Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (April 23 Democratic primary)

2026 → ← 2022
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 13, 2024
Primary: April 23, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent: Summer Lee (D)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th Pennsylvania elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Incumbent Summer Lee (D) won the Democratic primary election for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District on April 23, 2024. Lee received 60.6% of the vote. Bhavini Patel (D) finished in second with 39.4%.

Lee was first elected to the U.S. House in 2022 and previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Lee said she was a progressive and campaigned on her legislative record. Her priorities included education, voting accessibility, raising the minimum wage, and the environment. When announcing her intention to run for re-election, Lee said, “My voting patterns, everything that I do, the resources I fight for, are for working class people. They’re for Black and brown people ... They’re for everybody in this region.”

Patel was, at the time of the election, a member of the Edgewood Borough Council and a former small business owner. Patel campaigned on her support for President Joe Biden (D), whom she said Lee did not support. Patel's priorities included public safety, passing gun legislation, increasing the amount of union jobs, and increasing access to abortion. When launching her campaign, Patel said, “I think that people are looking for change. They want somebody who is focused on delivering on the issues that we need here, and they want somebody who’s going to take this region’s message to D.C. and not focus on a national agenda.”

The New York Times’ Jonathan Wiesman said candidates’ views on the Israel-Hamas war were a central dynamic of the race. In October 2023, Lee co-sponsored a resolution calling for a cease-fire to the war, saying, “We stand here to say that we will fight against any more pain that will come.” At a candidate forum, Patel mentioned Lee’s social media posts on the conflict, saying, “To me, that's stoking hatred. That's stoking antisemitism.” Patel also said she attended rallies in support of Israel following the start of the conflict. Lee said the conflict “elicits deep pain in multiple communities ... The reality is that peace—a just and lasting peace—has to start with centering all of the folks who are impacted.”

Laurie MacDonald (R) filed to run in the Democratic primary but withdrew and ran as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary.

As of April 3, 2024, Lee raised the most money in the primary, taking in $2.3 million since the start of the campaign cycle. She raised $919,565 in quarter one. Patel raised the next most in the primary, with $602,122 since the start of the campaign and $290,812 in quarter one. For information on campaign finance in this election, including quarterly financial reports, click here.

This page focuses on Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (April 23 Republican primary)
• Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Incumbent Summer Lee defeated Bhavini Patel in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Summer Lee	60.4	64,594
		Bhavini Patel	39.2	41,902
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	415

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 106,911
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laurie MacDonald (D)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

Election information in Pennsylvania: April 23, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: April 8, 2024
• By mail: Received by April 8, 2024
• Online: April 8, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: April 16, 2024
• By mail: Received by April 16, 2024
• Online: April 16, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: April 23, 2024
• By mail: Received by April 23, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

N/A to April 16, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Summer Lee

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• U.S. House of Representatives, District 12 (Assumed office: 2023)
• Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 34 (2018-2022)
  

Biography:  Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Pennsylvania State University in 2009 and a J.D. from Howard University in 2015. She worked as a field organizer for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in 2016.

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Key Messages

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

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Lee said the country is facing an issue of voter suppression and that fixing it includes “working to end racist voter ID and suppression laws, restoring the full power of the Voting Rights Act, and ending gerrymandering.” She also said, “I’m working to make it easier to vote, not harder—and that means federal automatic voter registration, nationwide early and mail voting, federal holidays for election days, and same day voter registration.”

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Lee said that “our economy works for the wealthy few and corporations at the expense of the working poor.” She said she has advocated for legislation “that supports a livable wage and aims to close the unnecessary gap between skyrocketing corporate profits and working people’s poverty wages” and has fought for the right to unionize.

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Lee said pollution is a daily problem for Pennsylvania and that “CEOs get wealthy while the people of Western Pennsylvania—particularly in our Black and brown communities—experience higher rates of asthma, cancer and other diseases.” She also said she “fought tirelessly for a Green New Deal to transition to a 100% clean and renewable energy economy” during her time in Congress.

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Lee said that “the way public schools are funded is deeply inequitable, leaving behind working-class communities and communities of color.” She said she has fought for universal free pre-kindergarten, free school meals, and expanding teacher-training programs. She also said “the massive burden of student debt is not only keeping us from being able to afford even the basics, starting families, opening up small businesses, and building generational wealth – but it’s hurting our entire economy.”

---

Show sources

Sources: Summer Lee campaign website, "Issues," accessed March 5, 2024; Summer Lee campaign website, "About," accessed March 5, 2024; Pennsylvania House of Representatives Archives, "Summer Lee," accessed March 5, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 in 2024.

Bhavini Patel

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Edgewood Borough Council (Assumed office: 2022)
  

Biography:  Patel earned a bachelor’s degree in international area studies, sociology, and Africana studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oxford in 2019. As of the 2024 election, she worked in community outreach for Allegheny County and was a small business owner.

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Key Messages

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

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Patel said she focused on public safety while on the Edgewood Borough Council. She said, “Serving in local government and riding along with our law enforcement, I’ve seen firsthand our local police departments responding to various issues every day. It’s essential we provide the support, training and resources necessary to help them do their jobs and protect our communities.” She also advocated for “ending racially biased laws and committing to investing in programs that support rehabilitation and reentry into society.”

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Patel said she would work to “create good-paying union jobs in the district and ensure that we facilitate a business-friendly environment.” She also said she would “oppose Republican tax cuts for the wealthy that place undue tax burden on the poor and middle class” and supported raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

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Patel said the United States should support Israel as an ally. She said that creating a peace in the region would involve “taking decisive action against Hamas, whose existence undermines the prospects for a peaceful coexistence.” She also said, “I agree with President Biden and the White House; there are not two sides in this battle between Hamas and Israel.”

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Patel said that “we must act now to address our nation’s epidemic of gun violence and build a safer country for our children.” She said she would work to “pass common sense gun legislation such as universal background checks for all gun sales, closing loopholes that make it easy for criminals to buy guns and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.” She also said she would support “communities of color and low-income neighborhoods who are disproportionately affected by our inaction on this issue.”

---

Show sources

Sources: Bhavini Patel campaign website, "Issues," accessed March 5, 2024; X, "Bhavini Patel on November 22, 2023," November 22, 2023; X, "Bhavini Patel on October 25, 2023," October 25, 2023; Bhavini Patel campaign website, "About," accessed March 5, 2024; LinkedIn, "Bhavini Patel," accessed March 5, 2024; Allegheny County, PA, "Official Results: Member of Council Edgewood," accessed March 5, 2024; Edgewood, "Mayor & Council," accessed March 12, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign advertisements

Summer Lee

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Summer Lee while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Bhavini Patel

March 13, 2024

March 9, 2024

View more ads here:

• AdImpact

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you would like to submit candidate endorsements in this race, please click here.

• Summer Lee
• Bhavini Patel

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Summer Lee	Democratic Party	$2,959,031	$1,971,819	$1,011,579	As of December 31, 2024
Bhavini Patel	Democratic Party	$701,477	$680,975	$41,081	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.

Quarterly campaign finance analysis

First quarter, 2024

Summer Lee (D) has raised the most money in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, taking in $2.3 million since the start of the campaign cycle.

Lee raised $919,565 in quarter one. Bhavini Patel (D) has raised the next most in the primary, with $602,122 since the start of the campaign and $290,812 in quarter one. The quarterly totals also include receipts captured in the pre-primary campaign finance report.

The primary will take place on April 23. Three candidates, including those who have dropped out, raised a combined $2.9 million through April 3.

In battlegrounds with incumbents running, Lee raised less than the average of $3.6 million. At this point in the 2022 election cycle, Lee raised $574,816, $1.7 million less than her current $2.3 million.

Six candidates raised a combined $4.61 million running in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in 2022, while five raised $1.79 million in 2020.

Below is how much each Democratic candidate has raised and spent so far during the 2023-2024 election cycle:

Looking at Lee and Patel alone:

• 1,797 individual donations were made to Lee’s campaign last quarter.
• Of those 1,797, the largest share, 605 (34%), was between $100 and $499.
• 437 individual donations were made to Patel’s campaign last quarter.
• Of those 437, the largest share, 218 (50%), was between $100 and $499.

• Fourth quarter, 2023

  Incumbent Summer Lee (D) raised the most money in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, taking in $1.40 million since the start of the campaign cycle. 

  Lee raised $1.02 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Bhavini Patel (D) raised the next most in the primary, with $311,310 since the start of the campaign. This fundraising was from the fourth quarter alone.

  The primary was scheduled for April 23. Three candidates raised a combined $1.71 million through Dec. 31, 2023. Looking at all 125 congressional battlegrounds we tracked, this was less than the average of $3.41 million. 

  In battlegrounds with incumbents running, Lee raised less than the average of $1.41 million. At this point in the 2022 election cycle, Lee raised $272,512.

  Six candidates raised a combined $4.61 million running in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District in 2022, while five raised $1.79 million in 2020.

  Below is how much each Democratic candidate raised and spent during the 2023-2024 election cycle:

  
  Looking at Lee and Patel alone: 

  • 1,213 donors donated to Lee's campaign in quarter four.
  • Of those 1,213, the largest share, 364 (30%), donated between $100 and $499.
  • 269 donors donated to Patel's campaign in quarter four. 
  • Of those 269, the largest share, 127 (47%), donated over $1,000. 

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Summer Lee Bhavini Patel	OpenSecrets Federal Election Commission

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	17	17	0	45	34	4	2	17.6%	3	17.6%
2022	17	17	2	48	34	5	6	32.4%	2	13.3%
2020	18	18	0	51	36	6	5	30.6%	2	11.1%
2018	18	18	7	84	36	13	8	58.3%	6	54.5%
2016	18	18	2	44	36	4	5	25.0%	4	25.0%
2014	18	18	2	46	36	6	3	25.0%	2	12.5%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Pennsylvania in 2024. Information below was calculated on April 7, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-five candidates ran for Pennsylvania’s 17 U.S. House districts, including 25 Democrats and 20 Republicans. That’s 2.65 candidates per district, less than in the previous three election cycles. There were 2.82 candidates per district in 2022, 2.83 candidates per district in 2020, and 4.66 in 2018.

No districts were open in 2024, meaning all incumbents ran for re-election.

Seven candidates ran for the 10th Congressional District, the most candidates that ran for a district in 2024. The candidates included Republican incumbent Scott Perry and six Democrats.

Seven primaries—four Democratic and three Republican—were contested in 2024, the fewest this decade.

Three incumbents—two Democrats and one Republican—were in contested primaries. That’s higher than in 2022 and 2020 when two incumbents faced challengers, respectively.

The 3rd Congressional District was guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans filed to run.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+8. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 12th the 145th most Democratic district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Pennsylvania's 12th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
59.4%	39.5%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
60.9	36.0	R+24.9

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Pennsylvania, 2020

Pennsylvania presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 14 Democratic wins
• 16 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D

See also: Party control of Pennsylvania state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Pennsylvania
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	1	7	8
Republican	1	10	11
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	17	19

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Pennsylvania's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Pennsylvania, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Josh Shapiro
Lieutenant Governor	Austin Davis
Secretary of State	Al Schmidt
Attorney General	Michelle Henry

State legislature

Pennsylvania State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	22
	Republican Party	28
	Independent	0
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		50

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	101
	Republican Party	100
	Other	0
	Vacancies	2
Total		203

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2024
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	1,000	$150.00	2/13/2024	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2% of votes cast in the district in the last election	$150.00	8/1/2024	Source

District election history

2022

See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Summer Lee defeated Michael Doyle in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Summer Lee (D)	56.2	184,674
		Michael Doyle (R)	43.8	143,946

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 328,620
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Donald Nevills (R)
• Stephanie Fox (D)
• Jake Webster (D)
• Bhavini Patel (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Summer Lee defeated Steve Irwin, Jerry Dickinson, Jeff Woodard, and William Parker in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Summer Lee	41.9	48,002
		Steve Irwin	41.0	47,014
		Jerry Dickinson	10.9	12,440
		Jeff Woodard	4.8	5,454
		William Parker	1.5	1,670

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 114,580
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Michael Doyle advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Doyle	100.0	39,531

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,531
= 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.

2020

See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Incumbent Fred Keller defeated Lee Griffin and Elizabeth Terwilliger in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Keller (R)	70.8	241,035
		Lee Griffin (D)	29.2	99,199
		Elizabeth Terwilliger (L) (Write-in)	0.0	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 340,234
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Lee Griffin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Griffin	100.0	41,313

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,313
= 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 12

Incumbent Fred Keller advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Keller	100.0	87,886

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 87,886
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2019

See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District special election, 2019

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Fred Keller defeated Marc Friedenberg in the special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Keller (R)	68.1	90,000
		Marc Friedenberg (D)	31.9	42,195

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 132,195
= 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.

Democratic convention

The Democratic convention was canceled. Marc Friedenberg advanced from the special Democratic convention for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12.

Republican convention

Special Republican convention for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Fred Keller defeated Malcolm Derk, Stacy Garrity, Chris Hoffman, and Joseph Moralez in the special Republican convention for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on March 2, 2019.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Malcolm Derk (R)
		Stacy Garrity (R)
	Submit photo	Chris Hoffman (R)
✔		Fred Keller (R)
	Submit photo	Joseph Moralez (R)

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

• Jeff Wheeland (R)

Earlier results

To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, click [show] to expand the section.

2018 See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2018 General election General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 Incumbent Tom Marino defeated Marc Friedenberg in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on November 6, 2018. Candidate % Votes ✔ Tom Marino (R)   66.0   161,047 Marc Friedenberg (D)   34.0   82,825 Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source Total votes: 243,872 = 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. Democratic primary election Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 Marc Friedenberg defeated Judy Herschel in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on May 15, 2018. Candidate % Votes ✔ Marc Friedenberg   50.4   12,802 Judy Herschel   49.6   12,606 There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Total votes: 25,408 = 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 12 Incumbent Tom Marino defeated Doug McLinko in the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on May 15, 2018. Candidate % Votes ✔ Tom Marino   67.0   39,967 Doug McLinko   33.0   19,662 Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Total votes: 59,629 = 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. 2016 See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 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. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2016 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 2014 See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District elections, 2014 The 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Keith Rothfus (R) defeated Erin McClelland (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2014 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 See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District elections, 2012 The 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Republican Keith Rothfus beat out incumbent Mark Critz to win the district. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2012 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" 2010 On November 2, 2010, Mark Critz won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tim Burns (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Mark Critz 50.8% 94,056      Republican Tim Burns 49.2% 91,170 Total Votes 185,226 2008 On November 4, 2008, John P. Murtha won re-election to the United States House. He defeated William Russell (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. Murtha incumbent 57.9% 155,268      Republican William Russell 42.1% 113,120 Total Votes 268,388 2006 On November 7, 2006, John P. Murtha won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Diana Irey (R) and various write-in challengers in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. Murtha incumbent 60.8% 123,472      Republican Diana Irey 39.2% 79,612      N/A Write-in 0% 79 Total Votes 203,163 2004 On November 2, 2004, John P. Murtha won re-election to the United States House. He ran unopposed in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. Murtha incumbent 100% 204,504 Total Votes 204,504 2002 On November 5, 2002, John P. Murtha won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Bill Choby (R) and various write-in challengers in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. Murtha incumbent 73.5% 124,201      Republican Bill Choby 26.5% 44,818      N/A Write-in 0% 9 Total Votes 169,028 2000 On November 7, 2000, John P. Murtha (D) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Bill Choby (R) and James N. O'Neil (Reform) in the general election. U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 12 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John P. Murtha incumbent 70.8% 145,538      Republican Bill Choby 27.5% 56,575      Reform James N. O'Neil 1.6% 3,324 Total Votes 205,437

2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

• California's 27th Congressional District election, 2024
• California's 41st Congressional District election, 2024
• United States Senate election in Arizona, 2024 (July 30 Republican primary)

See also

• Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (April 23 Republican primary)
• Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2024
• United States House elections in Pennsylvania, 2024 (April 23 Democratic primaries)
• United States House elections in Pennsylvania, 2024 (April 23 Republican primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Fetterman (D)

David McCormick (R)

Representatives

District 1

Brian Fitzpatrick (R)

District 2

Brendan Boyle (D)

District 3

Dwight Evans (D)

District 4

Madeleine Dean (D)

District 5

Mary Scanlon (D)

District 6

Chrissy Houlahan (D)

District 7

Ryan Mackenzie (R)

District 8

Rob Bresnahan (R)

District 9

Dan Meuser (R)

District 10

Scott Perry (R)

District 11

Lloyd Smucker (R)

District 12

Summer Lee (D)

District 13

John Joyce (R)

District 14

Guy Reschenthaler (R)

District 15

Glenn Thompson (R)

District 16

Mike Kelly (R)

District 17

Chris Deluzio (D)

Republican Party (11)

Democratic Party (8)

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