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Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District election, 2018

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Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 20, 2018
Primary: May 15, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): D+2
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Likely 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, 2018
See also
Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 7th (special) • 15th (special) • 18th (special)
Pennsylvania elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Non-profit director Chrissy Houlahan (D) defeated attorney Greg McCauley (R) in the general election on November 6, 2018, to represent Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

Under the court-ordered redrawing of the Pennsylvania congressional map in February 2018, the new 6th Congressional District contains a majority of the old 6th District represented by Ryan Costello (R), who did not file for re-election, and portions of the old 7th and 16th Districts. The new 6th Direct backed Hillary Clinton by 9.3 percentage points in 2016. Clinton won the old 6th District by 0.6 percentage points.

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

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6

Chrissy Houlahan defeated Greg McCauley in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chrissy Houlahan
Chrissy Houlahan (D)
 
58.9
 
177,704
Image of Greg McCauley
Greg McCauley (R)
 
41.1
 
124,124

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

Total votes: 301,828
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6

Chrissy Houlahan advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chrissy Houlahan
Chrissy Houlahan
 
100.0
 
35,636

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

Total votes: 35,636
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6

Greg McCauley advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 6 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Greg McCauley
Greg McCauley
 
100.0
 
32,375

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

Total votes: 32,375
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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

District analysis

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

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+2, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District the 185th most Democratic nationally.[1]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.04. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.04 points toward that party.[2]

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Chrissy Houlahan, nonprofit director
Chrissy Houlahan.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Houlahan received her bachelor's degree in engineering from Stanford University and her M.S. in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, she became the COO of AND1 Basketball and worked as the COO of the nonprofits B-Lab and Springboard Collaborative.[3]

Key messages
  • Houlahan said she was running in opposition to President Donald Trump. She said Trump was "misrepresent[ing] our values, as he enriches himself, his relatives and wealthy friends, all the while diminishing opportunities for everyone else."[4]
  • Houlahan said she wanted to use Congress as a check on President Trump's power, calling the 2017-2018 Republican-controlled Congress "complicit both in their votes and in their silence on many issues that we care most about."[5]
  • Houlahan said she was inspired to run by the January 2017 Women's March and said there was energy among female voters like herself who "have found their voice and participated in extraordinary ways to protect our values over the course of this past year."[5]



Greg McCauley, attorney
Greg McCauley.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: McCauley received his B.S. from St. Joseph’s University and his J.D. from Widener University Law School. He worked as an associate attorney at Blank, Rome, Comisky & McCauley before opening his own tax law practice in 1987. He also owned and operated a chain of Wendy’s restaurants for 20 years and worked for the company Quigley.[6]

Key messages
  • McCauley said he wanted to focus on the issues he believed voters of both parties cared about, including student loan debt, the opioid epidemic, and term limits.[6][7]
  • McCauley said he was not a career politician and would be an independent voice in Congress.[7]
  • McCauley said he was concerned about the well-being of future generations and wanted to solve problems with what he calls commonsense solutions rather than "‘kick the can’ down the road to future generations of representatives."[6][7]


Results of 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. Candidates on this page were listed under Pennsylvania’s new districts, which were used in the 2018 congressional elections. Click here for more information about the ruling.

The chart below compares this new district with the old district that was the most geographically similar to it.

Old district[8] Prior incumbent Prior 2016 presidential result New 2016 presidential result
6th District Ryan Costello (R) D+0.6 D+9.3

Not sure which district you're in? Find out here.

Click the box below to see how the new congressional districts compare to the ones in place before the redrawing.


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Know of a poll in this race? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign contributions

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Chrissy Houlahan Democratic Party $4,354,450 $3,402,394 $952,056 As of December 31, 2018
Greg McCauley Republican Party $270,375 $215,003 $55,372 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. 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

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside 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.[14][15][16]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, 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.[18]
  • 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.[19][20][21]

Race ratings: Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

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

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+2, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District the 185th most Democratic nationally.[22]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.04. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.04 points toward that party.[23]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

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


Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement Houlahan (D) McCauley (R)
Elected officials
Former President Barack Obama[24] ✔
Former Vice President Joe Biden ✔

Campaign advertisements

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

Republican Party Greg McCauley

Support

"Meet Greg McCauley" - McCauley campaign ad, released August 29, 2018

Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan

Support

"Upside Down" - Houlahan campaign ad, released October 24, 2018

Campaign themes

Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan

Houlahan’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Ensuring Quality, Affordable Healthcare for all Pennsylvanians
Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, not something reserved for the wealthy or for those who don’t need it. Such access can only come from an insurance system in which we all participate, sharing coverage, risks, and costs.

As COO of And1 Basketball, I ensured our employees had great healthcare benefits. We paid more than 80% of all healthcare costs for all our staff.

Rather than responsibly repairing the Affordable Care Act’s deficiencies, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have assaulted the Act itself, throwing an estimated 24 million people off their insurance, making deep cuts to Medicaid, and allowing states to encourage insurers to deny people with pre-existing conditions. Their callous maneuver guarantees a catastrophe in care, threatening Pennsylvanians’ health, and pushing them away from family physicians and back on emergency room lines.

Instead of rationing healthcare to only the rich, Congress should be working to expand access to it, and to control costs through legislation that insists on the incorporation of sound competitive practices into the businesses of drug development and distribution, and hospital management.

Equality for All Americans
All citizens in our country—regardless of age, race, culture, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class—have a right to participate in our community. Americans should not have to fear being fired, shunned, denied fair housing or a seat at a restaurant because who they are, what they look like, or who they love.

Our nation has come a long way in protecting the rights of LGBTQ Americans, communities of color and countless others who have faced a painful history of discrimination. But even today too many still suffer from negative stigmas, workplace or social discrimination and even the threat of violence. As the mom of an LGBTQ-identifying daughter, I have seen many of these challenges firsthand. As a Representative in Congress, I will fight to ensure that every member of our community has the same opportunities that should exist for all Americans: to build successful careers, start and grow families, get quality, affordable healthcare and serve in our military.

Fighting the Opioid and Opiate Epidemic
America is in the grip of an unprecedented public health crisis from drug overdoses. More than 64,000 Americans died of an overdose in 2016, more than the number who lost their lives to firearm and automotive deaths combined. Today, overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.

I have friends and family members of my own who have been touched by addiction. America is strong enough to respond to this crisis with real solutions that build community resilience all the way from prevention through treatment and recovery.

We need real accountability for drug companies and high-volume opioid prescribers without depriving suffering pain patients that have nowhere else to turn. We need to make sure our first responders have the tools and resources they need to save victims from overdosing.

And we need to keep cheap fentanyl and other deadly opioids from flooding into our streets from overseas.

We must also ensure that treatment is available for individuals suffering from addiction. Today, just one in five addiction sufferers is receiving treatment for their condition. Our healthcare system needs to be ready to accept patients when they have moments of clarity and are ready to seek treatment. That means building a healthcare system that researches and treats addiction as the tragic disease that it is.

If we expand access to proven medical treatments and protect Medicaid - our nation’s number one source of addiction treatment - we will save lives and help more Pennsylvania families and communities find their path of recovery from the devastating effects of this epidemic.

Great Schools for Every Child
Like healthcare and public safety, education is a human right. Local, state and national government needs to support affordable, high quality education that prepares everyone, child and adult alike, for the world and economy of tomorrow. Progress toward this goal can only be achieved through a fully funded, revitalized public school system in which teachers are respected and students are valued, and by providing access to higher education for all who seek it.

As a navy brat, I attended public schools on both coasts. As an adult, I worked as a chemistry teacher in North Philadelphia. I learned first-hand about the pressures on teachers and students in that environment. Subsequently, I led a non-profit focused on early childhood literacy. I am a product of strong public schools, I have studied in them, worked with and in them, and will fight for them in Congress.

Growing Our Economy
Jobs come from a healthy, modern economy, not from one built behind barriers to growth, or upon special provisions installed for the private benefit of the ten percent… or the one percent.

In Congress, my first priority will be to construct and advance programs that improve economic security for Pennsylvania families. We need to build a 21st century economy, one where people can work hard and share in prosperity, not envy it. Having been the chief operating officer of two Southeastern Pennsylvania businesses, I helped bring hundreds of jobs to our region. I know that a good relationship between government and business can spur and support job creation and job security.

We need leaders in Congress with real world experience, representatives who will work to create a prosperous future in which we all can share, while providing up to date training and support for Pennsylvanians whose jobs are gone or going.

Furthermore, we must also ensure that businesses pay a living wage, that equal work gets equal pay, and that the workplace respects the dignity of its employees.

Gun Violence Prevention
Gun violence prevention is a very critical issue. And it is widely agreed upon that many commonsense actions can and should be taken. Shootings are such a regular occurrence that we cannot afford to wait. We need to have this debate now and take the precautions and legislative steps necessary to prevent future tragedies from occurring.

This issue is very near to my heart. I taught high school chemistry in an area in which students were able to get their hands on guns because they were ever-present in the community. Additionally, one of my husband’s cousins was one of the EMTs after the Sandy Hook tragedy; his story rings in my mind every time there is another senseless tragedy.

I support the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership, but I also believe we must take commonsense steps to reduce gun violence. Enough is enough. We must act. First, we need to allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research these issues so that we can use data to inform our decisions. I cannot understand how the gun lobby has persuaded Congress to ban the CDC from pursuing this basic research.

We also need to pursue some commonsense safety measures — measures that the majority of Pennsylvania families support. These steps include closing the gun show loophole, renewing the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and restrictions on high-capacity firearm magazines, and universal criminal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers.

Immigration Reform
My father was a 5 year old refugee when this country welcomed him. He was a Hidden Child in war-torn Poland – sheltered by a family through the course of the war. Thankfully he survived, as did his mother, and they came here as many do in search of safety and the American Dream.

My dad came here with seemingly nothing to offer. He became a highly decorated veteran, serving our country with honor for a quarter century. One generation later, I am running for Congress – a testament to the power of the promise we make to each other in this great land of opportunity. I am committed to ensuring that this promise and Dream remain intact for generations to come.

Congress needs to come together and provide protections and a path to citizenship for the roughly 1.8 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children, many of whom contribute to our economy, play by the rules and in some cases they serve us proudly in the military. These young people need a place in our country. We have promised them this, and we keep our promises.

There is no question that our immigration system is broken, and we must strengthen our borders. Immigration reform is possible and necessary, and if done properly, can result in growing our economy, reducing our national debt, and strengthening our communities.

Our nation’s immigration system is in clear need of improvement, but the only viable solution is a comprehensive, bipartisan approach rather than playing politics. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to move this important agenda forward.

Money in Politics
I’m deeply concerned by the increasing influence of secret money in our elections. It’s wrong that billionaires and special interests can spend unlimited amounts of money to take down anyone who opposes their agenda. It is also wrong that every day citizens are not able to run. We need to reform our campaign finance system to increase transparency and regain the public’s trust in our elected officials. If elected, I am committed to making meaningful campaign finance reform a top priority, including limiting the influence of special interests, full disclosure of who donates so voters know who is paying, and keeping foreigners and foreign governments from secretly spending to influence our elections. I would also like to see reform that allows people from more diverse backgrounds to be able to run for office. Candidates should come from all walks of life, not just the 1%.

Protecting Our Environment and Combating Climate Change
Informed scientists agree: climate change is real. So also is its threat to our home on this planet if we don’t manage to arrest and eventually reverse the processes that are heating our world, changing its weather, raising sea levels, accelerating desertification, and threatening traditional agriculture.

Tragically, the Trump Administration has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.” It has also appointed deniers and skeptics to key oversight positions, moved to slash research budgets and reduce program funding, and otherwise attacked key domestic environmental programs. Trump has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, not only giving up our leadership of this vital global effort, but also denying it the benefit of American science and expertise. All this in the service of special interests.

As one of the original team that created B Corporations (Benefit Corporations), I know the importance of building businesses, a supportive government and a larger economy that honors our environment and that encourages sustainable practices. In Congress, I will be a champion for our environment and will work to combat the threat of climate change and the assault on truth and data.

Retirement & Healthcare Security for Older Pennsylvanians
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law in 1935, more than half of America’s seniors were in poverty. When Medicare was added in 1966, nearly half of all seniors couldn’t get, or couldn’t afford, health insurance.

Even today, nearly half of all older Americans would be living below the poverty line without Social Security. This critical piece of America’s safety net is as important as ever, protecting 96 percent of our workers and their families. Millions rely on Medicare and Medicaid to help with the rising costs of long-term care, giving them a better chance at a healthier life.

Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans in Congress want to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into an unstable voucher program that makes it easier for them to cut and run from.

I have met with countless Pennsylvanians who are able to care for themselves and live meaningful lives today thanks to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It is critical that we stand up and fight to protect Social Security and Medicare for this generation and the next.

Support of Veterans and Their Families
The militarization of American foreign policy and Congress’ shameful abdication of its war-making powers have, in the age of the professional all-volunteer force, put an even greater burden on our men and women in uniform. These patriots deserve more than gestures and lip service; they merit the best possible training and equipment, commitment to deployment and combat as the last not the first resort, superb and honorable leadership in the field, and high quality services and medical care for themselves, and their families at home. These services must necessarily include retraining into civilian employment for those hanging up their uniforms, and counseling for those coping with the special stresses of combat.

Women's Health
The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress want to turn back the clock on women's health and eliminate vital funding for Planned Parenthood, denying thousands of women access to lifesaving cancer screening and affordable health care. We can't let this this happen. I believe women's health care decisions should be made between a woman, her doctor, and her faith -- not DC politicians. As a mom, wife, businesswoman, and veteran, I know we must do more to help women and families succeed. In Congress, I will fight to pass paid family and medical leave, support the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) to make Pennsylvania safer, protect Planned Parenthood clinics, and fight back against efforts to undermine Roe v Wade.

[25]

”
—Chrissy Houlahan’s campaign website (2018)[26]

Republican Party Greg McCauley

McCauley’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Healthcare
America is still reeling from the failures of Obamacare. We need to bring down premiums and make healthcare affordable again.

Congress should be discussing mutually owned health insurance, where the patients actually own part of the insurance company. Any profits are reinvested back into the company and don’t get funneled away to shareholders on Wall Street. Some of these companies could also be set up as non-profits.

Additionally, the portion you pay for your monthly premium should be made tax deductible.

But there’s more work to be done. Our existing Medicare and Medicaid programs should be vetted, and we need to eliminate instances of fraud wherever we find them. We can also streamline the prescription drug market by cutting out the middleman and lowering prices for consumers. I’d also like to keep Wall Street from profiting from your cancer diagnosis.

As a member of Congress, I’ll always be willing to listen to any proposal that could save my constituents money and expand access to affordable healthcare.

Economy
We must balance the budget. Current US debt is more than 21 trillion dollars. The waste and fraud in many of our most important social welfare support programs, has spun out of control. Congress must work to isolate and get rid of waste that increases our debt as well as hinders us from providing an effective social safety net to our most vulnerable citizens. We must also be sure that historic tax reform–the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act–which has provided more than 90% of Americans with bigger paychecks and resulted in increased benefits such as maternity and paternity leave, remains in place. We must also continue to create a domestic economic environment that encourages companies to keep their operations here in the US, hiring Americans to perform all types of jobs, both in the labor and professional sectors.

Student Loan Debt Crisis
I’ve talked to numerous families in our community who are struggling with the Student Loan Debt Crisis. They’re being crushed by this unreasonable financial burden. We need to address this issue immediately, because it will only get worse if we ignore it.

Some students are being charged interest rates as high as 13 or 14 percent. At those rates, they can barely handle the monthly interest payments, let alone start paying down the principal.

Luckily, there is a common sense solution to this crisis that Congress can act on right away. I propose that we lower the interest rates to a manageable level (2.59%), so that our younger citizens can pay back their obligations and live out the American Dream.

Congress sets the rates, and Congress has the power to lower the rates. If elected, I will make it a priority to ease this financial burden for the next generation of Americans.

Immigration
I have a compassionate solution to our nation’s immigration crisis.

My plan is to fast track a sustainable worker visa program that will bring the undocumented workers in our country out of the shadows. After obtaining a work visa, they will be able to remain in the country but will have to pay their fair share of taxes just like you and me.

It is important to note that this is NOT a path to citizenship or amnesty. The ultimate goal is to secure our borders and ensure that we know who is coming into our country.

This program will help everyone in the long run because the increase in tax revenue will bring about $100 billion dollars to our economy every year.

This will help us fund important programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid far into the future.

Together we can solve this problem once and for all and make this country safe for everyone.

Small Business
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses play a vital role in the country’s economy. They produce nearly half of the private nonfarm GDP in the U.S. and employ more than half of America’s workforce.

The passage of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act increased capital reserve requirements for banks as a percentage of total bank assets. This led banks to show strong preference in lending to those seeking sums of money larger than the typical small business owner, who according to Harvard Business Review typically seeks less than $500,000.

Although, the “Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act,” signed into law recently was a start in relieving some of the regulations crushing small and midsize banks themselves, further reforms are necessary.

As a tax attorney, Greg McCauley has helped hundreds of businesses in the Philadelphia metro area each year. He understands the direct impacts Dodd Frank regulations have had on Chester and Berks Counties’ small businesses, especially on their abilities to borrow money to expand their operations or perform critical updates to their infrastructure.

Besides reforming the student loan debt crisis, working toward the repeal of Dodd Frank regulations that impede small business lending was a strong inspiration in Greg’s announcement to run for Congress. The SBA statistics clearly illustrate that small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. We must empower them to succeed by granting them access to the capital they need to not just survive but also expand and thrive.

Government Reform
Congress must pass common sense reforms to government checks, balances and infrastructure. We need a Constitutional amendment that will institute term limits for all members of Congress. Restoring the American dream for our next generation requires that our representative continually bring new energy and ideas to the table, as opposed to creating institutions out of old ideas and procedures that do not serve the American people, but rather special interest groups.

In addition to term limits for members of Congress, implementing a 5-year ban on lobbying for former members of Congress and their highest ranking staff members is also a good idea. We need to close lobbying “loopholes” used by former government officials to profit off of what was their duty as a public servant.

Law enforcement, first-responders, the military and their families We must always honor the service and commitment of our members of the military, law enforcement and all first-responders to disaster. We must also remember that they have families, friends and other loved ones who also make sacrifices so that they can serve some of our highest priorities including safety and upholding law and order. We must always ensure that Congress understands and considers their needs in legislation. Making sure that they and their families have access to the healthcare and education resources they need is paramount. Greg McCauley will support any legislation that benefits both these dedicated service members as well as their families.

OPIOID EPIDEMIC
The sad truth is, nearly all of us have lost someone to the opioid epidemic or know someone who has. Opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue. It’s OUR issue, and it’s high time we do something about it.

There are two sides of the problem we need to tackle. First, we need to stop the flow of heroin and fentanyl into our country. Southeast Pennsylvania has become ground zero of the opioid epidemic. Right now, the heroin being trafficked in Philadelphia is among the purest and deadliest in the country. Securing our borders will go a long way to keeping these dangerous substances off the streets.

The other side of this issue is rehabilitation. Right now, the average rehab facility in our region sees a success rate of only 18-20%. We need to adopt programs and strategies used by rehabilitation facilities in neighboring states that see success rates of 88-90%. Congress should make it a priority to identify successful rehab programs and apply those models to the rest of the country.

If we take this issue seriously we can provide real support to those struggling with addiction and save our friends, neighbors, and loved ones from this crisis.

[25]

”
—Greg McCauley’s campaign website (2018)[27]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan Facebook

Republican Party Greg McCauley Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

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

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

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

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Pennsylvania. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[28][29]

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

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Pennsylvania heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • As of May 2018, Democrats held five of 11 state executive positions, while six were held by nonpartisan officials.
  • The governor of Pennsylvania was Democrat Tom Wolf.

State legislature

Trifecta status

  • Pennsylvania was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Tom Wolf (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2018

Pennsylvania held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Pennsylvania
 PennsylvaniaU.S.
Total population:12,791,904316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):44,7433,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:81.6%73.6%
Black/African American:11%12.6%
Asian:3.1%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.2%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,599$53,889
Persons below poverty level:15.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania.
**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.

As of July 2017, Pennsylvania had a population of approximately 12,800,000 people, with its three largest cities being Philadelphia (pop. est. 1.6 million), Pittsburgh (pop. est. 300,000), and Allentown (pop. est. 120,000).[30][31]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Pennsylvania 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 48.6% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 47.9% 0.7%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 52.1% Republican Party Mitt Romney 46.7% 5.4%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 54.7% Republican Party John McCain 44.3% 10.4%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 51.0% Republican Party George Bush 48.5% 2.5%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 50.6% Republican Party George Bush 46.4% 4.2%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Pennsylvania 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Patrick Toomey 48.8% Democratic Party Katie McGinty 47.3% 1.5%
2012 Democratic Party Bob Casey 53.7% Republican Party Tom Smith 44.6% 9.1%
2010 Republican Party Patrick Toomey 51.0% Democratic Party Joe Sestak 49.0% 2.0%
2006 Democratic Party Bob Casey 58.7% Republican Party Rick Santorum 41.3% 17.4%
2004 Republican Party Arlen Specter 52.6% Democratic Party Joseph Hoeffel 42.0% 10.6%
2000 Republican Party Rick Santorum 52.4% Democratic Party Ron Klink 45.5% 6.9%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Pennsylvania.

Election results (Governor), Pennsylvania 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Tom Wolf 54.9% Republican Party Thomas Corbett 45.1% 9.8%
2010 Republican Party Thomas Corbett 54.5% Democratic Party Dan Onorato 45.5% 9.0%
2006 Democratic Party Ed Rendell 60.4% Republican Party Lynn Swann 39.6% 20.8%
2002 Democratic Party Ed Rendell 53.4% Republican Party Mike Fisher 44.3% 9.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Pennsylvania 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 13 72.2% Democratic Party 5 27.8% R+8
2014 Republican Party 13 72.2% Democratic Party 5 27.8% R+8
2012 Republican Party 13 72.2% Democratic Party 5 27.8% R+8
2010 Republican Party 12 63.2% Democratic Party 7 36.8% R+5
2008 Republican Party 7 36.8% Democratic Party 12 63.2% D+5
2006 Republican Party 8 42.1% Democratic Party 11 57.9% D+3
2004 Republican Party 12 63.2% Democratic Party 7 36.8% R+5
2002 Republican Party 12 63.2% Democratic Party 7 36.8% R+5
2000 Republican Party 11 52.4% Democratic Party 10 47.6% R+1

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
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 25
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 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 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 _


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  2. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  3. ↑ Chrissy Houlahan for Congress, "MY JOURNEY," accessed October 3, 2018
  4. ↑ Chrissy Houlahan for Congress, "MESSAGE FROM CHRISSY," accessed October 3, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chrissy Houlahan for Congress, "How the first Women's March inspired me to run for office in Pennsylvania," January 17, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Greg McCauley for Congress, "About Greg," accessed October 3, 2018
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 YouTube, "Meet Greg McCauley," August 29, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Refers to the old district that makes up a plurality of the new district.
  9. ↑ The old 1st and 11th districts did not make up a plurality of any of the new districts. The 1st District went for Hillary Clinton by 61.3 percentage points and was represented by Bob Brady (D). The 11th District went for Donald Trump by 23.8 percentage points and was represented by Lou Barletta (R).
  10. ↑ District 13 incumbent Brendan Boyle (D) filed for re-election in the new 2nd District.
  11. ↑ District 17 incumbent Matt Cartwright (D) filed for re-election in the new 8th District.
  12. ↑ Lamb was elected in a March 2018 special election to replace Rep. Tim Murphy (R).
  13. ↑ Lamb filed to run for PA-17 in the 2018 election.
  14. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  15. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  16. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  17. ↑ FEC, INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES INDEPENDENCE USA PAC," accessed October 12, 2018
  18. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  19. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  20. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  21. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  22. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  23. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  24. ↑ Twitter, "Barack Obama on October 1, 2018"
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  26. ↑ Chrissy Houlahan for Congress, “Issues,” accessed October 1, 2018
  27. ↑ Greg McCauley for Congress, “Issues,” accessed October 1, 2018
  28. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  29. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  30. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Pennsylvania," accessed January 3, 2018
  31. ↑ Pennsylvania Demographics, "Pennsylvania Cities by Population," accessed January 3, 2018
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