We told you it would be tight.
According to data compiled by Jacob Rubashkin of Inside Elections, “control of the U.S. House of Representatives ultimately came down to a group of voters smaller than the crowd at a Texas high school football game. And by at least one metric, 2024 was the closest race for control of the House in recent history.”
At the start of the evening, Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation stood at 9-8 in favor of Democrats. But when the dust settled, the Commonwealth’s tally in Congress showed the GOP with 10 seats to just seven for Democrats.
Three of those races in the state proved to be among the 10 closest in the country, according to data from the Cook Political Report.
In the Lehigh Valley’s 7th District, Ryan Mackenzie defeated Democratic incumbent Susan Wild by just over 4,000 votes to flip the seat and come in at No. 7.
Republican incumbent Scott Perry held off challenger Janelle Stelson by a little more than 5,000 votes in the capitol region’s 10th District to retain his seat in the eighth closest race.
And in NEPA, Rob Bresnahan toppled six-time Democratic incumbent Matt Cartwright by approximately 6,200 votes to flip the seat in a contest that was ninth tightest among the top 10.
According to Rubashkin, “While the 10 closest races split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, a broader look suggests that Democrats actually escaped the possibility of a more severe loss. Of the 68 races decided by less than 10 percent, Democrats won 43 to Republicans’ 25.”