Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 is represented by Kristin Marcell (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Pennsylvania state representatives represented an average of 64,098 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 62,734 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Pennsylvania legislators assume office on the first day of December after a general election.[1]
Qualifications
Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution states:[2]
| “ | Senators shall be at least 25 years of age and Representatives 21 years of age. They shall have been citizens and inhabitants of the State four years, and inhabitants of their respective districts one year next before their election (unless absent on the public business of the United States or of this State), and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service.[3] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $106,422.33/year | $185/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution on when a special election can be held.[5]
See sources: Pennsylvania Cons. Art. II, §2
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On February 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 to approve new state House and Senate maps.[6] House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) voted no, while Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R), state Rep. Joanna McClinton (D), state Sen. Jay Costa (D), and chairman Mark Nordenberg voted yes.[6] These maps took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Pennsylvania work? In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. These lines are subject to gubernatorial veto.[7]
State legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission. Established in 1968, the commission comprises five members:[7]
- The majority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
- The minority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
- The majority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
- The minority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
- The first four commissioners appoint a fifth member to serve as the commission's chair. If the commission is unable to reach an agreement, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must appoint a commission chair.[7]
The Pennsylvania Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Further, state legislative districts should "respect county, city, incorporated town, borough, township and ward boundaries." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[7]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
until November 30, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
starting December 1, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Incumbent Kristin Marcell defeated Paul Lang Jr. in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kristin Marcell (R) | 61.2 | 26,864 |
| Paul Lang Jr. (D) | 38.6 | 16,939 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 74 | ||
| Total votes: 43,877 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Emma Rosenthal (D)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Emma Rosenthal advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Emma Rosenthal | 99.2 | 5,679 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 45 | ||
| Total votes: 5,724 | |||
| = 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 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Incumbent Kristin Marcell advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristin Marcell | 99.1 | 7,729 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 69 | ||
| Total votes: 7,798 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Kristin Marcell defeated Ilya Breyman in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristin Marcell (R) | 56.6 | 20,075 |
 | Ilya Breyman (D) | 43.4 | 15,410 | |
| Total votes: 35,485 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brittany Kosin (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Ilya Breyman advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ilya Breyman | 99.6 | 6,724 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 30 | ||
| Total votes: 6,754 | |||
| = 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 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Kristin Marcell advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristin Marcell | 98.8 | 9,178 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 114 | ||
| Total votes: 9,292 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brittany Kosin (R)
2020
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Incumbent Wendi Thomas defeated Ann Marie Mitchell in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Wendi Thomas (R) | 55.4 | 24,787 |
 | Ann Marie Mitchell (D) | 44.6 | 19,927 | |
| Total votes: 44,714 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Ann Marie Mitchell advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ann Marie Mitchell | 100.0 | 8,566 |
| Total votes: 8,566 | |||
| = 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 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Incumbent Wendi Thomas advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wendi Thomas | 100.0 | 7,436 |
| Total votes: 7,436 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
Regular election
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Wendi Thomas defeated incumbent Helen Tai in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wendi Thomas (R) | 50.8 | 17,608 |
 | Helen Tai (D) | 49.2 | 17,036 | |
| Total votes: 34,644 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Incumbent Helen Tai advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Tai | 100.0 | 6,269 |
| Total votes: 6,269 | |||
| = 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 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178
Wendi Thomas advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wendi Thomas | 100.0 | 6,649 |
| Total votes: 6,649 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Special election
A special election for the position of Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 was held on May 15, 2018. Candidates running for special elections in Pennsylvania are selected by their respective political parties.[8]
The seat was left vacant after the resignation of Scott Petri (R) on December 31, 2017. Petri resigned from the state House after being appointed to the position of executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority.[9]
Helen Tai (D) defeated Wendi Thomas (R) in the special election.[10]
2016
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on April 26, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016.
Incumbent Scott Petri defeated Neale Dougherty in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 general election.[11][12]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Scott Petri Incumbent |
61.07% | 23,567 | |
| Democratic | Neale Dougherty | 38.93% | 15,021 | |
| Total Votes | 38,588 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Neale Dougherty ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 Democratic primary.[13][14]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 178 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Neale Dougherty (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Scott Petri ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 Republican primary.[13][14]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 178 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Scott Petri Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Incumbent Scott Petri was unopposed in the Republican primary. Petri was unchallenged in the general election.[15][16][17]
2012
Elections for the office of Pennsylvania House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on April 24, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 16, 2012. Incumbent Scott Petri (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.[18][19]
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 raised a total of $6,076,982. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $233,730 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $254,720 | 3 | $84,907 |
| 2022 | $527,247 | 2 | $263,623 |
| 2020 | $2,211,530 | 2 | $1,105,765 |
| 2018 | $1,016,670 | 1 | $1,016,670 |
| 2016 | $314,373 | 2 | $157,187 |
| 2014 | $60,185 | 1 | $60,185 |
| 2012 | $76,100 | 1 | $76,100 |
| 2010 | $77,374 | 2 | $38,687 |
| 2008 | $447,704 | 2 | $223,852 |
| 2006 | $143,442 | 3 | $47,814 |
| 2004 | $144,080 | 2 | $72,040 |
| 2002 | $607,997 | 2 | $303,999 |
| 2000 | $195,559 | 3 | $65,186 |
| Total | $6,076,982 | 26 | $233,730 |
See also
- Pennsylvania State Legislature
- Pennsylvania State Senate
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Constitution, "Article II, Section 2," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ The Constitution of Pennsylvania, "Article II, Section 5: Qualifications of members," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution," accessed February 15, 2021 (Article II, Section 2)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddr - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 All About Redistricting, "Pennsylvania," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑ The Morning Call, "Special elections set for two Pennsylvania state House seats," January 8, 2018
- ↑ Buck County Courier Times, "Scott Petri leaving Harrisburg to head Philadelphia Parking Authority," December 18, 2017
- ↑ Politics PA, "Parties Trade State House Special Election Wins," May 16, 2018
- ↑ Pennsylvania Voter Services, "Candidate listing," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "November 8, 2016, official election results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Pennsylvania Secretary of State, "Election Information," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Presidential Primary," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official primary results for May 20, 2014," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 Official Candidate Listing," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 General Election," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ "Pennsylvania Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
- ↑ "Pennsylvania Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
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