Democrat Conor Lamb won the special election for Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District against Republican Rick Saccone on March 13, 2018, by less than half a point.[1] The race was too close to call immediately following the election, and Saccone conceded to Lamb on March 21.[2]
The special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the departure of incumbent Tim Murphy (R). Murphy announced his resignation in October 2017 following reports that he encouraged a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair to have an abortion.[3] Lamb, Saccone, and Libertarian candidate Drew Miller competed for the seat.
For an overview of the race, click here.
Campaign advertisements
Support
Scroll right to view additional ads.
| "Bio" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released January 18, 2018
|
|
| "No Doubt" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released January 22, 2018
|
|
| "Conor Lamb for Congress Video" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released January 25, 2018
|
|
| "Entitlements" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released February 7, 2018
|
|
| "Hickton" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released February 20, 2018
|
|
| "Your Lives" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released February 23, 2018
|
|
| "Testimonials" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released March 2, 2018
|
|
| "Service" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released March 4, 2018
|
|
| "Honor" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released March 6, 2018
|
|
| "Grassroots" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released March 7, 2018
|
|
|
Oppose
Scroll right to view additional ads.
| "Nancy Had a Little Lamb" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released January 25, 2018
|
|
| "Follow" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released January 30, 2018
|
|
| "Out of Touch" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released February 6, 2018
|
|
| "Too Liberal" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released February 9, 2018
|
|
| "Service" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released February 21, 2018
|
|
| "Mary Beth" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released February 21, 2018
|
|
| "Profit From Pain" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released February 28, 2018
|
|
| "Sanctuary Cities" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released February 28, 2018
|
|
|
Support
Scroll right to view additional ads.
| "Proven" - Ending Spending Inc. ad, released January 3, 2018
|
|
| "Better" - 45Committee ad, released January 17, 2018
|
|
| "Built American Tough" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released January 30, 2018
|
|
| "Flock" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released January 31, 2018
|
|
| "People ahead of politics. Period" - Rick Saccone campaign ad, released February 1, 2018
|
|
| "Changing Lives" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released February 6, 2018
|
|
|
Oppose
Scroll right to view additional ads.
| "Wiped Out" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released February 9, 2018
|
|
| "Hypocrisy" - Conor Lamb campaign ad, released February 9, 2018
|
|
| "Clean House" - End Citizens United ad, released February 21, 2018
|
|
| "Promotion" - Patriot Majority ad, released February 27, 2018
|
|
| "Look Closely" - VoteVets ad, released March 5, 2018
|
|
|
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 |
|---|
| | 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).[4][5]
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.
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.
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.
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
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official Returns," accessed May 24, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Saccone concedes Pennsylvania House special election to Lamb," March 21, 2018
- ↑ The New York Times, "Conservative Pennsylvania congressman resigns amid abortion scandal," October 5, 2017
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Pennsylvania," accessed January 3, 2018
- ↑ Pennsylvania Demographics, "Pennsylvania Cities by Population," accessed January 3, 2018
Senators
Representatives
Republican Party (11)
Democratic Party (8)
