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Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election (May 15, 2018 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 2
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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| Pennsylvania's 7th 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 Political Report: Lean Democratic Inside Elections: Lean Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
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 |
Former Allentown Solicitor Susan Wild (D) narrowly defeated Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli (D) and Pastor Greg Edwards (D).
The top three Democratic candidates who ran for Pennsylvania’s new 7th Congressional District represented competing wings of the party and had diverging views on which policies to emphasize in order to win the Allentown-based swing district in November.
Edwards was aligned with the progressive wing of the party that supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election. He was endorsed by Sanders and supported single-payer healthcare and other policies Sanders promoted during his presidential run. Edwards said the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) tried to force him out of the race because its leaders did not want him as a general election candidate. The DCCC denied his claims.[1]
Morganelli was a self-described moderate Democrat, to the right of his party on issues like immigration, abortion, and capital punishment. He was supported by the Lehigh Valley Building and Construction Trades Council.
Wild was supported by traditional Democratic organizations like EMILY's List. Her policy priorities included increasing spending on education and infrastructure and fixing parts of the Affordable Care Act. She also touted her cooperation with a corruption investigation into former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The federal prosecutor who worked on the case endorsed her candidacy.
EMILY's List, NARAL, and billionaire Tom Steyer's NextGen America targeted Morganelli, who had wide name recognition after serving as district attorney for 26 years, in satellite spending campaigns. They pointed to his views on abortion and immigration and his tweets at President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election saying he was "waiting to hear from transition" and "[hoped] to serve." Morganelli said he did not want to serve in the administration but would have been open to serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
At the same time, United Together, a PAC affiliated with the centrist group No Labels, ran negative ads against Wild and Edwards. No Labels supported conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski in the March 20 Democratic primary for Illinois' 3rd District when he faced progressive challenger Marie Newman.
The 7th District was redrawn in February 2018 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the Pennsylvania congressional map was an illegal gerrymander and violated the Free and Equal Elections Clause of the state's constitution.
Although the previous 7th District was represented by U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R) and was in the Philadelphia suburbs, the new 7th District replaced the Allentown-based 15th District previously represented by Charlie Dent (R). The new 7th is made up of parts of Dent's old 15th district (71.6 percent), Matt Cartwright's (D) old 17th district (24.8 percent), and Tom Marino's (R) old 10th district (3.6 percent).
The new 7th voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump 48.7 percent to 47.6 percent; Dent's old 15th voted for Trump over Clinton 51.8 percent to 44.2 percent.[2]
None of the incumbents of the old districts are running for the new 7th District. A special election for the old 15th District took place November 6 following Dent's resignation from Congress in May 2018.[3] Dent first announced he would not seek re-election in September 2017.
| Pennsylvania voter? Dates you need to know. | |
|---|---|
| Primary election | May 15, 2018 |
| Candidate filing deadline | March 20, 2018 |
| Registration deadline | April 16, 2018 |
| Absentee application deadline | May 8, 2018 |
| General election | November 6, 2018 |
| Voting information | |
| Primary type | Closed |
| Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day. | |
For more on related elections, please see:
- Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election (May 15, 2018 Republican primary)
- Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election, 2018
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2018
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2018
- Democratic Party primaries in Pennsylvania, 2018
- Republican Party primaries in Pennsylvania, 2018
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[4] | Prior incumbent | Prior 2016 presidential result | New 2016 presidential result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15th District | Charlie Dent (R) | R+7.6 | D+1.1 |
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.
Candidates and election results
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on May 15, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Susan Wild | 33.5 | 15,262 |
 | John Morganelli | 30.1 | 13,754 | |
 | Greg Edwards | 25.4 | 11,602 | |
| Roger Ruggles | 5.4 | 2,467 | ||
 | Rick Daugherty | 3.9 | 1,760 | |
| David Clark | 1.7 | 777 | ||
| Total votes: 45,622 | |||
 = 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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Election updates
Campaign finance
- April 25, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures showed the following:
- Greg Edwards had raised $357,000 and had more than $185,000 in cash on hand.
- Susan Wild had raised almost $290,000 and had more than $51,000 in cash on hand.
- John Morganelli had raised more than $230,000 and had nearly $115,000 in cash on hand.
Candidate forums
- May 2, 2018: Candidates from both parties met at a forum held by the League of Women Voters. See full coverage from the Allentown Morning Call here.
- April 19, 2018: The candidates participated in a forum and discussed their views on gun policy. See full coverage here and here.
- April 12, 2018: NextGen America held a debate. See full coverage here.
Satellite spending
- May 10, 2018: The pro-John Morganelli super PAC United Together disclosed $107,000 in spending to support Morganelli and $24,000 opposing Susan Wild.[10]
- May 5, 2018: NARAL disclosed more than $50,000 in spending opposing John Morganelli.
- May 3, 2018: Tom Steyer's NextGen America group announced it would spend $100,000 opposing John Morganelli.[11]
Endorsements
- May 12, 2018: Former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham endorsed John Morganelli.
- May 11, 2018: The Congressional Black Caucus and Our Revolution endorsed Greg Edwards and Katie McGinty and Ed Rendell endorsed Susan Wild.
- May 6, 2018: Lanny Davis, an attorney allied with Bill and Hillary Clinton endorsed John Morganelli.
Top candidates
The following candidates raised over $100,000 or received prominent endorsements and mentions in the media.
Greg Edwards
A pastor from Allentown, Greg Edwards ran for Congress as a progressive in the style of Bernie Sanders, who endorsed him on April 29. He has the support of the Sanders-aligned group Justice Democrats, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Pennsylvania Working Families Party, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and the Pennsylvania chapter of the Service Employees International Union. Edwards' campaign priorities included establishing a single-payer healthcare system similar to what Sanders proposed on the national level, directing more federal education funds to schools in impoverished areas, and increasing the minimum wage.
Following the redrawing of the Pennsylvania congressional map in February 2018, Edwards said that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) attempted to push him out of the race. He said, “As far as I know, they only targeted one candidate to leave this race — the most progressive candidate, the only candidate of color. Their inability to understand why that’s fundamentally wrong says everything.” The DCCC denied that it was trying to push Edwards out, saying it was instead seeking more candidates for a state Senate seat in the area.[1]
At the time of the election, Edwards served as the senior pastor at Resurrected Life Community Church. He received his B.S. in urban ministry leadership from Geneva College, his certification in community economic development from the University of Delaware, his master's of divinity from Drew University, and his Ph.D. from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary.
John Morganelli
The district attorney of Northampton County since 1992, John Morganelli ran for Congress as a moderate Democrat. When announcing his run for the 15th district in January 2018, he said, "this is not a liberal district and it fits my moderate profile well."[12] He stayed in the race after the old 15th district was redrawn as the new 7th district in February, even though it leaned more Democratic than before. He was endorsed by state Sen. Lisa Boscola and the Lehigh Valley Building and Construction Trades Council.
Morganelli said he would focus on women's and minority issues if elected. He took conservative positions in the past on immigration, arguing against sanctuary jurisdictions and giving drivers' licenses to persons in the country without legal permission.[12] Following the 2016 election he tweeted the following at President Donald Trump: "Pa. most senior prosecutor against illegal immigration waiting to hear from transition. Hope to serve. Met Pres at Bedminste."[13] He later said he did not want a position in the Trump administration, but he would have been open to serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.[14] His campaign said he voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 election.[15] He also supported capital punishment in the past and opposed abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother's life.[16][12]
In addition to serving as Northampton County district attorney, Morganelli previously ran to be Pennsylvania's attorney general in 2008, where he lost to Tom Corbett (R) in the general election, and 2016, where he finished third in the Democratic primary. He received his B.A. from Moravian College and his J.D. from the Villanova School of Law.
Susan Wild
The first woman to serve as solicitor of Allentown, Wild ran for Congress with the support of EMILY's List, a group dedicated to electing Democratic women to office who support legalized abortion. She was also endorsed by former District 7 candidate Bill Leiner, a number of local officials, and federal prosecutor Joe Khan, who was involved in the arrest and conviction of Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski on corruption charges in March 2018.
Khan's investigation took place while Wild served as the solicitor. When praising her cooperation with his investigation, he said, “She worked hard to correct mistakes of the past and to implement safeguards for the future. And she asserted and maintained her independence, with grace under fire despite being put in an incredibly difficult position.”[17]
During the primary, Wild emphasized that she was the woman with the best chance to win the race.[18] Although she was a progressive on most policy issues, Wild said she could appeal to moderate voters by highlighting her ability to compromise.[19]
Wild's campaign priorities included increasing federal spending on infrastructure, expanding rural broadband, restoring voting rights for felons, passing a paid parental leave policy, and banning fracking on public land. She first became Allentown's solicitor in 2015. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney. She received her B.A. from American University and her J.D. from George Washington University.
Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
Political analysis of outcome
- Daily Kos: "While the GOP race was largely a quiet affair, the Democratic contest was anything but. Morganelli is a self-described "pro-life" Democrat who gave GOP Sen. Pat Toomey some useful help during the tight 2016 Senate race and praised Trump repeatedly, putting him far outside the Democratic mainstream. But Morganelli has always performed well in his large Northampton base, and with Edwards and Wild splitting the liberal non-Morganelli vote, he came very close to victory on Tuesday. He also had some labor support, and he benefited from outside spending from a group called United Together that's tied to the awful No Labels.
- However, progressive organizations also spent to stop Morganelli. EMILY's List, which supported Wild, aired ads supporting her and going after Morganelli, while Tom Steyer's NextGen America also spent against the district attorney. In the end, it was enough to get Wild over the top; while Morganelli used his concession speech to bemoan the direction he believed the Democratic Party was moving in, he did praise Wild and say she'd be a good candidate."[20]
- Allentown Morning Call: "But Wild, a 60-year-old civil litigator, built a network of volunteers and experienced campaigners and attracted interest among outside groups that invested more than $360,000 in the race. She used mailers to blunt Morganelli’s name identification advantage and capitalized on a pro-women sentiment in the party and became a top contender...
- Wild cultivated a base in Lehigh County, where she raised her family and built a law practice. She lives in South Whitehall Township and was Allentown’s first female solicitor. She bested Morganelli there by 18 percentage points and Edwards by 14. As Edwards, who showed a strong ground game and proved to be an able fundraiser, dominated the urban cores, Wild did well in the suburbs, including places like Upper and Lower Macungie townships, where she got 53 and 46 percent of the vote, respectively.
- 'Those areas are key for her not only because they are in her back yard. They’re also higher-educated, relatively affluent areas of the Lehigh Valley,' said Chris Borick, a political scientist at Muhlenberg Collge. 'Those are the types of places where we saw women do really well during this election cycle, particularly in suburban Philadelphia, where women emerged as nominees.'
- He said Wild also did well in Monroe County, which borders Morganelli’s turf in Northampton County but is new to the district this year. Morganelli predictably dominated his home county of Northampton, which Trump won two years ago. But, even there, Morganelli failed to get a majority of the votes. He tallied just 39 percent of the Northampton County vote. Wild and Edwards finished nearly even there, 25 and 24 percent respectively.
- 'Nobody expected she was going to win Northampton County given John Morganelli’s long-standing relationship with the voters there, but it’s not about winning a county in a district-wide race,' Borick said. “It’s more about performing well in others’ back yard, and she did that.'
- Anecdotal evidence, Borick said, suggests people didn’t vote for her simply because she was a woman, but her gender helped in a race where Edwards was also putting forth a progressive agenda.
- 'Certainly being the only woman in the field was an asset for her,' Borick said. 'That, packaged with her other positions and experiences, helped seal the deal with voters.'
- Also effective: Tying Morganelli to Trump. Morganelli tweeted to Trump following the 2016 presidential election, saying he was against illegal immigration and 'waiting to hear from the transition.' Campaign mailers sent by Wild and a SuperPAC arm of Emily’s List, an abortion rights group that endorsed her, linked Morganelli to a president who is toxic among Democrats...Morganelli conceded those attacks were particularly effective and Wild took some hits, including some unfair hits delivered by a SuperPAC. He lauded Wild for running an effective campaign and praised Edwards, in particular, for his ground game. Morganelli acknowledged the primary was a tough fight, but it was now time to for Democrats to come together."[21]
Timeline
- May 12, 2018: Former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham endorsed John Morganelli.
- May 11, 2018: The Congressional Black Caucus and Our Revolution endorsed Greg Edwards and Katie McGinty and Ed Rendell endorsed Susan Wild.
- May 10, 2018: The pro-John Morganelli super PAC United Together disclosed $107,000 in spending to support Morganelli and $24,000 opposing Susan Wild.[10]
- May 6, 2018: Lanny Davis, an attorney allied with Bill and Hillary Clinton endorsed John Morganelli.
- May 5, 2018: NARAL disclosed more than $50,000 in spending opposing John Morganelli.
- May 5, 2018: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) campaigned for Greg Edwards.[22]
- May 3, 2018: Tom Steyer's NextGen America group announced it would spend $100,000 opposing John Morganelli.[11]
- May 2, 2018: EMILY's List began running ads promoting Susan Wild and opposing John Morganelli.[23]
- May 2, 2018: Candidates from both parties met at a forum held by the League of Women Voters. See full coverage from the Allentown Morning Call here.
- April 29, 2018: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Greg Edwards.
- April 27, 2018: The group United Together revealed that it spent almost $25,000 opposing Susan Wild and Greg Edwards.
- April 26, 2018: EMILY's List announced that it would start promoting Susan Wild and opposing John Morganelli as part of its Women Vote! program. It was set to target more than 65,000 Democratic voters through direct mailers and run television advertisements starting May 2.[23]
- April 25, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures showed the following:
- Greg Edwards had raised $357,000 and had more than $185,000 in cash on hand.
- Susan Wild had raised almost $290,000 and had more than $51,000 in cash on hand.
- John Morganelli had raised more than $230,000 and had nearly $115,000 in cash on hand.
- April 25, 2018: The Congressional Progressive Caucus endorsed Greg Edwards.
- April 19, 2018: The candidates participated in a forum and discussed their views on gun policy. See full coverage here and here.
- April 15, 2018: John Morganelli reported raising $219,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $191,100 in cash-on-hand.
- April 15, 2018: Susan Wild reported raising $104,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $105,500 in cash-on-hand.
- April 12, 2018: Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer's organization NextGen America held a debate between the candidates.[24]
- April 11, 2018: Greg Edwards announced that he raised $140,000 in the first quarter of 2018 and had $220,000 in cash-on-hand. He said his campaign received over 10,000 individuals donations that averaged $35 each.[25]
- April 9, 2018: Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure endorsed John Morganelli.
- April 3, 2018: The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce held a debate. See full coverage here.
- April 2, 2018: Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez endorsed John Morganelli in the race.
- March 21, 2018: State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D) endorsed John Morganelli in the race.
- March 20, 2018: EMILY's List endorsed Susan Wild in the race.
- March 9, 2018: U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) endorsed Greg Edwards in the race.
- February 19, 2018: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 4-3 to adopt a remedial congressional plan that redrew the 15th district represented by Charlie Dent (R) into the new 7th district.
Campaign finance
Campaign finance disclosures from April 25, 2018, showed the following:
- Greg Edwards had raised $357,000 and had more than $185,000 in cash on hand.
- Susan Wild had raised almost $290,000 and had more than $51,000 in cash on hand.
- John Morganelli had raised more than $230,000 and had nearly $115,000 in cash on hand.
The candidates reported the following the March 31, 2018, campaign finance deadline:
- John Morganelli reported raising $219,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $191,100 in cash on hand.[26]
- Susan Wild reported raising $104,400 in the first quarter of 2018 and having $105,500 in cash on hand.[26]
- Greg Edwards announced that he raised $140,000 in the first quarter of 2018 and had $220,000 in cash on hand. He said his campaign received over 10,000 individuals donations that averaged $35 each.[25]
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017.[27]
Democrats
Contribution sources
The Allentown Morning Call analyzed the source of the candidates' campaign contributions in a May 9 report. It found that that 88 percent of Morganelli's contributions of more than $200 were from inside Pennsylvania compared to 78 percent for Wild and 27 percent for Edwards. It also found that lawyers and law firms were the largest industry donors for Morganelli ($40,000) and Wild ($31,000), while internet companies were the largest for Edwards ($28,000).[28]
Satellite spending
As of May 14, campaign finance disclosures showed the following:[29]
- EMILY's List: This group announced that it would run television advertisements and target Democratic voters with direct mailers to benefit Susan Wild and oppose John Morganelli starting May 2.[30] As of May 14, it had spent about $370,000 with $180,000 supporting Wild and $190,000 opposing Morganelli.
- Humane Society Legislative Fund: This group had spent nearly $2,000 supporting Susan Wild as of May 14.
- Immigrant Voters Win PAC: This group had spent $12,000 supporting Greg Edwards as of May 14.
- NARAL: This group had spent $52,000 opposing John Morganelli as of May 14. It endorsed Susan Wild.
- NextGen America: This Tom Steyer-backed group announced it would spend $100,000 in the race on May 3. Steyer said the spending would target John Morganelli. He added, “In 2018, there is no room in the Democratic Party for a man who denies a woman her right to choose and who engages in hateful and dishonest dialogue about immigrant communities.”[11]
- United Together: This centrist group affiliated with No Labels revealed it had spent more than $370,000 as May 14 opposing Susan Wild ($190,000) and Greg Edwards ($34,000) and supporting John Morganelli ($150,000). More than half of its $800,000 in funding came from Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. No Labels previously intervened on behalf of Dan Lipinski (D) in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 3rd Congressional District.[11]
Endorsements
Know of an endorsement? Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
| Democratic candidate endorsements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Date | Edwards | Morganelli | Wild | |
| Individuals | |||||
| Lynn Abraham, former Philadelphia district attorney[31] | May 12, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Katie McGinty, 2016 U.S. Senate candidate[31] | May 11, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor[32] | May 11, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Allentown School Board Members Cheryl Johnson-Watts and Ce-Ce Gerlach[33] | May 7, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Lanny Davis, attorney allied with Bill and Hillary Clinton[34] | May 6, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)[35] | April 29, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Professional boxer Larry Holmes[36] | April 23, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure[37] | April 9, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez[38] | April 2, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Parkland School District Director Robert Cohen[39] | March 26, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| State Sen. Lisa Boscola[40] | March 21, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Khan[41] | March 15, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)[42] | March 9, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Sara Jane Brace, Allentown School Board member[42] | March 9, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Bill Leiner, former candidate for District 7[43] | March 1, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell[44] | February 12, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Tom Muller, former Lehigh County executive[45] | February 6, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Bethlehem City Council Vice President Olga Negron[46] | January 17, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| State Rep. Peter Schweyer[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| State Rep. Michael Schlossberg[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| State Rep. Maureen Madden[44] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Lehigh County Commissioner Amy Zanelli[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Lehigh County Commissioner Geoff Brace[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Former Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)-NJ-12[47] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D)-PA-02.[48] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.)[49] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Organizations | |||||
| Congressional Black Caucus[50] | May 11, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Our Revolution[50] | May 11, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Lehigh Valley for All[51] | May 3, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| International Association of Firefighters, Allentown Local 302[52] | April 29, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Congressional Progressive Caucus[53] | April 25, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Monroe County Young Democrats[54] | April 23, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| EMILY's List[55] | March 20, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Common Defense[56] | February 7, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| Make the Road Action in Pennsylvania[57] | January 22, 2018 | ✔ | |||
| NARAL[58] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Pennsylvania Working Families Party[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Women's March PA[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Service Employees International Union-Pennsylvania chapter[42] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Justice Democrats[59] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Lehigh Valley Building and Construction Trades Council[40] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
| Progressive Change Campaign Committee[60] | Unknown | ✔ | |||
How did the candidates differ?
Ideology
- Greg Edwards: Edwards aligned himself with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and expressed support for some of the same policies as Bernie Sanders, including a single-payer healthcare system known as Medicare For All. He was endorsed by Sanders himself and the Sanders-aligned group Justice Democrats, which was formed with the intent of removing corporate influence from the Democratic Party.
- Edwards believed Democrats needed to run on progressive policy platforms in order to win the U.S. House in 2018 rather than emphasizing their dislike of President Donald Trump. "Trump is not our disease. Trump is a symptom," said Edwards on the campaign trail. "And I would say to any person running for any seat, specifically at the federal level, if you are running against Donald Trump, that is a reactionary campaign. We need to be visionary."[61]
- John Morganelli: Morganelli described himself having a "moderate profile" when announcing his run. He supported restrictions on unauthorized immigration by limiting sanctuary jurisdictions and preventing persons in the country without legal permission from obtaining drivers' licenses but also preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In October 2016, he joined U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) at an event to discuss sanctuary cities. At the time, Toomey was running in a competitive race against Democrat Katie McGinty.[62] He said he was not endorsing Toomey but wanted to show solidarity on the issue.[13]
- In addition to his position on immigration, Morganelli is to the right of the Democratic Party on abortion and capital punishment. He said he opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and to protect the mother's life. He sued Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey (D) in 1994 to compel him to enforce the death penalty against convicted murderers from Northampton County.[16][12]
- Susan Wild: Wild's campaign website indicated that she agreed with the most positions of the mainline Democratic Party. She was endorsed by EMILY's List due to her support for legalized abortion, and, according to her campaign website, she was supportive of establishing universal healthcare coverage (although not explicitly the Medicare For All plan identified with Bernie Sanders), eliminating super PACs from the campaign finance system, and passing legislation to prevent DACA recipients from being deported.[63]
- Wild said she could appeal to moderate voters by highlighting her ability to compromise.[19]
Campaign strategies and tactics
Morganelli's positions on immigration and abortion
In late April, Susan Wild's campaign sent out a mailer opposing John Morganelli by highlighting his positions on abortion and immigration. The mailer said Morganelli was “anti-choice,” “anti-immigration” and “pro-Trump.” The mailer contained this statement from Morganelli: “I feel my record is fair game. I’m not hiding from it.”
Morganelli called the mailer an unfair characterization of his policy positions. He said it failed to account for his support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and all of the situations under which he believed abortion should be legal, including when the mother's health was at risk and a fetus was deformed.[64]
Morganelli support for Donald Trump
Following Donald Trump's election in November 2016, John Morganelli tweeted the following at the President-elect:
- "Thankful for your coming leadership. Waiting to hear from transition. Met you at Bedminister when I played in Member Guest."
- "Pa. most senior prosecutor against illegal immigration waiting to hear from transition. Hope to serve. Met Pres at Bedminste."
- "Pres-elect sent personal note to my son. I worked with [Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta] and [Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach] against illegal immigration. Pa. most senior DA."[13]
When asked by Lehigh Valley Live about the tweets, he said he did not want a position in the Trump administration, but he would be open to serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.[14]
He later told CNN he had sent the tweets because he wanted Trump to succeed as president and that his opinion changed about the president after he saw his inaugural speech, which he called a "disaster."[65] His campaign also said he voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.[15]
His comments to CNN were part of a wider look into Morganelli's past activity on Twitter. A review of his deleted tweets found that he had tweeted the following at Trump about Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in January 2017:
- "Rahm Emanuel should immediately resign as Mayor. He is incapable of protecting his citizens. Misguided liberalism at work."
- "Chicago is a mess. Rahm must resign. Obama should send in feds like he does when police use force."
He also tweeted about the progressive movement, saying, "The progressives who believe they are so open to ideas are the least tolerant of anyone who disagrees with them." He told CNN that he stood by those remarks.
CNN also found a Facebook post from Morganelli in mid-January 2017 after President Trump announced travel restrictions on persons from seven Muslim-majority countries. The post contained a Washington Examiner article that detailed past travel bans issued by other U.S. presidents and said, "I cannot recall if there were protests when President Obama issued an executive order banning immigration from certain countries?"[65]
Negative ad from EMILY's List
Women Vote!, the independent expenditure arm of the pro-Susan Wild EMILY's List, sent out a mailer that showed an altered picture of Morganelli wearing a Make America Great Again! hat and said that he "publicly thanked Trump for his coming leadership after the election, and even said he hoped Trump would appoint him to a job in his administration.” The ad also said that Morganelli opposed gun restrictions and abortion.[66]
State Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Morganelli supporter, criticized Wild and EMILY's List for the ad, saying, “You’re a woman, and I’m a woman, too and I’m deeply offended. I’m not buying the trickery.”[50]
DCCC involvement
In March 2018, Greg Edwards told the Washington Post that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) attempted to convince him to leave the race and run for Pennsylvania State Senate instead.[1] According to an Edwards' staffer, the DCCC representative said, "we don't want someone through who isn't viable," and suggested that Edwards' fundraising was too low to flip the seat from Republican to Democratic.[67]
“As far as I know, they only targeted one candidate to leave this race — the most progressive candidate, the only candidate of color,” Edwards told the Post. “Their inability to understand why that’s fundamentally wrong says everything.”
Tim Persico of the DCCC said that he had asked about Edwards and Susan Wild running for state Senate, but the DCCC denied that he was trying to push them out the race.
“Pennsylvania’s congressional maps were just completely redrawn, and it’s very typical for candidates to recalculate their campaign plans as a result,” DCCC Communications Director Meredith Kelly said. “As a Pennsylvania native, Tim knows the importance of local politics in the state and went to Allentown for an early, on-the-ground assessment of the political landscape in this newly drawn district, particularly regarding the multiple Democratic candidates’ next steps. This is completely normal. He did not, however, ask anyone to drop out of the congressional race.”[1]
Wild's campaign said that the DCCC never approached her about running for a new seat.[67]
Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for the Edwards-allied Justice Democrats responded to the allegations by saying, “It’s a shame that the DCCC and the wealthy white donors and revolving door consultants that make up the Democratic Party establishment are actively trying to stop Greg. Their consultant-driven strategy seems to prefer milquetoast candidates who they believe can appeal to moderate Republicans over progressive candidates of color. This is what systemic racism looks like.”[1]
In May 2018, John Morganelli said that the DCCC also attempted to convince him to leave the race. He said that when he was considering his campaign he received a call from a DCCC staffer who said, “I don't know if you're the right guy because of your [Trump] tweets.”
The DCCC denied that it had asked any candidates to drop out of the race.[68]
Progressive criticism of Susan Wild
After EMILY's List began a satellite spending campaign in favor of Susan Wild, the progressive organizations Pennsylvania Women’s March and People for Bernie, both supporters of Greg Edwards, released a statement that criticized her tenure as Allentown solicitor. The statement said she had "defended police brutality and opposed local gun reform efforts."[15]
According to The Intercept, the police brutality claim was related to Wild's support for an Allentown police officer who was accused of physically assaulting a suspect in 2016. Although the case was eventually settled for $160,000, her office released a statement saying the officer's actions had been appropriate.[15] She later stood by her actions, saying, "The fact that it was resolved in favor of the person who brought the claim speaks to my standards about what the police force should be held accountable for.”[69]
The Intercept said the gun claim was related to Wild's opposition to a proposed city ordinance that would have required gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons. She argued that the state Supreme Court would declare the law unconstitutional.[15]
Susan Wild's role in Allentown corruption probe
In early May 2018, the super PAC United Together began sending out campaign mailers that connected Susan Wild to a federal corruption investigation into Allentown elected officials. The investigation resulted in the conviction of Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The Allentown Morning Call analyzed the mailers (which listed several Morning Call articles as sources) and determined that the ads were misleading and that the Morning Call never published some of the statements attributed to it.[70]
On May 11, Wild called on John Morganelli to condemn the mailers from United Together. U.S. Attorney Joe Khan—the federal prosecutor in the case who previously endorsed Wild—said the following: "She worked hard to correct the mistakes of others and implement safeguards for the future. And she asserted and maintained her independence, with grace under fire despite being put in an incredibly difficult position. To say anything to the contrary is an outright lie has no place in our political discourse."[50]
Campaign advertisements
John Morganelli
Support
Morganelli's campaign released this TV ad on April 27.[71]
Oppose
NextGen America began running this anti-Morganelli digital ad on May 2.[72]
EMILY's List released the following ad opposing Morganelli on May 2.
|
Susan Wild
EMILY's List released the following ad supporting Wild on May 1.
|
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Hypothetical general election polls
From April 24, 2018, to May 3, 2018, the Morning Call/Muhlenberg College polling outlet conducted a survey that tested six hypothetical general election matchups. All six hypothetical matchups showed the Democratic candidate leading, but none showed any candidate with over 50 percent of the vote.
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | John Morganelli (D) | Dean Browning (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 46% | 28% | 7% | 20% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | John Morganelli (D) | Marty Nothstein (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 45% | 30% | 5% | 20% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Susan Wild (D) | Dean Browning (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 42% | 29% | 5% | 25% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Susan Wild (D) | Marty Nothstein (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 42% | 31% | 5% | 21% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Greg Edwards (D) | Dean Browning (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 40% | 29% | 7% | 24% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Greg Edwards (D) | Marty Nothstein (R) | Neither/Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Morning Call/Muhlenberg College April 24-May 3, 2018 | 40% | 33% | 5% | 22% | +/-5.5 | 408 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign themes and policy stances
Greg Edwards
Edwards' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Greg is running because he believes we need a bold new vision and legislation that creates a prosperous 7th Congressional District where our full potential as human beings is given the opportunity to learn, live, and thrive. He will work for a legislative agenda that shifts our existing political paradigm by making every American visible, and no one disposable, that includes:
|
” |
| —Greg Edwards’ campaign website (2018)[74] | ||
John Morganelli
Morganelli’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
As a prosecutor, John has fought to protect our community from criminals and predators. As a congressman, John will continue to be a "prosecutor who fights for us."
|
” |
| —John Morganelli’s campaign website (2018)[75] | ||
Susan Wild
Wild’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Quality Jobs and Economic Prosperity In the decades since, the economy may have changed, but the grit, determination, and hard work I see every day in our communities has not. Today, anyone who is willing to work should have the chance to, and our political leaders have a responsibility to ensure Pennsylvanians benefit from the country’s economic growth. I’m dedicated to bringing stable, high-paying jobs to our district. Here’s my plan: Invest in training, certification, and apprenticeship programs. Our economy is rapidly evolving and we need to equip Pennsylvanians — especially those without college degrees — with the tools they need to keep pace and succeed in increasingly specialized professions. Increase federal spending on infrastructure. When we invest tax dollars in infrastructure, it’s an investment in our people, too — promoting economic growth while creating new construction and manufacturing jobs for Pennsylvanians. Promote rural broadband infrastructure policies that expand broadband access to all communities. We can only stay on the cutting edge of the 21st Century economy if we have the technology to support it. Protect the Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits millions of hardworking American families. I will also bolster the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure those families can stay healthy and strong. Protecting Medicare and Social Security Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress don’t see it that way; even though you worked for those paychecks and paid your fair share into the system, Republicans view these earned benefits as entitlements that are theirs to slash and use to fund tax cuts for corporations and the super-rich. We can’t let that happen. The federal government absolutely must live up to its end of the bargain on retirement benefits. Here’s my plan: Defend Social Security. I oppose any attempt to cut benefits or privatize social security. If you’re eligible, you deserve the benefits that you earned. But again, Republicans believe Social Security is a political pawn, which is why I’ll fight to ensure that when it comes to balancing the budget or reducing government spending, we don’t do it at the expense of our seniors. This also means supporting cost-of-living adjustments and fighting against voucher schemes that prey on our most vulnerable Americans. Ensure Medicare’s long-term stability. To lower costs, Congress should implement common sense reforms like implementing electronic medical records and better coordination of services. Leverage Medicare’s negotiating power. Congress has, and must use, the tools to achieve lower prices, including for prescription drugs. Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. This is yet another way to help preserve and protect Medicare for generations to come. Criminal Justice Reform There are simple, bipartisan approaches we can take to reform our criminal justice system to make our communities safer, make our laws more equitable, and save lives in the process: Abolish private prisons. There should never be a profit motive for locking more people behind bars for more time. There are some functions that private industry can serve better than government; this is not one of them. Repair the damage done by racial bias. Despite equal rates of cannabis consumption across racial lines, black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for it. It’s time for this kind of unconscionable disparity to end, and we can begin with outlawing racially biased “stop and frisk” laws. Address gun violence with common sense reforms. Gun owners often claim Democrats want to “take away your guns.” That’s not my approach, and it never will be. What I want — for all communities that have suffered from the scourge of gun violence — is smart legislation that makes it more difficult for criminals, terrorists, and the mentally unstable to get their hands on weapons designed to kill. End the failed War on Drugs. The disastrous War on Drugs has been costly, deadly, racist, and a complete failure. We must put an end to draconian minimum sentencing laws for non-violent drug offenses and recognize — like other countries have successfully done — when drugs are a public health issue, not a criminal issue. Fully legalize cannabis. Not only has cannabis never led to an overdose in human history, but states with full legalization are seeing a large decline in opioid deaths. Furthermore, the tax revenue from legalization is helping these states improve everything from schools to communities. Ninety-five percent of Americans live in a state with access to some form of legalized cannabis; it’s long overdue that Congress acknowledges this by ending cannabis prohibition at the federal level. Restore voting rights. Laws vary by jurisdiction, but nearly all U.S. states have some form of law barring felons from voting (even though they count in census data used to determine congressional districts). Nationwide, those who have paid their debt to society must have their right to vote restored. Make the Fair Sentencing Act a reality. The 2010 law reduced the sentencing disparity between offenses for crack and powder cocaine from 100:1 to 18:1. This was a step in the right direction, but it should be 1:1, just as DUI sentences don’t account for what type of liquor was drunk. Campaign Finance Reform Consider, for example, that over the past decade, Big Pharma invested $2.5 billion in lobbying and campaign contributions, deploying two lobbyists for every member of Congress. Sadly, but not surprisingly, it worked — their corporate invasion successfully neutered any legislation addressing America’s skyrocketing drug prices or surging opioid epidemic. Other efforts are even more blatant, such as the Koch Brothers contributing nearly $500,000 to Paul Ryan’s joint fundraising committee immediately following the passage of the Republican tax cuts — perhaps just a coincidence, but more likely a hearty thank you for further enriching the billionaire donor class. The days of legalized corruption and quid-pro-quo campaign financing must end. In Congress, I will co-sign any legislation that removes the nefarious grip dark money has on our electoral and legislative process. Here’s where we can start: Reverse Citizens United. The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United was a disaster for democracy. Money is not “free speech” and corporations are not people; we need to overturn this through a constitutional amendment. Eliminate Super PACs. To truly free our democracy from the grip of dark money, we need a path toward public funding for elections. That begins with legislation that eliminates Super PACs and requires full transparency and disclosure when corporations and the wealthy funnel their money into elections. Chart the path toward public financing of campaigns. A good place to start is by passing the Fair Elections Now Act, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and 23 of his Senate colleagues, and will amend the Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971. Restore the full Voting Rights Act. As much as we’d like to repair our campaign finance system, even those efforts will be for naught if there is still discrimination in our voting process. Since the Supreme Court struck down the meat of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, more than a dozen states have passed laws that make voting less accessible. The reemergence of strict voter ID laws — which have historically discriminated against minority voters — is just one example of why the Voting Rights Act is still needed. Health Care for All in PA Growing up in a military household, I was lucky enough to have access to government health care at a young age; when I was sick, I simply saw a doctor and got treated. But far too many Americans — and thousands of residents in the 7th Congressional District — aren’t as fortunate. And that’s unacceptable. In the wealthiest nation on earth, no citizen should have to take on a second job, risk bankruptcy, or make a choice between putting food on the table or buying school supplies, and paying for health care. We are the world’s only industrialized nation that doesn’t provide all citizens with health care, yet Republicans still continue their cynical quest to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and resort to sabotaging the ACA’s health care exchanges when their other efforts have failed. There’s a better way. Here’s my plan: Achieve true universal healthcare coverage. We need to ensure that everyone can see a provider and get effective, affordable care when they need it. Immediately shore up the ACA by stabilizing our insurance markets. I will demand guaranteed, continued payments for ACA subsidies that reduce enrollees’ cost-sharing and reimburse insurers for high-cost individuals. Stand up for women. All Democrats must strongly defend a woman’s right to choose and beat back any and all attempts by Republicans to defund women’s health clinics. Expand Medicaid to cover more Pennsylvanians. This includes protecting the Medicaid guarantee for vulnerable children, the disabled, and the elderly. Lower premiums and prescription drug costs. We can and should leverage the government’s purchasing power to cut health care costs across the board. Incentivize insurers to participate in the exchanges, especially in underserved counties. There is no excuse for lack of coverage in rural and underserved communities. Immigration and Refugees Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress are more eager to kowtow to the Trump Administration’s discriminatory, half-baked policies than they have been to forge a genuine, bipartisan plan for addressing our country’s broken immigration system. As your member of Congress, I won’t be deterred by partisan hysteria over immigration. My guidepost on this issue will always be ensuring that we remain a beacon of hope and opportunity, through sound, workable policy solutions. Implement an immediate, permanent fix for DACA. This is the right thing to do morally, ethically, and economically. I’ll work to ensure the 800,000 young people brought here when they were children, through no fault of their own, can stay here free from the fear of being deported to a place they’ve never known. Oppose any continued efforts to implement the Trump Travel Ban. This administration has made a series of un-American and unconstitutional attempts to stoke fear and division that will have no true impact on our homeland security. In fact, I’ve helped go against the Trump Administration’s Travel Ban and won — and I’ll do it again. Stop the wasteful and ineffective ICE raids occurring with increasing frequency across the country. We need real border security, not simply the illusion of security. Pulling people from their homes and businesses and ripping families apart won’t make us any safer. Build bipartisan consensus to fix our broken legal immigration system. This fix can’t be one that reverses our country’s promise, enshrined on the Statue of Liberty, to welcome the tired and the poor, but one that provides people with an efficient, reasonable method for becoming an American while keeping our country safe. I will never vote for a wall along the U.S. Mexico border. It is an absurd waste of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars. Democrats, Libertarians, and most Republicans agree it will be ineffective in its goal. And not even a single member of Congress — of any party — whose district borders Mexico supports building the wall. With the real infrastructure needs our country is facing, no serious politician can support Trump’s proposal. Women's Issues & Reproductive Rights From the right to have control over what a woman does with her body, to equal rights and protection in the workplace, I will always — always — be an advocate for women: Unequivocally defend a woman’s right to choose. Roe v. Wade is legal precedent and we must fight back against any attempts by the radical Republican Congress and Justices on the Supreme Court to chip away at a woman’s right to privacy. Stand up for women’s health at every turn. Every Democrat must also beat back any and all attempts by Republicans to defund women’s health clinics. Every woman should be able to receive effective, affordable care when she needs it — especially women with lower incomes, in rural areas with less access to care, and those who otherwise find themselves vulnerable. Close the gender pay gap. We now know that increased education levels help raise women’s average pay, but still doesn’t help close the gap between what men and women earn for doing the same job. I will fight to create laws at the federal level that prevent gender pay discrimination. Strengthen workplace protections for women. From the boardroom to the battlefield, and everywhere in between, women deserve equal representation and equal protection under the law. This includes clear policies and procedures that ensure no woman has to fear retribution for reporting harassment or question whether she works in a safe environment. Parental leave. I support Sens. Sanders and Gillibrand’s FAMILY Act, which would guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for every worker in America — which they could use to take care of a newborn or help themselves or a family member who has fallen seriously ill. Unfortunately, the Family and Medical Leave Act signed into law in 1993 fails eight in 10 workers who are eligible because they can’t afford it. The FAMILY Act would rectify this. A statement of support for my campaign by EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock: “Susan Wild is a life-long champion for women and families. Susan has dedicated her life to serving her community and during her legal career she has focused on fighting for justice and fairness. As solicitor for the city of Allentown, she was a champion for transparency and accountability – never forgetting that she was there to serve the public. The families of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District deserve a representative who will fight for them, and Susan will do just that. This open seat is an opportunity for new leadership in the Lehigh Valley. Susan Wild will fight to ensure access to health care for all working families and economic policies that don’t mortgage our future just to give big tax breaks to corporations. Susan Wild is exactly the type of leader we need to stand up to Republicans in Washington and EMILY’s List is proud to endorse her candidacy.” Opioid Epidemic Addressing — and solving — this crisis requires (1) recognizing that drug abuse is a medical problem, not a criminal problem, and (2) proactively providing communities with the resources they need to effectively combat it. Hold drug companies accountable. When Big Pharma is more interested in exploiting addiction for profits than improving public health, it’s up to Congress and the regulatory agencies it oversees to take every step it can to protect people, not corporate profits. Empower and support the medical community. By expanding Medicaid in our state, Gov. Wolf provided health care to more than 125,000 Pennsylvanians suffering from addiction; additionally, he secured funding to establish 45 centers to treat more than 11,000 individuals suffering from addiction. At every turn possible, Congress should make the funds available to similarly fund programs at the federal level. Put life-saving tools in professionals’ hands. In Pennsylvania, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to Gov. Wolf equipping first responders, schools, and law enforcement with the overdose-reversing antidote naloxone. Congress must work with state and local agencies and community groups to curb more needless and preventable deaths. LGBTQ+ Issues To achieve — and protect — true equality for LGBTQ+ Americans, we need to fight all types of institutionalized discrimination, whether in schools, the workplace, or anywhere else in our communities. Pass the Equality Act. Reintroduced in 2017, this bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to “add sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity to the list of already protected classes (joining race, color, religion and national origin).” Congress should pass this into law immediately. Pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act. This bill, which Congress should also pass immediately, would require school districts to adopt codes of conduct that prohibit bullying and harassment of students. Keep our military strong. Anyone — gay, straight, or transgender — who wants to put their life on the line to defend our freedoms should never be denied their own freedoms. The current administration’s attacks on transgender service members are despicable and unAmerican, and Congress should do everything in its power to end similar discrimination. Be a world leader. The United States should be a moral leader for the world on LGBTQ+ issues, fighting against bigotry and intolerance. We can start this through leading by example, such as refusing to give tax dollars to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations and demanding the same from our partners and allies across the globe. Defending the Environment This must end, and I will be a leading voice in Congress to defend our environment. Fully rejoin the Paris Accord. It’s an embarrassment that we are the only nation on Earth not to sign the framework deal which aims to reduce carbon emissions. The Trump Administration’s disregard for basic science is putting America last on the global stage. Protect our natural resources. Climate Change and the greed of Big Oil are decimating our remaining natural wonders and seashores. I will vote against further Republican-led attempts to ruin our National Parks, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and offshore areas. Incentivize renewable technologies. The future of American energy is in renewable technologies and manufacturing. If smart tax policies incentivize companies to bring renewable projects to places like the 7th Congressional District, with it will come high-paying, quality jobs, that can put us at the forefront of an emerging global market. Pass the FRAC Act. Oil companies continue to hide the harmful chemical contents used when fracking for natural gas. The public deserves to know what could potentially end up in their drinking water. In Congress, I will follow Sen. Casey’s lead and vote to demand they release this information to the public. Ban fracking on public lands. The effects of fracking continue to mount — from wastewater spills and air quality concerns to earthquakes where none previously existed. And the public continues to pay the price for the greed of Big Oil. I will vote to oppose any fracking on public lands. Demand equity in our environmental policies. Minority and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by the locations of superfund and waste sites. Flint, Michigan is just one example. This leads to poorer health and wellness outcomes. This is unjust and I will demand equity in future projects. Education Fighting For Families means valuing education for every teacher and every student, no matter which zip code you live in. The following are some details on how I’d like to see us reach that goal: Put us on a path toward universal preschool education. When we talk about education, the conversation often focuses on K through 12. This is something I’d like to change, because we now have hard data telling us how critical education and nutrition in the first few years of life are for human development. I will fight to put us on a path toward universal preschool education for all 3 and 4 year olds. Make college debt free. Congress needs to treat student loan debt as a threat to the country’s future prosperity. The more than $1.3 trillion currently owed by young Americans is hamstringing an entire generation — depressing entrepreneurship, preventing investments like home ownership, and hurting our economy. Debt-free college can be achieved by increasing federal aid to states, assisting students with high costs, and holding colleges and universities accountable for skyrocketing tuition costs and fees. I will also fight against Republicans’ attempts to cut funding for federal Pell grants, which decrease the need for loans. Pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act. This bill, which Congress should also pass immediately, would require school districts to adopt codes of conduct that prohibit bullying and harassment of students. Keep public tax dollars in public schools. The Republican myth that “school choice” will be the tide that lifts all boats is much like the Republican myth that tax cuts for the wealthy will “trickle down” to the middle and lower class. Tax revenue should be invested in our public schools — especially those that are struggling. Empower teachers and put an end to endless testing. We should take steps to ensure teachers have autonomy in the classroom and aren’t constrained to teaching to arbitrary, high-stakes tests. Inspire young women in STEM. Women hold fewer than 35 percent of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics jobs in America. Closing this gender disparity should be a goal at every level of government, and I will work to ensure federal tax dollars devoted to STEM education do so equitably among young men and women. Supporting Our Veterans In the United States, those who’ve put themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Americans should never be without the care and support they need. Here’s my plan: Work with the VA. The onus is on Congress to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs to succeed in delivering easy access to high-quality medical treatment and mental health care. Protect the G.I Bill. Congress must ensure the G.I. Bill — and the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which guarantees that all post-9/11 veterans have an opportunity to earn a college education — is continually appropriated the resources it needs to fund its goals. Support military families. I know first hand the tremendous sacrifices made by the loved ones of those in uniform. In Congress I will support military spouses and children in their pursuit of education and jobs. [73] |
” |
| —Susan Wild’s campaign website (2018)[63] | ||
Media coverage
- Bill White The Morning Call (April 7, 2018): "Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli always has struck me as the kind of Democrat who fits this district well. Like Dent, he's seen as a centrist, albeit one who is left of center rather than right of center. Any other year, Morganelli would be seen as the strongest Democratic candidate for this seat since Paul McHale, another moderate. This year? I wonder if he can get out of the primary.
- I've written a lot about the impact I think women will have on this election, and former Allentown solicitor Susan Wild has been getting a lot of attention from the Democratic women who have come together in the wake of Trump's election. Her views put her well to the left of Morganelli, who is being labeled a DINO by some progressives because of his harder line on immigration and some other issues, although he's in line with the party in most of his views. For that matter, Morganelli probably is to the right of the other candidates, who include Allentown pastor Greg Edwards; Easton City Councilman and Lafayette College engineering professor Roger Ruggles; Rick Daugherty, executive director of Lehigh Valley Active Life in Allentown and twice a Dent opponent; and David Clark, a Catasauqua resident who ran for Congress in 1992.
- I've been disappointed to see the way people in both parties seem determined to criticize candidates who hold more moderate views. Legislators who are just left and right of center have become a rare breed in Washington. Think about it. I watched Dent being labeled a traitor at a pro-Trump rally that called on conservatives to punish the few Republicans in Congress who had the temerity to oppose the president. And I've seen Democrats refuse to support members of their party whose positions aren't ideologically pure enough, even in very red states where being too progressive would ensure electoral defeat. It's amazingly self-destructive. The irony is that those alleged RINOS or DINOS probably agree with them on the vast majority of issues. Dent voted with the rest of the Republicans almost all the time, even if Donald Trump did say he was "destroying the Republican party." He just was willing to talk to the other side, resisted really bad ideas and had no patience for game-playing that made it impossible to govern."[76]
Republican district won by Hillary Clinton
This district was one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House districts that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election.[77] Nearly all were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2018.
Click on the table below to see the full list of districts.
Click here to see the 13 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won.
Race ratings
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+1, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage point more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District the 194th most Democratic nationally.[82]
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 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[83]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Pennsylvania heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats and Republicans each held one U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
- Republicans held 12 of 17 U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania.
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
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. They had a 120-79 majority in the state House and a 33-16 majority in the state Senate.
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:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- 18 U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- 25 of 50 state Senate seats
- 203 state House seats
Demographics
| Demographic data for Pennsylvania | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 12,791,904 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 44,743 | 3,531,905 |
| 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).[84][85]
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 |  Donald Trump |
48.6% | Hillary Clinton |
47.9% | 0.7% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
52.1% | Mitt Romney |
46.7% | 5.4% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
54.7% | John McCain |
44.3% | 10.4% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
51.0% | George Bush |
48.5% | 2.5% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
50.6% | 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 | Patrick Toomey |
48.8% | Katie McGinty |
47.3% | 1.5% |
| 2012 | Bob Casey |
53.7% | Tom Smith |
44.6% | 9.1% |
| 2010 | Patrick Toomey |
51.0% | Joe Sestak |
49.0% | 2.0% |
| 2006 | Bob Casey |
58.7% | Rick Santorum |
41.3% | 17.4% |
| 2004 | Arlen Specter |
52.6% | Joseph Hoeffel |
42.0% | 10.6% |
| 2000 | Rick Santorum |
52.4% | 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 | Tom Wolf |
54.9% | Thomas Corbett |
45.1% | 9.8% |
| 2010 | Thomas Corbett |
54.5% | Dan Onorato |
45.5% | 9.0% |
| 2006 | Ed Rendell |
60.4% | Lynn Swann |
39.6% | 20.8% |
| 2002 | Ed Rendell |
53.4% | 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 | 13 |
72.2% | 5 |
27.8% | R+8 |
| 2014 | 13 |
72.2% | 5 |
27.8% | R+8 |
| 2012 | 13 |
72.2% | 5 |
27.8% | R+8 |
| 2010 | 12 |
63.2% | 7 |
36.8% | R+5 |
| 2008 | 7 |
36.8% | 12 |
63.2% | D+5 |
| 2006 | 8 |
42.1% | 11 |
57.9% | D+3 |
| 2004 | 12 |
63.2% | 7 |
36.8% | R+5 |
| 2002 | 12 |
63.2% | 7 |
36.8% | R+5 |
| 2000 | 11 |
52.4% | 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
- United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2018
- United States House elections in Pennsylvania (May 15, 2018 Democratic primaries)
- Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District election (May 15, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Washington Post, "Democratic group faces backlash after intervening in crowded House primaries," March 2, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Under swingy Pennsylvania's new map, Trump won 10 districts and Clinton 8. The old split: 12-6 Trump," February 19, 2018
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Moderate GOP voice Rep. Charlie Dent to resign from Congress in May," April 17, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Refers to the old district that makes up a plurality of the new district.
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ District 13 incumbent Brendan Boyle (D) filed for re-election in the new 2nd District.
- ↑ District 17 incumbent Matt Cartwright (D) filed for re-election in the new 8th District.
- ↑ Lamb was elected in a March 2018 special election to replace Rep. Tim Murphy (R).
- ↑ Lamb filed to run for PA-17 in the 2018 election.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 FEC, "Committee: UNITED TOGETHER," May 10, 2018
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Washington Post, "In Pennsylvania race, it’s Tom Steyer’s money vs. Bud Selig’s money," May 3, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Morning Call, "DA John Morganelli joins crowded race for Charlie Dent's seat," January 8, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Trump to campaign with Luther Strange in Alabama, but new poll has Roy Moore ahead," September 19, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lehigh Valley Live, "Prosecutor tweets at Trump hoping for an audience with The Donald," December 2, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 The Intercept, "PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY PITS A ONE-TIME TRUMP DEMOCRAT AGAINST BERNIE SANDERS AND EMILY’S LIST," May 4, 2018
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedemily - ↑ Morning Call, "Federal prosecutor from Ed Pawlowski case endorses Democrat Susan Wild for Congress in PA-7," March 15, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "See how they run: Six Democrats compete to replace U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent," April 27, 2018
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Roll Call, "Democratic Divide Flares in Pennsylvania’s 7th District," April 17, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Why you should be skeptical that a progressive primary victor can't win in Nebraska," May 17, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "How Susan Wild went from a relative unknown to PA-7 primary winner," May 16, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Bernie Sanders adding his voice to Lehigh Valley congressional race," April 30, 2018
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Morning Call, "Emily's List invests in Wild's run for Congress," April 26, 2018
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Tom Steyer Is Going To Hold Debates In Democratic Primaries Across The Country," March 28, 2018
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namededwardsmoney - ↑ 26.0 26.1 Morning Call, "Here's how much money was raised in the race to replace retiring Congressman Dent," April 15, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission", accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "How much is being spent to win Rep. Charlie Dent's seat?" May 9, 2018
- ↑ ProPublica, "Pennsylvania’s 7th District House Race - 2018 cycle," accessed May 14, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsusanwild - ↑ 31.0 31.1 Morning Call, "Morganelli gets nod from ex-Philadelphia DA," May 12, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Here's who former Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed for Congress," May 11, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Greg Edwards gets nod from several Allentown school board members in PA-7 race," May 7, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Clinton ally Lanny Davis endorses John Morganelli for Congress in PA-7," May 6, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Here's Bernie Sanders' pick in PA-7 race," April 29, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Whose corner is Larry Holmes in for the PA-7 congressional race?" April 23, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call,"Wake-up Call: John Morganelli’s immigration stance put to legal test amid congressional race," April 9, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez endorses John Morganelli in PA-7 congressional race," April 2, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Wake-up Call: Ryan Costello won't seek re-election, opening another Pa. congressional seat," March 26, 2018
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Morning Call, "Wake-up Call: 94 Pennsylvanians are seeking 18 U.S. House seats," Morning Call, "Wake-up Call: 94 Pennsylvanians are seeking 18 U.S. House seats," March 21, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Federal prosecutor from Ed Pawlowski case endorses Democrat Susan Wild for Congress in PA-7," March 15, 2018
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 42.5 42.6 42.7 42.8 42.9 Morning Call, "More endorsements roll in for Democrats seeking to represent Lehigh Valley in Congress," March 9, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Democrat Bill Leiner exits PA-7 congressional race, endorses Susan Wild," March 1, 2018
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Susan Wild for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed April 26, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Former Lehigh Co. executive backs Susan Wild in PA-15 race," February 6, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedENDORSE2 - ↑ Greg Edwards for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Morning Call, "SEIU State Council backs Democrat Greg Edwards in PA-7 race," March 7, 2018
- ↑ Roll Call, "Crowded Fields Complicate Progressive Caucus Endorsements," May 3, 2018
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 Morning Call, "PA-7 roundup: 'trickery,' 'lies and falsehoods,'" May 11, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Lehigh Valley for All endorses Wild for Congress," May 3, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Allentown fire union endorses Morganelli for Congress," April 29, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Congressional Progressive Caucus endorses Edwards," April 25, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Monroe County Young Democrats endorses Greg Edwards for Congress," April 23, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Emily's List endorses Democrat Susan Wild in PA-7 congressional race," March 20, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Common Defense endorses Edwards for Congress," February 7, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedENDORSE1 - ↑ NARAL Pro-Choice America, "Endorsements," accessed May 14, 2018
- ↑ Justice Democrats, "CANDIDATES," accessed March 27, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPCCC - ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "'Resistance warriors' gather as Dems debate midterm strategy," April 11, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Republican Pat Toomey joined by Democrat John Morganelli on sanctuary issue," October 3, 2016
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 Susan Wild for Congress, "Principles," accessed March 29, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "Which Democrat fired the first shot in the crowded race to replace Rep. Charlie Dent?," April 24, 2018
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 CNN, "Democratic House candidate in Pennsylvania deletes tweets blasting progressives, praising Trump," May 11, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "AD WATCH: 'John Morganelli's Conservative Record'," May 10, 2018
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Texas poised to elect its first-ever two Latina House members," March 7, 2018
- ↑ Politico, "Pennsylvania primaries key in Democrats' drive for House majority," May 14, 2018
- ↑ Huffington Post, "A Pennsylvania House Race Embodies The Fight For The Future Of The Democratic Party," May 11, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "AD WATCH: 'Allentown Cover-up,'" May 10, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call, "John Morganelli takes campaign for Congress in PA-7 to TV," April 27, 2018
- ↑ Penn Live, "'Stop Morganelli,' Tom Steyer-backed group goes negative in Lehigh Valley race," May 3, 2018
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 73.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Greg Edwards’ campaign website, “Issues,” accessed March 29, 2018
- ↑ John Morganelli for Congress, “Issues,” accessed March 29, 2018
- ↑ Morning Call,"Big changes in Lehigh Valley congressional politics," April 7, 2018
- ↑ This figure includes Pennsylvania districts that were redrawn by the state Supreme Court in early 2018 and districts that flipped in special elections.
- ↑ The new 1st district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 8th District held by Fitzpatrick. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 5th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 7th District held by Meehan. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 6th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 6th District held by Costello. Click here to read more.
- ↑ The new 7th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 15th District held by Dent. Click here to read more.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Pennsylvania," accessed January 3, 2018
- ↑ Pennsylvania Demographics, "Pennsylvania Cities by Population," accessed January 3, 2018
