2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections, including the Governor of Pennsylvania and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. This was the highest Republican turnout in modern elections.

Overview

Statewide

District

Results of the 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania by district:

District 1

The 1st district includes central and South Philadelphia, the City of Chester, the Philadelphia International Airport and other small sections of Delaware County. The incumbent was Democrat Bob Brady, who had represented the district since 1998. He was re-elected with 85% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D 28.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Bob Brady, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Megan Rath, medical-equipment saleswoman

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 2

The 2nd district includes parts of West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia and Northwest Philadelphia in addition to Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County. The incumbent was Democrat Chaka Fattah, who had represented the district since 1995. He was re-elected with 89% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D 38.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Chaka Fattah, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Armond James, schoolteacher

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 3

The 3rd district is located in Northwestern Pennsylvania and includes the cities of Erie, Sharon, Hermitage, Butler and Meadville. The incumbent was Republican Mike Kelly, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 55% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 8.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Mike Kelly, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Dan LaVallee, former deputy director in the America's Health Insurance Plans's product policy department

Withdrawn

Rob Joswiak, Air Force veteran
Matt Ryan, veteran

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 4

The 4th district is located in South Central Pennsylvania and includes all of Adams and York counties and parts of Cumberland County. The incumbent was Republican Scott Perry, who had represented the district since 2013. He was elected with 60% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 9.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Scott Perry, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Linda D. Thompson, former Mayor of Harrisburg

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 5

The 5th district, the state's largest and most sparsely populated, is located in North Central Pennsylvania and includes all of Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Huntingdon, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties and parts of Clearfield, Crawford, Erie, Tioga, Warren and Venango counties. The incumbent was Republican Glenn Thompson, who had represented the district since 2009. He was re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 8.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Glenn Thompson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Kerith Strano Taylor, family law attorney

Eliminated in primary

Thomas Tarantella, U.S. Army veteran

Declined

Jay Paterno, former assistant football coach at Penn State and the son of former head coach Joe Paterno (running for Lieutenant Governor)

Endorsements

Results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 6

The 6th district includes communities north and west of the City of Philadelphia. The incumbent was Republican Jim Gerlach, who had represented the district since 2003. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 2. Gerlach was retiring.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Ryan Costello, chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners

Declined

Patrick Collins, biotech executive
Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Chester County Republican Party
Jim Gerlach, incumbent U.S. Representative
Harry Lewis, former chair of the Brandywine Health Foundation
John Rafferty, Jr., state senator (running for re-election)
Sam Rohrer, former state representative, candidate for governor in 2010 and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012

Results

Democratic primary

Despite landing their top recruit in businessman and West Point graduate Mike Parrish, national Democrats were left disappointed when he quit the race on 18 March, stating, "I have come to realize that an expensive and contentious Democratic primary fight would seriously risk our party's ability to win this seat in November to accomplish our goals". He had previously received criticism for only switching party affiliation to Democrat in late 2013, having been a registered Republican all his adult life.

Candidates

Nominee

Manan Trivedi, physician and nominee for the district in 2010 and 2012

Withdrawn

Mike Parrish, businessman and retired US Army colonel

Declined

Chris Casey, attorney and brother of Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
Kathi Cozzone, member of the Chester County Board of Commissioners
Andy Dinniman, state senator
Phil LaRue, spokesman for the New Democrat Coalition
Daylin Leach, state senator (ran in the 13th district)
Josh Maxwell, Mayor of Downingtown
Katie McGinty, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and former Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (ran for governor)
Leslie Richards, Montgomery County commissioner
Mark Rozzi, state representative
Judy Schwank, state senator
Josh Young, Caln Township commissioner

Endorsements

Results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

General election

Results

District 7

The 7th district is located in the Philadelphia suburbs, including most of Delaware County along with portions of Chester, Montgomery, Berks and Lancaster counties. The incumbent was Republican Pat Meehan, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 59% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 2.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Pat Meehan, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Mary Ellen Balchunis, political science professor at La Salle University

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 8

The 8th district is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania and includes Bucks County, along with portions of Montgomery County. The incumbent was Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, who had represented the district since 2011, and previously represented it from 2005 to 2007. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 1.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Mike Fitzpatrick, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Kevin Strouse, United States Army Ranger

Eliminated in primary

Shaughnessy Naughton, research scientist and business owner

Declined

Kathy Boockvar, attorney, nominee for Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in 2011 and nominee for this seat in 2012

Endorsements

Results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 9

The 9th district is located in South Central Pennsylvania and includes Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Somerset, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties. The incumbent was Republican Bill Shuster, who had represented the district since 2001. He was re-elected with 62% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 10.

Republican primary

Shuster, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, anticipated a primary challenge from Republicans unhappy with his support for earmarks that bring costly projects to the district.

Candidates

Nominee

Bill Shuster, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

Art Halvorson, businessman and Coast Guard veteran
Travis Schooley, businessman and disqualified candidate for this seat in 2012

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Alanna Hartzok, Mental health professional, author, environmental activist and co-founder of the Earth Rights Institute

Results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 10

The 10th district is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and includes Monroe, Pike, Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga, Sullivan, Lycoming, Union, Columbia, Snyder, Mifflin, Juniata and Perry counties. The incumbent was Republican Tom Marino, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 12.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Tom Marino, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

Doug McLinko, Bradford County Commissioner

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Scott Brion, businessman and energy industry executive

Withdrawn

Adam Rodriguez, former carpenter

Primary results

Independents

Nick Troiano, a James Madison Fellow with the non-profit Millennial Action Project, was run as an Independent.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 11

The 11th district is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and includes Wyoming, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Northumberland, Dauphin, Perry and Cumberland counties. The incumbent was Republican Lou Barletta, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 59% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 6.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Lou Barletta, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Andrew Ostrowski, civil rights attorney and former Susquehanna Township attorney

Declined

Chris Carney, former U.S. Representative
Gene Stilp, political activist and nominee for this seat in 2012 (running for State Representative)

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 12

The 12th district is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania and includes all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny, Cambria, Lawrence, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. The incumbent was Republican Keith Rothfus, who had represented the district since 2013. He was elected with 52% of the vote in 2012, defeating Democratic incumbent Mark Critz. The district has a PVI of R 9.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Keith Rothfus, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Erin McClelland, psychologist and businesswoman

Eliminated in primary

John Hugya, former Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative John Murtha

Declined

Mark Critz, former U.S. Representative (running for lieutenant governor)

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 13

The 13th district is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. The incumbent was Democrat Allyson Schwartz, who had represented the district since 2005. She was re-elected with 69% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D 13.

Schwartz did not run for re-election. She instead ran for Governor of Pennsylvania.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Brendan F. Boyle, state representative

Eliminated in primary

Val Arkoosh, physician and Democratic activist
Daylin Leach, state senator
Marjorie Margolies, former U.S. Representative

Withdrawn

Mark B. Cohen, state representative
Jonathan Saidel, former Philadelphia City Controller

Declined

Bill Green, Philadelphia City Councilman
Mark Levy, Montgomery County Prothonotary (endorsed Brendan Boyle)
Ed Neilson, state representative
Leslie Richards, Montgomery County commissioner (endorsed Marjorie Margolies)
John Sabatina, state representative
Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners
Jared Solomon, attorney
Michael J. Stack III, state senator (ran for lieutenant governor)
LeAnna Washington, state senator (endorsed Marjorie Margolies)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Carson "Dee" Adcock, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2010

Eliminated in primary

Beverly Plosa-Bowser, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel

Withdrawn

John Fritz, businessman and Northeast Philadelphia Republican Party Committeeman
Clay McQueen, security consultant and systems specialist
Everett Stern, businessman and whistleblower

Declined

Marina Kats, attorney and nominee for this seat in 2008
Joshua Quinter, attorney

Results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 14

The 14th district includes the entire city of Pittsburgh and parts of surrounding suburbs. The incumbent was Democrat Michael F. Doyle, who had represented the district since 2003, and previously represented the 18th district from 1995 to 2003. He was re-elected with 77% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D 15.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Michael F. Doyle, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

Janis C. Brooks, pastor, CEO/founder of Citizens to Abolish Domestic Apartheid and candidate for this seat in 2012

Results

Republican primary

Ken Peoples, the chairman of the White Oak Republican Committee, had declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination, but was removed from the ballot for collecting insufficient ballot petition signatures. He subsequently ran a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination in the State House's 35th Legislative District. Bob Howard, a former candidate for Allegheny County Controller in 2011, ran a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination. Howard would need 1,000 certified write-in votes to be nominated. At least 1,498 Republican write-in votes were recorded in the district, but certifying them would take several weeks.

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 15

The 15th district is located in Eastern Pennsylvania and includes Lehigh County and parts of Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon and Northampton counties. The incumbent was Republican Charlie Dent, who had represented the district since 2005. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 2.

Dent was unopposed in the Republican primary and did not face a Democratic opponent in the general election, as none filed before the deadline.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Charlie Dent, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declined

David A. Clarke
Rick Daugherty, chairman of the Lehigh County Democratic Party and nominee for this seat in 2012

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 16

The 16th district is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia and includes a large portion of southern Chester County, most of Lancaster County and a sliver of Berks County, including the city of Reading. The incumbent was Republican Joe Pitts, who had represented the district since 1997. He was re-elected with 55% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 4.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Joe Pitts, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Tom Houghton, former state representative

Eliminated in primary

Raja Kittappa, stem cell researcher

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 17

The 17th district is located in Eastern Pennsylvania and includes Schuylkill, Carbon, Monroe, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. The incumbent was Democrat Matt Cartwright, who had represented the district since 2013. He was elected in 2012, defeating incumbent Democrat Tim Holden in the primary with 57% of the vote and winning the general election with 60% of the vote. The district has a PVI of D 4.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Matt Cartwright, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

David Moylan, Schuylkill County coroner

Eliminated in primary

Matt Connolly, sports car racing team owner
Matthew Dietz, charter pilot

Results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 18

The 18th district is located in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh and includes parts of Allegheny, Washington, Beaver and Westmoreland counties. The incumbent was Republican Timothy F. Murphy, who had represented the district since 2003. He was re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of R 10.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Tim Murphy, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Murphy did not face a Democratic opponent in the general election as none filed before the deadline.