senate and House members to post their expenses quarterly on their official member site to enable the public to more easily scrutinize how their elected officials are managing their offices and staff
  • Require members of Congress and the President to annually release their tax returns so that citizens can see the sources of their income, the amount of taxes they paid, the types of deductions or credits they took, and the extent of their charitable contributions
  • Eugene will support new federal legislation that establishes stronger standards to address sexual harassment complaints brought against Members of Congress and provides for more appropriate transparency.
  • In addition, Eugene will join the Congressional Transparency Caucus, which has been working to improve the American people’s access to government information, including how taxpayers’ funds are spent, government agency actions, and disclosure by regulated entities.
Reform the Influence of Money in Politics
Eugene believes members of Congress are accountable to the citizens that elect them — and not to special interests.
Wealthy special interests have too much power because money in politics is corrupting our system. Eugene believes campaign finance reform is needed to make our system more transparent and fair.
Eugene will support legislation that ends the corrupting influence created by the U.S. Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” case. Special interests and wealthy donors are currently allowed to spend millions to influence campaigns and public policy without disclosing who is funding their efforts. Eugene believes all campaign finance must be transparent, with all donors disclosed and all disbursements disclosed.
Eugene will seek bipartisan ways to improve accountability in campaign financing. This may include working with officials at both the state and national levels to make incremental campaign financing disclosure changes, as well as working with legal experts to explore how to restore American’s faith in the democratic process at the national level.
Eugene has a proven record of taking on entrenched bureaucrats and the status quo to fight for more government transparency and accountability. He’s running for Congress to continue his fight, to reform Washington so that it works for people here at home, and not for just the wealthy and special interests.
  • Law Enforcement Accountability
The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, among others have awoken the nation to the injustices our Black colleagues, neighbors and friends have understood for far too long, especially when it comes to interactions with police Eugene recognizes the systemic racism faced by Black Americans here in PA-10 and across the country, has a long, entrenched history that will require significant reforms to begin to correct.
Throughout his time in public service, Eugene has been guided by the core principle that accountability makes people and institutions better. As Auditor General, Eugene released a slate of suggested reforms that would decrease rates of incarceration in the commonwealth, such as keeping nonviolent drug offenders out of prison, avoiding returning nonviolent parole violators to jail, and reforming the cash bail system that disproportionately keeps low income defendants behind bars. The suggested reforms would save Pennsylvania taxpayers $100 million that can be reinvested into reentry programs that help returning individuals successfully transition and reduce rates of recidivism.
The slate of recommended reforms include:
1. Magisterial district justices should be trained on the current disparities and harmful outcomes of the cash bail system.
2. Any use of a risk-assessment tool to determine pre-trial detention should be balanced by the use of a needs-assessment tool to determine what basic human needs a person has – such as the need for food, shelter or clothing — to be released pre-trial and not reoffend.
3. Court officials must work with police, district attorneys, public defenders, health officials, probation and parole officers and more to create robust systems that identify defendants who need help, not punishment, to prevent recidivism.
4. County courts should implement diversionary courts, especially those for drug treatment, mental health and veterans.
5. County commissioners and prison boards should work together to standardize medical services based on best practices. For example, labor and delivery policies should be standardized so that a consistent level of care and safety is present across the state and so that care is guaranteed in case of complications.
6. At the state and county levels, screenings for mental health histories, substance abuse histories and sexually transmitted diseases should be automatically performed at intake.
7. Congress should expand the Second Chance Pell Program and provide for more federal student aid in prisons.
8. The General Assembly should pass a law ensuring that people with criminal records cannot be automatically disqualified from obtaining professional licenses unless the crime committed relates to the practice of that profession.
9. The General Assembly should reintroduce and pass the Pennsylvania Second Chance Jobs Act so that the Department of Labor and Industry can develop and maintain a website where formerly incarcerated people can search for and apply to jobs.
10. County probation needs to be better funded so that probation officers can better support the people they supervise and help them meet the terms of their supervision. Probation should be about providing people with ways to address mistakes that amount to technical violations.
11. State and county officials should work together to reallocate resources to counties so they can provide support services to people on probation or parole.
12. The state Constitution should be amended so that the Board of Pardons requires, at minimum, a majority vote, not a unanimous vote, to send pardon and clemency recommendations to the governor in cases with sentences of life imprisonment or death.
Eugene has voiced his support for the passage in Congress of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. A framework of federal reforms to address disparities in policing of minority communities.
The Justice in Policing Act would ban the use of chokeholds by police officers, limit the transfer of military-grade weapons, like tanks, to local police departments, and reform qualified immunity, which shields police officers who engage in misconduct from accountability.
Key provisions of the bill include:
1. Ban the use of chokeholds
2. Ban the use of “no-knock” warrants
3. Requires deadly force be used as a last resort
4. Requires broader use of body cameras and dashboard cameras
5. Reforms qualified immunity that shields bad police officers from accountability
6. Limits the transfer of military-grade weapons to local police departments such as tanks
7. Establishes a national registry of law enforcement misconduct
8. Designates lynching as a federal crime
Eugene also supports the establishment of community review boards, with representatives appointed by local officials such as Mayors and City Councils, in consultation with community leaders. The review board would provide civilian oversight and guidance of law enforcement especially in cases of policing tactics, police brutality and excessive use of force.
  • Trade
Eugene believes for far too long, everyday Americans have been screwed by unfair trade deals, where Washington has negotiated out of positions of weakness instead of strength. Trade deals like NAFTA promised to expand economic opportunity for middle class families, but instead left districts like PA-10 behind and gutted American manufacturing that regions like South Central Pennsylvania relied upon.
Eugene supports President Trump’s tougher stance on countries such as China that engage in currency manipulation to artificially cheapen the price of exports, while placing tariffs on imports. These duplicitous practices undercut our industries at home, and weaken their ability to expand their sales abroad. Eugene knows that when American companies and workers compete in a fair environment, they succeed.
Eugene will also advocate for trade deals that give Americans a fair shake. Our domestic market is the envy of the world, and if foreign countries and companies want access, they must give American consumers, and companies, equal value. Such as equal access to their markets for our products, fair evaluation of our currency and theirs, and humane worker protections, that protect the human rights of their domestic workers, and prevent countries like China and Bangladesh from utilizing sweatshop conditions to artificially cheapen the cost of labor and attract U.S. jobs abroad.
Finally, Eugene will fight for “Sell Here, Produce Here” legislation that requires companies that sell substantial amount of goods in our country, to have a certain percentage of their production take place right here in our borders, employing hard working Americans.
As Congressman, Eugene’s number one priority will be the hard working men and women of PA-10.
  • COVID-19 Containment and Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most disruptive force to American life in generations, taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans, sickening millions of others, causing an economic downturn that surpasses that of the Great Recession of 2008, and stretching our healthcare system to its limit.
Addressing the public health and economic effects of COVID-19 is the single most pressing issue before our country today. Eugene understands that, seeing the devastation the virus has caused across our community. In Congress, Eugene would advocate for policies to:
  • Develop, manufacture, and distribute a vaccine.
  • Ensure we have American-made Personal Protective Equipment, to keep our first responders and frontline health care workers healthy.
  • Provide federal aid to families and small businesses to help them get through the economic fallout from the virus, and thrive again.
  • Fight for affordable, accessible health care and to protect people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer and even COVID-19.
  • Ensure state and local governments have emergency aid to recover, avoid major tax increases and have the ability to pay workers like first responders.
  • Invest in the jobs of our future, like a major infrastructure bill, to put Pennsylvanians back to work and rebuild our roads and bridges, invest in hospitals and internet.
  • In Congress, Eugene will fight every day to ensure that America is utilizing all its immunology research and development resources to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Eugene recognizes this as the single most important step to end the threat of COVID-19. :*He will also work to ensure the vaccine continues to be developed in a transparent manner so Americans can have faith in its safety and effectiveness.
Eugene will strongly encourage the President to employ his powers under the Defense Production Act to ensure that Personal Protective Equipment production is sizably increased and distributed to all classifications of healthcare workers, and Americans in the public and private sectors. He will also advocate for more rapid testing and increase the amount of supplies necessary to expand testing capacity. He also will work to support a comprehensive test and contact tracing system that has proven effective in other countries that have been successful in containing the spread of the virus.
Eugene will also fight to maintain protections for pre-existing conditions, so no American is ever denied coverage due to any long-term effects from COVID-19, and expand access to quality, affordable, healthcare to ensure Americans can receive the treatment they need.
Countless families in our community and across the country have also been touched by the economic devastation brought on by COVID-19. Eugene sees it as imperative that our federal government does everything possible to help Americans overcome the hardships they are facing through no fault of their own.
Eugene will advocate for the continuation of stimulus measures such as direct payments to families, an extension of increased unemployment benefits, another round of PPP funds for struggling small businesses, and increased oversight so the money goes where it should, not to corporations or well-connected lobbyists.
Eugene understands how critical the heroism of frontline workers has been to keeping our communities safe and healthy. That is why he will advocate for increased state and local funding in any future economic relief packages to ensure our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders are paid, as they selflessly serve our communities.
Eugene will fight for a large scale infrastructure investment to create well paying, blue-collar jobs, that put PA-10 residents back to work and provide a long-overdue overhaul to our roads and bridges. Eugene knows the road to recovery will be long, and he will always keep the needs of American families, not special interests, at the forefront of his work in Congress.
  • Education
Eugene knows that investing in our schools is the most important step we can take to ensure our future prosperity as a country and equip our children with the skills they will need to compete in a 21st century economy.
However, Eugene knows that before we can make schools better, the first step is to get them back open. Eugene has called on Congress to pass legislation that will provide funding to allow schools to open safely, such as money to provide personal protective equipment for teachers, staff, and students; plexiglass dividers between desks; and smaller class sizes to allow for social distancing. Eugene will allow public health experts and educators to lead the process of reopening to ensure it is safe and sustainable for our children, teachers, staff, and community at large.
As Auditor General, Eugene helped lead the fight for a fair funding formula that brought increased funding per pupil for rural and urban school districts. He also audited large charter school management companies and brought attention to tens of millions of unspent public education dollars and state laws that prohibited transparency on whether those dollars are used to pad the salaries of corporate executives, instead of educating our children.
As a strong advocate for public schools, Eugene will take those same fights to Congress, proposing legislation to increase funds for grant programs administered by the Department of Education, leverage those dollars in more creative ways to incentivize further investment of state dollars into schools, and ensure the federal government is fully meeting its commitment to fund special education under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education) Act.
Eugene has also vowed to hold Education Secretary Betsy Devos accountable, and stand up to her pro-privatization agenda. Eugene will be vocal in his opposition to any attempt to undermine or voucherize our public education system.
Eugene also believes in investing in our teachers, supporting an across-the-board wage increase, along with more support for teachers pursuing advanced degrees in fields related to the subject they teach. Such investments will attract even more talent to a vocation as important as any other: educating our kids.[15]
 ”
—Eugene DePasquale’s campaign website (2020)[17]


District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+6, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District the 186th most Republican nationally.[18]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.[19]

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Three of 67 Pennsylvania counties—4.5 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Erie County, Pennsylvania 1.56% 16.03% 19.88%
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 19.31% 4.81% 8.41%
Northampton County, Pennsylvania 3.78% 4.71% 12.30%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Pennsylvania with 48.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Pennsylvania cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Pennsylvania supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election between 2000 and 2012, but voted Republican in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Pennsylvania. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[20][21]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 89 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 84 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.3 points. Clinton won 19 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 114 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 20 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 119 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 28.2 points. Trump won 17 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


District election history

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10

Incumbent Scott Perry defeated George Scott in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 10 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Perry
Scott Perry (R)
 
51.3
 
149,365
Image of George Scott
George Scott (D)
 
48.7
 
141,668

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 291,033
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Results prior to 2018 redistricting

On February 19, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopted a new congressional district map after ruling that the original map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. District locations and numbers were changed by the new map. Click here for more information about the ruling.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In Pennsylvania, in-person mail-in voting is available (i.e., a voter can visit a county election office, obtain a mail-in ballot, and return it).
  2. ↑ In Pennsylvania, in-person mail-in voting is available (i.e., a voter can visit a county election office, obtain a mail-in ballot, and return it).
  3. ↑ DCCC, "DCCC Chairwoman Bustos Announces First Round Of Red To Blue Candidates & Red To Blue Co-Chairs," January 28, 2020
  4. ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "Composite Listing of Congressional Districts," accessed April 12, 2018
  5. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  6. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  7. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  8. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  9. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  10. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  11. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 PennLive, "Our endorsement for PA’s 10th Congressional district reflects concerns over extremism, healthcare during COVID-19 | PennLive Editorial," October 23, 2020
  13. ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump on May 22, 2020," accessed June 11, 2020
  14. ↑ The Sentinel, "Biden backs DePasquale as PA-10 becomes one of the nation's tightest races," September 13, 2020
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ Scott Perry’s 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed October 21, 2020
  17. ↑ Eugene DePasquale’s 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 21, 2020
  18. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  19. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  20. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  21. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  22. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
  23. ↑ The New York Times, "Pennsylvania Primary Results," April 26, 2016


Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress
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