Republicans sweep Pennsylvania's 3 most competitive House districts, oust 2 Democratic incumbents
While control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still up in the air, Pennsylvania's three most competitive House races have all been projected to go in the Republican candidate's favor.
CBS News projects Republicans will pick up two Pennsylvania seats previously held by Democrats, and a longstanding GOP incumbent who was investigated over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot would retain his seat.
The three districts — the 7th, 8th and 10th — made up three of the four most expensive races in the state, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit tracking money in politics.
Here's a breakdown of the races.
7th Congressional District – Pennsylvania
Democrat Susan Wild has conceded in the race to represent Pennsylvania's 7th District in the House of Representatives, which includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, and part of Monroe County.
Wild was seeking a fourth term in Washington. She faced state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who represented part of Lehigh County and had the backing of President-elect Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. CBS News has projected Mackenzie as the winner in the race.
Preliminary returns from the Pennsylvania Department of State showed Wild netted close to 8,000 votes more than Mackenzie in Lehigh County and the candidates nearly broke even in Northampton County.
But the incumbent fell behind in Carbon County, where Mackenzie had an over 11,000-vote margin as of Friday, and he racked up a few thousand more votes than Wild in the section of Monroe County included in the district.
Wild survived redistricting in 2022, which added the Republican-friendly Carbon County to the district.
She conceded the 2024 race in a statement Wednesday, touting achievements like opening the first federal office in Carbon County and securing a grant for Allentown that will boost the city's employment rate.
"When I first got to Congress in 2018, I made it my personal mission to put our district on the map. Too often, when folks think of Pennsylvania, they think of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Now, I'm so heartened by the attention and investments we've been able to bring home," Wild said.
"Ultimately, that's what this job is all about: Serving the people of the Greater Lehigh Valley," she added. "And it has been the greatest privilege of my life to be able to do that."
Mackenzie declared victory Tuesday night and thanked voters in a statement Wednesday.
"The fight now shifts to delivering results for the people of the Greater Lehigh Valley," Mackenzie said. "I'm looking forward to taking up the charge on the issues that our communities are concerned about, including tackling the high cost of living, securing the border, and working towards peace abroad."
8th Congressional District – Pennsylvania
Political newcomer Rob Bresnahan Jr., a CEO of his family's electrical contracting business, is CBS News' projected winner in the 8th Congressional District over incumbent Matt Cartwright.
Bresnahan had a lead of over 7,000 votes, 2 percentage points, in the district – which is anchored around the cities of Wilkes-Barre and President Biden's birthplace of Scranton.
Bresnahan declared victory in a social media post Tuesday night.
Cartwright, a five-term Democrat, posted a concession statement on social media Wednesday.
It's been the honor of my life to serve northeastern Pennsylvania for over a decade. My statement on the election results below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0tGFgC34uS
— Matt Cartwright (@CartwrightPA) November 6, 2024
"In this close race, our volunteers and supporters gave their all to make their voices heard," Cartwright said, adding that "it has been the honor of my life to represent our community in Congress."
Data from OpenSecrets showed Cartwright's campaign raised over $8 million and spent over $7 million of it as of Oct. 16. That amount was more than double Bresnahan's spending of about $3 million on the race.
OpenSecrets rated this race as the most expensive House contest in the state.
10th Congressional District – Pennsylvania
CBS News projects incumbent Republican Scott Perry to win a seventh term in his central Pennsylvania district, which includes the cities of Harrisburg and York. He faced broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson, a Republican-turned-Democrat who had the endorsement of the "Republicans for Harris" group.
Attacks on Perry focused on his defiance of a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee and his phone being briefly seized by the FBI in 2022 as part of an investigation into the Capitol riot.
Perry is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of the GOP's most conservative members formed to oust then-Speaker John Boehner.