Pennsylvania’s statewide major-party filing deadline was February 18, 2020. The primary is scheduled for April 28, and the general election is November 3. Fifty-four candidates filed for the 18 congressional seats on the ballot.
All 18 incumbents filed for re-election, and three face same-party challengers: Brian Fitzpatrick (R) in District 1, Mary Gay Scanlon (D) in District 5, and Michael Doyle (D) in District 18. The remaining 15 officeholders do not have primary competition.
At least one Democratic and one Republican candidate filed for each U.S. House seat. Of the 36 possible primaries, 25 are unopposed. Seven primaries feature two candidates, three primaries have three candidates, and one primary has six candidates on the ballot. Six of the contested primaries are Democratic primaries, and five are Republican primaries.
The 2018 election saw 11 incumbents file for re-election. Due to redistricting, not all officeholders filed for re-election to the same seat they held. Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District was the only U.S. House district in the state to not have a major-party candidate file for election that year.
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Additional reading:
- United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2018
- Redistricting in Pennsylvania
