Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2022

Elections in Pennsylvania, 2022

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Local ballot measures • Municipal

2024 → ← 2020
Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 15, 2022
Primary: May 17, 2022 General: November 8, 2022
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2022): EVEN Cook Political Report: Toss-up Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
See also
Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th Pennsylvania elections, 2022 U.S. Congress elections, 2022 U.S. Senate elections, 2022 U.S. House elections, 2022 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

Christopher Deluzio (D) defeated Jeremy Shaffer (R) and write-in candidate Walter Sluzynsky (Independent) in the general election in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Conor Lamb (D), who was first elected in a March 2018 special election, ran for the U.S. Senate and did not seek re-election. Lamb defeated Sean Parnell (R) in the 2020 general election, 51% to 49%.

Deluzio, an attorney, was the policy director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security at the time of the 2022 election. He received a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy and a J.D. from Georgetown Law School. His previous work experience included serving as a naval officer and working at the Brennan Center for Justice. Deluzio told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he ran for Congress because "Washington is broken and we need leaders willing to stand up to the corporate giants who are gouging us and against extremism that limits people’s rights...I also think the fundamental rights I served to protect in the military are in jeopardy. From voting rights to abortion rights, we must defend them against those who would attack our freedom."

Shaffer, an engineer, was an executive at Bentley Systems, an infrastructure engineering software company, at the time of the 2022 election. He received a bachelor's degree from Tulane University, a master's and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina. His previous work experience included co-founding a software company that provides inspection management services for bridges and roads. Shaffer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he was "a bipartisan problem-solver, [that] will work with those on both sides who want to deliver common-sense solutions and real reforms." He said he ran for Congress because "Politics has become a blood-sport in which our country and average Americans are the losers. We desperately need leaders who will work together and make the tough decisions to put America back on track."

Insider's Hanna Kang wrote, "Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District encompasses the Pittsburgh suburbs of Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, and Beaver Falls. President Joe Biden had a 30 percentage point margin of victory under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 — before it was redrawn to slightly extend its southeastern tip and take in more of the Penn Hills area in Allegheny County in redistricting following the 2020 Census, making it slightly more Democratic."

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

Republicans won a 222-213 majority in the U.S. House in 2022.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 52.3% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 46.5%. As of October 2022, 50% of the district's active voters were registered Democrats, 36% were registered Republicans, and 15% were either registered with some other party or unaffiliated.

Chris Deluzio (D) and Jeremy Shaffer (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

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

Election News

• November 9, 2022: Christopher Deluzio (D) was projected as the winner over Jeremy Shaffer (R) and write-in candidate Walter Sluzynsky (Independent) in the November 8, 2022, general election in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District.
• October 15, 2022: Quarterly campaign finance filings were due. Deluzio reported raising $2.4 million and spending $1.8 million and Shaffer reported raising $2.5 million and spending $1.8 million over the election cycle.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Chris Deluzio defeated Jeremy Shaffer and Walter Sluzynsky in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Deluzio (D)	53.4	193,615
		Jeremy Shaffer (R)	46.6	169,013
	Submit photo	Walter Sluzynsky (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 362,628
= 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 17

Chris Deluzio defeated Sean Meloy in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Deluzio	63.6	62,389
		Sean Meloy	36.4	35,638

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 98,027
= 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

• William Murray (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Jeremy Shaffer defeated Jason Killmeyer and Kathleen Coder in the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeremy Shaffer	58.7	40,965
		Jason Killmeyer	24.1	16,801
		Kathleen Coder	17.3	12,079

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,845
= 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

• Samuel DeMarco III (R)
• Tricia Staible (R)
• James Tomshay (R)
• Dean Cavaretta (R)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

Election information in Pennsylvania: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
• Online: Oct. 24, 2022

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

N/A

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

• In-person: Nov. 1, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2022
• Online: Nov. 1, 2022

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

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Varies to Nov. 1, 2022

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?

N/A

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.

Chris Deluzio

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Chris is a Pittsburgh-area native, Iraq War veteran, and voting rights attorney. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Chris served as an officer in the Navy and deployed overseas multiple times. As a lawyer, Chris worked to protect voting rights and our elections as the policy director at Pitt Cyber and previously at the Brennan Center for Justice. He was part of the Pitt Faculty Organizing Committee with the United Steelworkers, fighting successfully for a union. Chris lives with his wife, Zoë, three young children, and their dog, Yankee Doodle, in Allegheny County."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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I believe in fighting for our common good, for our shared prosperity, for a government that serves all of us -- not just the biggest and most powerful corporations.

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We should be making things in this country, right here in western Pennsylvania with our union brothers and sisters doing the work. The American people never agreed to ship our jobs overseas. We never agreed to let mega corporations swallow up competitors and kill small businesses. We never agreed to sell the dreams of millions of hard-working families to the highest bidder and to make us dependent on fragile foreign supply chains that are driving up prices.

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Our democracy is in peril. From limitless corporate money running through our political system, to the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, to Republican voter suppression efforts in Harrisburg and across the country, and gerrymandered maps that serve politicians instead of the people – we need bold action to protect and strengthen our democracy.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 in 2022.

Jeremy Shaffer

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Jeremy is a father of five, an experienced business owner, and a community leader. A problem-solver and entrepreneur at heart, he has a passion for improving our community. While earning his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon, Jeremy started a company dedicated to improving our crumbling roads and bridges. During his service as a Ross Township Commissioner, Jeremy was a proven voice that fought for taxpayers, led the fight for reforms, and opposed big-government policies. In Congress, Jeremy will stand up for the voters of the 17th District. Jeremy says: "My commitment to you is to work tirelessly for our region and our great country. I will fight for common-sense reforms, protect our freedoms, and advance opportunities for all." For more information go to: www.jeremyshaffer.com "

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Putting Pennsylvania Families First: For too long, politicians in both parties have squandered far too much of your hard-earned money. We are saddling future generations with trillions of dollars of debt. I will put Pennsylvania families first by voting to end out-of-control spending and inflation. The massive Federal debt Congress has created is both immoral and a major threat to America’s long-term prosperity and national security.

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Fixing a Broken Congress: Congress is broken and controlled by career politicians and special interests. My first action will be to introduce a Constitutional amendment for Term Limits. I will tirelessly work with like-minded people from both parties to advance real reforms in Congress. It is completely unacceptable that powerful members of Congress such as Nancy Pelosi can make millions trading individual stocks when they have inside knowledge and direct influence over key policies.

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Growing Jobs and the Economy: Politicians don’t create jobs, businesses do. As a small business owner, I know that firsthand. A competitive free-market economy is the best way to drive down prices and provide opportunities. The federal government needs to get out of the way and enable businesses to thrive by cutting red tape and streamlining our burdensome and complex tax system. Socialism and the trend toward big company monopolies are major threats to America’s prosperity.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 in 2022.

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Chris Deluzio (D)

I believe in fighting for our common good, for our shared prosperity, for a government that serves all of us -- not just the biggest and most powerful corporations.

We should be making things in this country, right here in western Pennsylvania with our union brothers and sisters doing the work. The American people never agreed to ship our jobs overseas. We never agreed to let mega corporations swallow up competitors and kill small businesses. We never agreed to sell the dreams of millions of hard-working families to the highest bidder and to make us dependent on fragile foreign supply chains that are driving up prices.

Our democracy is in peril. From limitless corporate money running through our political system, to the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, to Republican voter suppression efforts in Harrisburg and across the country, and gerrymandered maps that serve politicians instead of the people – we need bold action to protect and strengthen our democracy.

Jeremy Shaffer (R)

Putting Pennsylvania Families First: For too long, politicians in both parties have squandered far too much of your hard-earned money. We are saddling future generations with trillions of dollars of debt. I will put Pennsylvania families first by voting to end out-of-control spending and inflation. The massive Federal debt Congress has created is both immoral and a major threat to America’s long-term prosperity and national security.

Fixing a Broken Congress: Congress is broken and controlled by career politicians and special interests. My first action will be to introduce a Constitutional amendment for Term Limits. I will tirelessly work with like-minded people from both parties to advance real reforms in Congress. It is completely unacceptable that powerful members of Congress such as Nancy Pelosi can make millions trading individual stocks when they have inside knowledge and direct influence over key policies.

Growing Jobs and the Economy: Politicians don’t create jobs, businesses do. As a small business owner, I know that firsthand. A competitive free-market economy is the best way to drive down prices and provide opportunities. The federal government needs to get out of the way and enable businesses to thrive by cutting red tape and streamlining our burdensome and complex tax system. Socialism and the trend toward big company monopolies are major threats to America’s prosperity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Chris Deluzio (D)

I stand with the labor movement and supports the union way of life. I fought alongside fellow Pitt faculty members and the United Steelworkers as a member of the Pitt Faculty Organizing Committee to secure a faculty union at Pitt (the biggest union election in the country in 2021).

It’s no surprise that the radical right and their corporate backers have been waging war against unions, one of the most important tools we have to push back against corporate power. Unions have been on the defensive for decades in the face of this rising corporate power, hostile judges, and governments willing to lure companies with anti-union so-called “right-to-work” laws. We know that unionized workers earn better wages, benefits, and working conditions, and it’s long past time we make it easier for folks to form and join a union.

I support the PRO Act, legislation that would reset the playing field to give workers a fair shot at forming a union and to hold employers liable when they break the law, and efforts to protect the collective bargaining and other rights of both private and public sector workers. I also believe we have to fight to protect hard-earned pensions, resist outsourcing of jobs, and guard against efforts to privatize our government.

Jeremy Shaffer (R)

Keeping our Communities Safe

Defending our Freedoms Educational Opportunities World-Class Health Care Securing the Border Ensuring Election Integrity Energy Independence An Effective Foreign Policy Investing in our Infrastructure Creating Economic Opportunities

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Jeremy Shaffer (R)

Strongly in favor of term limits.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Christopher Deluzio

October 4, 2022

September 30, 2022

September 7, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

Jeremy Shaffer

October 25, 2022

September 23, 2022

April 27, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.

• FiveThirtyEight

General 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.
• 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 17th Congressional District election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
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.

Noteworthy endorsements

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

• Christopher Deluzio
• Jeremy Shaffer

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. 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. Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.

U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022
Report	Close of books	Filing deadline
Year-end 2021	12/31/2021	1/31/2022
April quarterly	3/31/2022	4/15/2022
July quarterly	6/30/2022	7/15/2022
October quarterly	9/30/2022	10/15/2022
Pre-general	10/19/2022	10/27/2022
Post-general	11/28/2022	12/08/2022
Year-end 2022	12/31/2022	1/31/2023

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Chris Deluzio	Democratic Party	$3,293,133	$3,271,005	$22,128	As of December 31, 2022
Jeremy Shaffer	Republican Party	$2,786,044	$2,721,427	$64,617	As of December 31, 2022
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. 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.

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, links to satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. Any satellite spending reported in other resources is displayed in a table. This table may not represent the actual total amount spent by satellite groups in the election. Satellite spending for which specific amounts, dates, or purposes are not reported are marked "N/A." To help us complete this information, or to notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate	By election
Christopher Deluzio Jeremy Shaffer	Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election

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 before and after redistricting.
• Effect of redistricting - How districts in the state changed as a result of redistricting following the 2020 census.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2022 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

District map

Below was the map in use at the time of the election, enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle, compared to the map in place before the election.

Pennsylvania District 17
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Pennsylvania District 17
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Effect of redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Pennsylvania after the 2020 census

The table below details the results of the 2020 presidential election in each district at the time of the 2022 election and its political predecessor district. This data was compiled by Daily Kos Elections.

2020 presidential results by Congressional district, Pennsylvania
District	2022 district		Political predecessor district
	Joe Biden	Donald Trump	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Pennsylvania's 1st	51.8%	47.2%	52.4%	46.6%
Pennsylvania's 2nd	71.0%	28.3%	70.1%	29.1%
Pennsylvania's 3rd	90.2%	9.3%	91.3%	8.1%
Pennsylvania's 4th	58.9%	40.0%	61.5%	37.4%
Pennsylvania's 5th	65.7%	33.4%	65.1%	34.0%
Pennsylvania's 6th	56.8%	42.0%	56.9%	41.9%
Pennsylvania's 7th	49.7%	49.1%	51.8%	47.0%
Pennsylvania's 8th	48.0%	50.9%	47.3%	51.7%
Pennsylvania's 9th	31.0%	67.5%	34.1%	64.5%
Pennsylvania's 10th	47.2%	51.3%	47.8%	50.7%
Pennsylvania's 11th	38.6%	59.9%	38.3%	60.2%
Pennsylvania's 12th	59.4%	39.5%	64.5%	34.4%
Pennsylvania's 13th	26.8%	72.0%	27.2%	71.6%
Pennsylvania's 14th	33.7%	65.2%	35.7%	63.2%
Pennsylvania's 15th	30.8%	67.8%	27.5%	71.2%
Pennsylvania's 16th	39.0%	59.7%	40.0%	58.7%
Pennsylvania's 17th	52.3%	46.5%	50.7%	48.0%

Competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

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

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Pennsylvania in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 9, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-eight candidates filed to run for Pennsylvania’s 17 U.S. House districts, including 23 Democrats and 25 Republicans. That’s 2.82 candidates per district, slightly less than the 2.83 candidates per district in 2020, and less than the 4.66 in 2018.

This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census, which resulted in Pennsylvania losing one U.S. House district. The 48 candidates who ran this year were the lowest number of candidates running for Pennsylvania's U.S. House seats since 2016, when a total of 44 candidates filed.

Two seats — the 12th and the 17th — were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That’s two more than in 2020, when there were no open seats. There were seven open seats in 2018, two in both 2016 and 2014, and no open seats in 2012.

Rep. Fred Keller (R), who represented the 12th district, retired, and Rep. Conor Lamb (D), who represented the 17th district, ran for the U.S. Senate. Six candidates — one Republican and five Democrats — ran in the 12th district, the most running for one seat this year. Five candidates — three Republicans and two Democrats — ran in the 17th district.

There were five contested Democratic primaries this year, the lowest number since 2016. There were six contested Republican primaries, one more than in 2020, but two less than in 2018.

There were 13 districts where incumbents did not face primary challengers. One district — the 3rd — was guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans filed. Two districts — the 13th and the 14th — were guaranteed to Republicans because no Democrats filed.

Presidential elections

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was EVEN. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were about the same as the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 17th the 209th 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 17th based on 2022 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
52.3%	46.5%

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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Pennsylvania and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Pennsylvania
	Pennsylvania	United States
Population	12,702,379	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	44,742	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	80.5%	72.5%
Black/African American	11.2%	12.7%
Asian	3.4%	5.5%
Native American	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Other (single race)	2.2%	4.9%
Multiple	2.5%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	7.3%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	90.5%	88%
College graduation rate	31.4%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$61,744	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	12.4%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

State party control

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Pennsylvania, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	1	9	10
Republican	1	9	10
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	18	20

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Pennsylvania's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Pennsylvania, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Tom Wolf
Lieutenant Governor	John Fetterman
Secretary of State	Leigh Chapman
Attorney General	Josh Shapiro

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Pennsylvania General Assembly as of November 2022.

Pennsylvania State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	21
	Republican Party	28
	Independent	1
	Vacancies	0
Total		50

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	88
	Republican Party	113
	Vacancies	2
Total		203

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Pennsylvania was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2022
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
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
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
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

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	1,000	$150.00	3/15/2022	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	8/1/2022	Source

District history

2020

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated Sean Parnell in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb (D)	51.1	222,253
		Sean Parnell (R)	48.9	212,284

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 434,537
= 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 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb	100.0	111,828

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 111,828
= 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 17

Sean Parnell advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Parnell	100.0	60,253

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,253
= 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

• Brian Thomsen (R)
• Jesse Vodvarka (R)
• Scott Timko (R)

2018

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated incumbent Keith Rothfus in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb (D)	56.3	183,162
		Keith Rothfus (R)	43.7	142,417

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 325,579
= 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 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb	100.0	52,590

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 52,590
= 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

• Beth Tarasi Sinatra (D)
• Ray Linsenmayer (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Keith Rothfus advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Keith Rothfus	100.0	38,513

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 38,513
= 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.

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.

2016

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Matt Cartwright (D) defeated Matt Connolly (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Cartwright was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Connolly defeated Glenn Geissinger to win the Republican nomination. The primary elections took place on April 26, 2016.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 17 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Matt Cartwright Incumbent	53.8%	157,734
	Republican	Matt Connolly	46.2%	135,430
Total Votes				293,164
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 17 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Matt Connolly	62.7%	34,263
Glenn Geissinger	37.3%	20,399
Total Votes		54,662
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State

2014

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District elections, 2014

Matt Cartwright won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. He defeated David Moylan in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 17 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Matt Cartwright Incumbent	56.8%	93,680
	Republican	David Moylan	43.2%	71,371
Total Votes				165,051
Source: Pennsylvania Secretary of State

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 17 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Moylan	44.7%	9,209
Matt Connolly	33.8%	6,949
Matt Dietz	21.5%	4,430
Total Votes		20,588
Source: Results via Associated Press

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

• Georgia Secretary of State election, 2022
• Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022
• Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
• New York's 12th Congressional District election, 2022 (August 23 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Georgia, 2022 (December 6 runoff)

See also

Pennsylvania	2022 primaries	2022 U.S. Congress elections
Pennsylvania congressional delegation Voting in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania elections: 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• 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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