This Giving Tuesday, help ensure voters have the information they need to make confident, informed decisions. Donate now!
Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
|
 |
November 8, 2016 |
April 26, 2016 |
Dwight Evans  |
Chaka Fattah |
 |
Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
 |
The 2nd 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 Democratic. Dwight Evans (D) defeated James Jones (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Evans defeated incumbent Chaka Fattah, Dan Muroff, and Brian Gordon to win the Democratic nomination in the primary. Fattah was the first congressional incumbent to lose a primary election in 2016.[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 Chaka Fattah (D), who was first elected in 1994.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional District was located in the southeast region of Pennsylvania and included most of the city of Philadelphia.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Dwight Evans |
90.2% | 322,514 | |
| Republican | James Jones | 9.8% | 35,131 | |
| Total Votes | 357,645 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dwight Evans |
42.3% | 75,515 | ||
| Chaka Fattah Incumbent | 34.4% | 61,518 | ||
| Brian Gordon | 13.2% | 23,655 | ||
| Dan Muroff | 10.1% | 18,016 | ||
| Total Votes | 178,704 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Dwight Evans  James Jones |
|
Primary candidates:[8] |
|
Democratic Dan Muroff - Attorney[9][10] Brian Gordon - Lower Merion Township Commissioner[9][11] Dwight Evans - State Representative[9][12] |
Republican |
|
Withdrew: Brian Sims - State Representative[9][13] |
Race background
Racketeering conviction
In August 2014, Gregory Naylor, a political aide and adviser to Fattah, pleaded guilty "to concealing the misuse of $622,000 in campaign contributions and federal grant funds, in a case that appears to have led investigators straight to the congressman's door," according to Philly.com. During the court proceedings, "Naylor said he helped steer more than $22,000 in federal campaign donations to his own firm, Sydney Lei & Associates, that were then covertly used to pay off college debts for the elected official's son. A source close to the investigation confirmed that Fattah's 31-year-old son, Chaka Jr., was the beneficiary of those payments."[14]
On September 3, 2014, following Naylor's guilty plea, Fattah denied any involvement in Naylor's actions. He said he had "never engaged in any illegal conduct" and added, "I would never do anything to embarrass my family or my constituents."[15]
Federal prosecutors subsequently investigated Fattah's potential involvement in the crimes committed by Naylor. According to Philly.com, on January 12, 2014, "Prosecutors investigating U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah asked a three-judge federal appeals panel...to give them access to seven years of his private e-mails, a position Fattah's lawyer argued violates the protection the Constitution provides Congress."[16]
On July 29, 2015, Fattah was indicted on charges including bribery, money laundering, and bank and mail fraud. He was accused of using campaign funds to pay off his son's student loan debt and of using "federal grants and charitable contributions to Fattah's educational foundation to pay back part of a $1 million loan from a wealthy campaign supporter and arranging a federal grant in lieu of a $130,000 payment to a political consultant."[17]
Following the indictment, Fattah stated that he intended to remain in office and contest the charges against him. However, he did announce that he would resign his position as the ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science. Fattah wrote, "As I have previously stated, I have never participated in any illegal activity or misappropriation of taxpayer dollars as an elected official. This will not be a distraction from my service to the people that elected me, and I am confident that I will be cleared of these charges."[18]
Fattah was convicted of all charges on June 21, 2016. He initially submitted his letter of resignation, effective October 3, 2016, the day before his sentencing. However, following pressure to resign from Speaker Paul Ryan (R), Fattah resigned effective immediately.[19][20][21]
District history
2014
Chaka Fattah won re-election to the United States House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. He defeated Armond James (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chaka Fattah Incumbent |
87.7% | 181,141 | |
| Republican | Armond James | 12.3% | 25,397 | |
| Total Votes | 206,538 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
2012
The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Chaka Fattah (D) won re-election in the district.[22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chaka Fattah Incumbent |
89.3% | 318,176 | |
| Republican | Robert Mansfield | 9.4% | 33,381 | |
| Independent | James Foster | 1.4% | 4,829 | |
| Total Votes | 356,386 | |||
| 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 9.3 9.4 9.5 Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
- ↑ Philly.com, "Democratic ward leader to challenge Fattah for reelection," August 18, 2015
- ↑ Newsworks, "Candidates emerge to take on Fattah in April primary," September 23, 2015
- ↑ Philadelphia Business Journal, "Evans to challenge Fattah with super PAC help," November 3, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Brian Sims," accessed September 6, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "Former aide's guilty plea raises questions for U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "Fattah says he "never engaged in any illegal conduct"," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "Feds want seven years' worth of Fattah's private e-mails," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ 6abc.com, "Rep. Chaka Fattah indicted in racketeering case," July 29, 2015
- ↑ 6abc.com, "Rep. Chaka Fattah denies wrongdoing after indictment," July 29, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Rep. Chaka Fattah found guilty on corruption charges," June 21, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Fattah submits resignation but wants to stay until October," June 22, 2016
- ↑ ABC 6, "Rep. Chaka Fattah resigns effective immediately," June 23, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Pennsylvania"
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
