Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
April 26, 2016 |
Keith Rothfus  |
Keith Rothfus |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Keith Rothfus (R) defeated Erin McClelland (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in April.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Pennsylvania utilizes a closed primary process. Voters are required to register with a political party to vote in the primary election.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election, the incumbent was Keith Rothfus (R), who was first elected in 2012.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District was located in the southwestern portion of Pennsylvania. The district was made up of all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny, Cambria, Lawrence, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Keith Rothfus Incumbent |
61.8% | 221,851 | |
| Democratic | Erin McClelland | 38.2% | 137,353 | |
| Total Votes | 359,204 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Candidates
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General election candidates: Keith Rothfus  Erin McClelland |
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Primary candidates:[8] |
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Democratic |
Republican |
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Withdrew: Steve Larchuk (D)[9][11][12] |
District history
2014
Keith Rothfus won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. He defeated Erin McClelland (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Keith Rothfus Incumbent |
59.3% | 127,993 | |
| Democratic | Erin McClelland | 40.7% | 87,928 | |
| Total Votes | 215,921 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
2012
The 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Republican Keith Rothfus defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Critz.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Critz Incumbent | 48.3% | 163,589 | |
| Republican | Keith Rothfus |
51.7% | 175,352 | |
| Total Votes | 338,941 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2016
The calendar below listed important dates for political candidates in Pennsylvania in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description |
| February 16, 2016 | Ballot access | Last day to file nomination petitions for the primary election |
| March 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Sixth Tuesday pre-primary report due |
| April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second Friday pre-primary report due |
| April 26, 2016 | Election date | Primary election |
| May 26, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30-day post-primary report due |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Last day to file nomination petitions for the general election |
| September 27, 2016 | Campaign finance | Sixth Tuesday pre-general report due |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second Friday pre-general report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election |
| December 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30-day post-general report due |
| January 31, 2017 | Campaign finance | 2016 annual report due |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed January 11, 2016 | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Pennsylvania Primary Results," April 26, 2016
- ↑ FindLaw, "Pa. Stat. tit. 25, § 299," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Pennsylvania Redistricting Map "Map" accessed July 30, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
- ↑ The Tribune-Democrat, "For McClelland, campaigning has never stopped," August 21, 2015
- ↑ The Tribune-Democrat, "12th district candidate Steve Larchuk says: End middle class money famine," August 31, 2015
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Larchuk wins effort to get off 12th Congressional District ballot," March 31, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Pennsylvania"
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
