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United States Senate election in Pennsylvania (May 15, 2018 Republican primary)

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U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania
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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
Pre-election incumbent:
Bob Casey, Jr. (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania
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

This page focuses on the Republican primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta won the primary. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R), U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) and all Republican members of Pennsylvania's U.S. House delegation.[1][2][3]

With real estate developer Jeff Bartos leaving the race to run for lieutenant governor, state Rep. Jim Christiana (R) challenged Barletta. Christiana received endorsements from leaders in the state legislature, and argued that he was the only candidate who could defeat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D) in the general election.[4]

Trump won the state in the 2016 presidential election. He was the first Republican to win Pennsylvania since George H.W. Bush in 1988.


Pennsylvania voter? Here's what you need to know.
Primary electionMay 15, 2018
Candidate filing deadlineMarch 20, 2018
Registration deadlineApril 16, 2018
Absentee application deadlineMay 8, 2018
General electionNovember 6, 2018
Voting information
Primary typeClosed
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:


Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

Lou Barletta defeated Jim Christiana in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania on May 15, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lou Barletta
Lou Barletta Candidate Connection
 
63.0
 
433,312
Image of Jim Christiana
Jim Christiana
 
37.0
 
254,118

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

Total votes: 687,430
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign contributions

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly October 2017 reports. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of September 30, 2017.[5]

Republican Party Republicans



Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary
Poll Lou Barletta (R) OthersUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Bellwether Research & Consulting
September 20-24, 2017		 22%18%60%+/-4.0600
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


How did the candidates differ?

Electability

After a January 2018 CNN report said that Barletta had previously associated with persons or organizations that advocated for white supremacy or questioned whether the Holocaust occurred, Jim Christiana attempted to portray himself as the most electable candidate for the general election against Bob Casey (D).

Christiana said, "Sen. Casey and the national media have a library full of these statements, acquaintances and relationships from Lou Barletta’s past that are ultimately going to surface if Lou Barletta is the nominee. They’d provide a great distraction from Bob Casey’s record in the United States Senate."

In response to the CNN report, Barletta spokesman Jon Anzur said, “Lou Barletta has always stood up for racial equality and continues to condemn hate, bigotry and racism in all its forms.”[4]

Endorsements

Lou Barletta

  • The entire Republican congressional delegation from Pennsylvania endorsed Barletta in November 2017:[7]
  • On January 16, 2018, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) endorsed Lou Barletta's candidacy.[1]
  • CatholicVote.org also endorsed Barletta on January 16.[8]
  • The Pennsylvania Republican Party endorsed Barletta on February 10, 2018.[9]
  • On February 11, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) tweeted, "Rep. Lou Barletta, a Great Republican from Pennsylvania who was one of my very earliest supporters, will make a FANTASTIC Senator. He is strong & smart, loves Pennsylvania & loves our Country! Voted for Tax Cuts, unlike Bob Casey, who listened to Tax Hikers Pelosi and Schumer!"[10]

Jim Christiana

  • On December 25, 2017, Trib Live reported that Jim Christiana had received the endorsements of state House Speaker Mike Turzai (R), state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R), and state House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R).[11]

Campaign strategies and tactics

Jan. 26 Washington Examiner report

The Washington Examiner reported on January 26, 2018, that Pennsylvania Republicans, including Jim Christiana supporters state Rep. Mark Mustio (R) and state Rep. John Taylor (R), were frustrated with Barletta's campaign due to its low fundraising (about $550,000 according to the article) and the candidate's focus on cultural issues like immigration.

The article quoted one anonymous Republican operative as saying, “He’s looked at this thing pretty naively. Lou’s is not known as the hardest worker in the world and has never been a prolific fundraiser. He thought that simply by branding himself with Trump, it would mean tons of cash. That’s not been the case,”[12]

Noteworthy events

January 2018 CNN report on Barletta

On January 25, 2018, CNN reported that Lou Barletta had accepted multiple interviews and speaking requests from organizations it said were associated with antisemitism and white supremacy or that questioned whether the Holocaust occurred. The report said that Barletta attended the events or gave the interviews both when he was the mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, where he gained national attention due to his support for measures restricting the activities of persons living in the country without legal permission, and as a member of the U.S. House after he was elected in 2010.

The report mentioned the following organizations or persons that Barletta allegedly associated with: Youth for Western Civilization, American Free Press, Paul Topete of the band Poker Face, Americans for Immigration Control, and The Social Contract.

In response, Barletta spokesman Jon Anzur said, “Lou Barletta has always stood up for racial equality and continues to condemn hate, bigotry and racism in all its forms.” He also said Barletta was not aware of the backgrounds of many of the organizations or persons to whom he gave interviews as mayor due to the low number of staffers in his office. He also pointed to a case in 2007 where Barletta did not allow the Ku Klux Klan to have a rally in Hazelton in support of his immigration policies and an example in 2008 where he disavowed Klan leader David Duke's support for his unsuccessful 2008 U.S. House campaign.[13]

Bartos withdrawal

Real estate developer Jeff Bartos withdrew from the race on November 9, 2017, in order to run for lieutenant governor on state Sen. Scott Wagner's (R) gubernatorial ticket. Before withdrawing, Bartos raised more than $1 million in the race and ran several campaign ads. He was considered a top challenger to frontrunner Lou Barletta.[14][15]

Timeline

The timeline below summarizes noteworthy events in this election.

Race ratings

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

State overview

Partisan control

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

Congressional delegation

State executives

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

State legislature

Trifecta status

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

2018 elections

See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2018

Pennsylvania held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Pennsylvania
 PennsylvaniaU.S.
Total population:12,791,904316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):44,7433,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:81.6%73.6%
Black/African American:11%12.6%
Asian:3.1%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.2%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,599$53,889
Persons below poverty level:15.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2017, Pennsylvania had a population of approximately 12,800,000 people, with its three largest cities being Philadelphia (pop. est. 1.6 million), Pittsburgh (pop. est. 300,000), and Allentown (pop. est. 120,000).[16][17]

State election history

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

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

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

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

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

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

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

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

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

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

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

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

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

Trifectas, 1992-2017

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

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D _


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Morning Call, "Pat Toomey endorses Lou Barletta in Pa. Senate race," January 16, 2018
  2. ↑ Politico, "The 10 must-watch candidates of 2018," January 1, 2018
  3. ↑ The Times Tribune, "Barletta endorsed by President Trump," February 12, 2018
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Times, "Christiana claims a ‘library full’ of allegation await Barletta after report tying him to Holocaust deniers," January 27, 2018
  5. ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission," accessed November 5, 2017
  6. ↑ PoliticsPA, "Barletta Rolls Out Endorsements for Senate Bid," October 19, 2017
  7. ↑ PoliticsPA, "Entire GOP Delegation Backs Barletta," November 16, 2017
  8. ↑ Standard Speaker, "Toomey, CatholicVote.org back Barletta for Senate," January 21, 2018
  9. ↑ Lehigh Valley Live, "Pennsylvania GOP endorses candidates identified with Trump," February 10, 2018
  10. ↑ Twitter, "Donald Trump," February 11, 2018
  11. ↑ Trib Live, "How heavy-duty GOP endorsements might shape 2018 Pa. Senate race," December 25, 2017
  12. ↑ Washington Examiner, "Pennsylvania Republicans vent frustration with Lou Barletta's Senate campaign," January 26, 2018
  13. ↑ CNN, "GOP Senate candidate Lou Barletta did interview in 2006 with Holocaust-denying publication," January 25, 2018
  14. ↑ Philly.com, "In shake-up, Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate to run for Lt. Gov., join Wagner ticket," November 8, 2017
  15. ↑ Central Penn Business Journal, "Conservative businessman Jeff Bartos joining Scott Wagner's gubernatorial ticket," November 9, 2017
  16. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Pennsylvania," accessed January 3, 2018
  17. ↑ Pennsylvania Demographics, "Pennsylvania Cities by Population," accessed January 3, 2018


Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
John Fetterman (D)
David McCormick (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Republican Party (11)
Democratic Party (8)


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