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Reader Poll: Who is The Most Vulnerable Congressman in the 2018 General Election?

Seal_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svgCandidates are coming forward across the state looking to challenge incumbent Congressmen in the 2018 election, and we want to know who is the most vulnerable.  

Some of the Congressmen on the list already have challengers, and some have been targeted by activists or organizations on the other side of the aisle.  

The Congressmen are Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia), Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna), Ryan Costello (R-Chester), Charlie Dent (R-Lehigh), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks), Mike Kelly (R-Butler), Pat Meehan (R-Delaware), Tim Murphy (R-Allegheny), Keith Rothfus (R-Allegheny), and Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster).  

So what do you think, who is the most vulnerable Congressman in the 2018 general election?

Who is the most vulnerable Congressman in the 2018 general election?


  • Matt Cartwright (22%)
  • Brian Fitzpatrick (22%)
  • Ryan Costello (19%)
  • Lloyd Smucker (12%)
  • Pat Meehan (10%)
  • Keith Rothfus (4%)
  • Brendan Boyle (4%)
  • Charlie Dent (3%)
  • Tim Murphy (2%)
  • Mike Kelly (2%)

Total Voters: 1,463

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43 Responses

  1. Perhaps someone who has averred that Cartwright is vulnerable would care to explain why; noting the Wiki piece, it seems he has been provided a safe-Dem seat.

    http s://en.w ikipedia.or g/wik i/Matt_Cartwright

    1. This is his explanation for his aberrancy.

      Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick: Health Care Bill Passed By House GOP Was ‘Dishonest Legislation’

      htt p://philadelphia.cbslocal.c om/2017/07/17/fitzpatrick-health-care-bill-gop-dishonest-legislation/?e=hb*XoJ2qPwD0fQ&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=11438&utm_campaign=daily-news-headlines-recommended–57

      PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents Pennsylvania’s Eight District, talked with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about his no vote on the Republican health care bill that passed in the House of Representatives in May, saying he broke with his party because he felt the law in question was deceptive.

      “All of us agree that our health care system is broken and desperately needs to be fixed. We have one shot to get this right and we were asked to vote on a bill that we had 17 days to digest, a bill that had not been scored by the CBO, a bill that justifiably supported by less than a quarter of the American people, including less than half of Republicans. There was a lot in it that I objected to and a lot of it, if you want to know the genesis of much of my objection, you can go back to the very first bill I introduced on the floor on the House of Representatives, which was a massive government reform package. One of those components, and there are many of them, was the concept of single issue legislation, because when you try these omnibus bill, particularly on something like health care, which affects between one-fifth and one-sixth of our economy and affects 100 percent of the American people, and you try to stuff all sorts special interest provisions in them, it’s dishonest legislation. That’s the reality of it.”

      Fitzpatrick also defended his vote against a proposal that would stop the military from paying for transgender service personnel’s reassignment surgery, stating that Secretary of Defense James Mattis is currently assessing the matter, and that he should make the final determination.

      “The Hartzler Amendment to the NDAA, which is what we’re talking about here, was not even supposed to come up for a vote. It originally called for the discharge of all transgender service members. That was the original version…That was ruled by committee as being out of order. It was then changed to the removal of health benefits and it somehow made it to the floor over the objection, by the way, of the committee chair. This policy was implemented as an internal military policy change by Ash Carter under the Obama Administration. So, enter Secretary Mattis, who put a freeze on the program. He is currently engaged in a six month review on the effect of this program on military readiness. According to Rand, there’s several thousand, possible close to 10,000 such individuals, some of whom are currently deployed overseas. What this came down to is whether Congress should usurp the authority of Secretary Mattis, over his objection, on an issue pertaining to military readiness.”

      1. This is such PATENT “bs” that it’s difficult to type.

        He objects to rescinding ObamaDon’tCare because it’s a combo of single-issue topics, notwithstanding the fact that the original legislation was identically presented AND the fact that this is the only way to invoke Reconciliation.

        He OKs the transgender boondoggle by claiming Mattis is reviewing it, yet won’t preclude interim blockage of funding.

        He MUST be replaced.

  2. The Time Is Now to change our representative in the 8th congressional district.

    1. There is minimal hope that he’ll demonstrate core-commitment to conservatism and, thus, he must be replaced; the tie-vote suggests that this is a shared opinion, notwithstanding the predictable counter-argument that this initiative could increase the risk that the seat could flip.

  3. With Brian Fitzpatrick’s “Yes” vote in favor of funding Transgender surgery and inclusion in our Military, I put Fitzpatrick at the top of this list. With this vote, I will work very hard to see that Brian has a true Conservative challenger in the 2018 Primary! Sorry Brian, there’s no coming back from this particular vote!

    1. Brother Brian has caught-up, perhaps as a result of this corroboration of major-concerns with his commitment to core GOP values.

    2. Agree 100% with you. Brian is sealing his own fate. He picks and chooses who he sees. TIME has been lost in being a true Republican and hell with being the INDEPENDENT VOICE. Your voters want a Republican !!

      1. He is self-marginalizing…demonstrating publicly that he’s an outlier when the aggregate of GOP-Representative behavior is cogently assessed.

  4. Meehan’s opponents haven’t materialized yet, Smucker’s district is so conservative that even he can win re-election, Costello is a rock and he/his staff are the only one of the few on this list making all the right chess moves (would argue Meehan is too; bc they often take the same actions). This is between Cartwright and Fitzpatrick. It depends who steps up against these guys in the month’s ahead. Either could be beaten by the right opponent, but other than that, I would argue that the rest of these guys will be safe come 2018.

          1. Brother Brian initially was #6 and now he’s #2…and only 2% from #1; perhaps these comments have prompted people to recognize how profoundly he has dissed the base, for he apparently aspires to become the Frosh Swamp Fox due to his fealty for Comey and his having failed to vote for The Donald.

  5. I think Brendan Boyle is the most vulnerable to a 2018 Primary election challenge. In a one on one primary against a well-financed Mont. Co native, he probably loses. Especially if his patron, Johnny Doc, goes down the tubes before then. In a general election however, the 13th is a Democratic seat.

  6. Costello has to be shitting bricks. His last two opponents were scrubs who the DCCC pulled funding for early. This time his opponent is an intelligent, accomplished, wealthy female who happens to be a veteran…. Uh oh. Maybe he can get a job lobbying….

    1. Costello may be shitting bricks, but at least has the decency not to piss all over the courthouse steps.

    2. You mean the Elizabeth Warren puppet they’ve trotted out against him? She is about 10x too far left for the 6th district. I think she would do really well if we made a switch to Socialism in this country, but until then, I don’t think the voters of the 6th want to deal with a 65% income tax to fund her single-payer healthcare system. She looks good on paper, but that’s where this story ends folks.

      1. Don’t like left wing extremists like this fake liberal(shes really more left wing) but bye bye ryan has it right.
        Costello will be camping out with Chris Christie on the beach -enjoying the water- his do nothing version of republicanism will shorten his stay in DC. Better someone who stands for something -than Costello who stands for little!

        1. LOL what a troll. Great post with no information, you must be of the liberal wing of the party huh? Your news channels have turned into MTVnews and only report on such SHOCKING stories as Chris Christie on the beach with his family. WOW, BLOCKBUSTER. You want to talk about someone who stands for nothing, then please visit Costello’s opponent’s website where you won’t find a single policy sentiment.

  7. GT Thompson would be vulnerable to a primary challenge, though his district is so gerrymandered that a Democrat has as much chance of winning as … as … as Trump had of winning the Presidency in 2016?

    1. Don’t joke. There are enough Democrats and Indys in that district to swing it. The party just needs to figure out how to play in districts like that. If they ever did, Trump wouldn’t of won Pennsylvania.

    1. Bill Shuster might have his hands full in the primary if the rumors about John Eichelberger running against him are true.

  8. Fitzpatrick will be in a tough race if things continue as they are with Trump.. tough dance to be a loyal R and stiff arm the Donald. Although Toomey pulled it off last time.

      1. agree; Brother Brian is consistently problematic and doesn’t have the ability to invoke longevity as does his colleague, Charlie Dent

  9. Rotfus…because he can’t find his way off the turnpike in a snowstorm without mafia help.

  10. All of them are safe. Neither party will be able to take these congressmen out.

  11. Worthless Rothfus is the absolute worst. “It’s Obama’s fault.” It’s the Senate Dem’s fault.”,etc., etc…. When will this piece of human excrement have a town hall????

    1. To think we lost a hardworking, genuine guy like Mark Critz for Rothfus. It’s a shame.

      1. Well if Democrats continue to put up Erin McClelland – Rothfus will always dominate

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    Total Voters: 30

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