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GOP Sweeps Congressional Races

Rep. Fitzpatrick (right) defeated his Dem challenger Kathy Boockvar in what was considered one of the state’s most competitive races.

The GOP has reason to be celebrating in Pennsylvania tonight.

Dems across the country may be over the moon with the President’s victory — and indeed all of the statewide row offices went to Dem candidates, too — but Republicans retained all their seats: in PA’s Congressional districts 6, 7, 8 and 18, and even picked up a seat in PA-12.

In each of these districts, Republicans won decisively against their Dem challengers. One of the closest races was in PA-8 (long considered to be a top Dem pickup prospect) and even then Kathy Boockvar still lost by double digits to Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) with. As of midnight Tuesday, he was ahead 56.8 percent to 43.2.

In 2010, Fitzpatrick bested Dem Patrick Murphy (who lost to Kathleen Kane in the Attorney General primary race this April) by a smaller margin of 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent. The PA-8 race was closely eyed by both parties, with some of outside spending to characterize Boockvar as a radical feminist lawyer, and Fitzpatrick as an out-of-touch Tea Partier.

In PA-6, Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Chester) defeated Manan Trivedi 57.1 percent to 42.9 percent.

Trivedi lost by roughly the same margin as in 2010, despite increased visibility in this race and GOTV efforts. Gerlach capitalized on the fact that Trivedi’s residence was drawn out of the 6th CD and that he would not be able to vote for himself, much less adequately represent the people of PA-6.

In PA-7, Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Delaware) bested George Badey 58.1 percent to 41.9 percent.

Meehan won his 2010 race in a three-way split that resulted in him earning 54.9 percent of the vote, Dem Bryan Lentz 44 percent and American Conservative Party candidate James Schneller with 1.1 percent.

Badey, an attorney, was a late recruit to the race and never caught fire.

And in PA-18, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Allegheny) trounced Larry Maggi by the widest margin in any of the contentious races: 63.6 percent to 36.5 percent.

Murphy won in 2010 against Dem candidate Dan Connolly 66.7 percent to 33.3 percent. So, while he bested Maggi by a large margin, he still had a harder-fought race than in the last cycle. This time around Maggi, at times, even had more cash on hand than the incumbent Rep. and was considered a formidable opponent.

Additionally, given Rep. Mark Critz’s (D-Cambria) concession to Keith Rothfus earlier Tuesday night, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Allegheny) is all that remains of the Democratic Congressional presence in Western Pennsylvania.

Doyle outlasted his GOP challenger Hans Lessmann in PA-14, 77 percent to 23.1 percent.

Many of these results can be attributed to the GOP-redistricted map in which a huge Congressional majority was given to the Republicans despite a considerable registration disadvantage.

In other Congressional races:

Rep. Bob Brady (D-Phila) swept his GOP challenger John Featherman in PA-1 85 percent to 15 percent.

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Phila) beat out GOP candidate Robert Mansfield Jr. in PA-2 and Independent James Foster by earning 89.4 percent of the vote. The others split the remainder with 9.4 and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Butler) held strong in PA-3 with 54.7 percent of the vote against Dem Missa Eaton, who earned 41.1 percent, and Independent Stephen Porter with 4.2 percent.

In PA-4, Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) won one of the state’s two four-way Congressional races with 59.7 percent. Dem Harry Perkinson earned 34.5 percent, Independent Wayne Wolff took 3.8 percent and Libertarian Michael Koffenberger nabbed 2 percent.

In PA-5, Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Centre) outlasted a challenge from Charles Dumas, earning 62.9 percent to the Dem’s 37.1 percent.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Blair) took 61.6 percent of the vote in the PA-9 race against Dem Karen Ramsburg, who earned 38.4 percent.

Rep. Tom Marino (R-Lycoming) received 65.9 percent of the vote in PA-10 against his challenger Phil Scollo.

In PA-11, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) bested Dem Gene Stilp and Pignelope 58.5 percent to 41.5 percent.

In PA-13, Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Montco) defeated her GOP challenger Joseph Rooney 68.9 percent to 31.1 percent.

Rep. Charles Dent (R-Lehigh) won in PA-15 with 56.6 percent of the vote against Rick Daugherty, who earned 43.4 percent.

Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Chester) won the other four-way race, taking home 55 percent of the vote in PA-16. His main challenger, Dem Aryanna Strader, received 38.9 percent of the vote. Independent candidate John Murphy earned 4.3, while third party candidate James Bednarski earned 1.8 percent.

Last but not least, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna) outlasted a challenge from GOP candidate Laureen Cummings in PA-17, winning 60.5 percent to 39.5 percent.

4 Responses

  1. The Dems would be a Bunch of Fools to Ever Put Manni Trevedi Up for Congress in the 6th against Gerlach They Need a Moderate Democrat for that seat Not a Bleeding heart Liberal Like Manni They need someone who Is Pro Gun Pro Life anti tax Christian White and Male or Female

  2. Jim-

    Before the primary with Sestak, Specter had $10 million cash on hand. If Sestak had stayed in the 7th, that $10 million and more would have gone against Toomey. Also, the $4.5 million Sestak raised to “hold the 7th” (on top of the $3 million raised to capture it) would not have gone to waste (and the millions spent since fighting Meehan). So, even if you think Specter would have lost, he was still a better choice from a bang-for-the-buck perspective. Sestak screwed the party financially, and screwed down-ticket candidates politically.

    Rick was always a long-shot candidate against a well funded incumbent like Dent. However, Dems have a majority registration in the 15th District, and the party could/should have made a bigger investment considering the sizable investments made in the 6th, 7th and 8th districts.

    If not a win, the Dems could have made Dent sweat and spend his money. Obama won decisively in Lehigh, and some genuine effort by the party could have made this race a lot closer.

    National party does use 40% threshold to determine if race is worth investing in the next cycle. Maybe the party will pay more attention to the 15th next go around.

  3. Apparently, this Daugherty guy that nobody has ever heard of before is Diano’s new Arlen Specter. Diano will be yelling for the next 4 years that this clown can beat Toomey and should be supported for a Senate run.

  4. Rick Daugherty in the 15th got 43.4 % with NO SUPPORT from the PA Dem establishment.

    The same establishment that sold Rick out in the primary to a Republican shill posing as a Democrat, just because he had larger bankroll, even though Rick is the Lehigh county Dem chairman.

    Rick got a higher percentage (43.5%) than Trivedi (42.9%), Brookvar (43.2%) and Badey (41.9%) who each raised a sh*tload more money.

    PA Dems needs to support candidates, and not abandon them.

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