Pennsylvania’s 13th District House Race 2026

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis campaigned in Mercer County days before Election Day, Nov. 3, urging turnout for Democratic candidates. Davis pledged Pennsylvania would not become a right-to-work state if reelected, emphasizing workers' rights to union representation, health care, and negotiated wages. Both officials endorsed Justin Wagner, a Democrat challenging incumbent Michael Kelly in the 16th Congressional District, who criticized his opponent's nearly 16-year record of prioritizing PAC donors over Western Pennsylvania. Shapiro framed the election as a moment for voters to push back against political dysfunction and reaffirmed his commitment to serving constituents if given another term.

Republican state Rep. Skyler Rude of Walla Walla announced he will resign from his 16th Legislative District seat on Oct. 31, taking a job the next day as legislative director for Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. His name will still appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, where he faces Democratic challenger Derek Sarley.

Rude said the job offer became final only days before his announcement and he chose to disclose it before the election rather than wait, calling transparency a priority. If Rude wins, Republican precinct officers and officials across the district's four counties — Walla Walla, Franklin, Benton and Grant — would appoint his replacement, creating two vacancies to fill given the new term starts in January. If Sarley wins, Republicans could still appoint a replacement to serve out Rude's remaining term until Sarley is sworn in.

Rude, first elected in 2018, serves as assistant House floor leader and ranking Republican on the Education Committee. He urged voters who want a Republican successor to vote for him despite his departure.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican running for reelection in the 1st Congressional District, touted an endorsement from American Unity Fund last week, sharing a photo of himself with a rainbow-colored sign and pledging to "defend and protect the rights, dignity, and freedom of every American." At the same time, the National Republican Congressional Committee's attack website targeting his Democratic challenger, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, features Pride-related photos among materials aimed at discrediting him, including a video claiming he misused opioid settlement funds for "trans sex parties for kids."

Harvie called on Fitzpatrick to denounce the tactics and remove the website, arguing the congressman's independence is undermined by ties to Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, and Washington Republicans. American Unity Fund, despite backing Fitzpatrick's support for nondiscrimination protections, opposes gender-affirming care for minors and backed a Supreme Court challenge to a state conversion-therapy ban. Fitzpatrick did break with his party earlier this year by voting against criminalizing such care. LGBTQ+ advocate Liz Bradbury said moderate Republicans like Fitzpatrick still help sustain a leadership hostile to broader LGBTQ+ rights. Neither Fitzpatrick, the NRCC, nor American Unity Fund responded to requests for comment.

Pennsylvania Democrats see an opportunity this November to flip control of the U.S. House and the state Senate, with Gov. Josh Shapiro leading the ticket as he seeks reelection against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Recent polling shows Shapiro with a substantial lead, and a strong win could bolster speculation about a 2028 presidential run. Garrity, endorsed by President Trump, faces a significant fundraising gap and lower name recognition.

Both parties are targeting four eastern Pennsylvania U.S. House districts held by Republican incumbents Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry, each facing well-funded Democratic challengers amid discontent with Trump. Democrats also see a longer-shot opportunity in a fifth district held by Dan Meuser. In Harrisburg, Democrats need a net gain of two state Senate seats plus the governorship to seize a legislative trifecta and advance priorities like abortion protections, minimum wage increases, and transit funding. Election Day is Nov. 3, with an Oct. 19 voter registration deadline.

Pennsylvania voters go to the polls on Nov. 3, 2026, in a general election that will help decide control of Congress and the state's next governor. Voter registration closed Oct. 19, and mail-in ballot requests are due by Oct. 27; polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The marquee race pits Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, with Libertarian Ken Krawchuk also on the ballot. All Pennsylvania House seats and half the state Senate are up for election. Closely watched U.S. House contests include the 7th District, where Democrat Bob Brooks challenges Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, and the 1st District, where Republican Brian Fitzpatrick faces Democrat Bob Harvie in perennially competitive Bucks County.

Control of Pennsylvania's state Senate could hinge on three Philadelphia suburban districts, as Democrats aim to flip the chamber for the first time in 33 years. Republicans currently hold 27 of 50 seats; Democrats need to flip at least two and retain the governor's office to take the majority via the lieutenant governor's tie-breaking vote.

Democratic challengers Eileen Hartnett Albillar (6th District, Bucks County), Mark Pinsley (16th District, Bucks/Lehigh), and Chris Thomas (24th District, Montgomery/Berks) are challenging GOP incumbents Frank Farry, Jarrett Coleman, and Tracy Pennycuick, respectively. All three districts favor Republicans in voter registration, though Gov. Josh Shapiro has endorsed the Democratic candidates and his own reelection bid is on the same ballot.

Both parties are centering campaigns on affordability, with Democrats tying races to dissatisfaction with President Trump's handling of the economy and gas prices, while Republicans emphasize fiscal restraint and bipartisan legislative wins. A Democratic trifecta would open the door to priorities like a minimum wage increase and transportation funding previously blocked by the GOP-controlled Senate.

In Pennsylvania's 46th Senate District, a coal- and gas-reliant region, independent candidate Jodi Borello is challenging Republican incumbent Camera Bartolotta after the Democratic nominee withdrew, leaving Borello as the sole challenger. Borello, a former organizer for the Center for Coalfield Justice who campaigned against fracking, now runs as a "Trump-voting" small-business owner opposed to corporations and data centers, without emphasizing her anti-fossil-fuel record. Her former employer's political arm, Coalfield Justice Action, has spent at least $10,500 on ads against Bartolotta and was pitched to national climate donors as a $300,050 "Investing in Elections for Climate" project. No coordination with Borello's campaign has been proven, but the funding sources behind the messaging remain largely undisclosed ahead of the November 3 election.

Democrat Bob Harvie, who is challenging Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, is facing criticism over campaign ads that presented politically active Democrats as ordinary, unaffiliated voters. In one mail piece, Patti Kearins was shown as a concerned voter without disclosing her involvement with the Bensalem Democratic Organization and her past appearances in Pennsylvania Democratic Party ads attacking Fitzpatrick. A separate social media post featured Manuel Galarza as a "Trump voter" without noting his ties to Bucks County Indivisible, a group organized to oppose the GOP agenda, and his history of promoting Harvie's campaign.

The race in the swing district is considered competitive heading into the 2026 midterms, with control of Congress at stake. Critics argue the ads suggest Harvie's campaign is struggling to demonstrate organic, broad-based support, instead relying on figures connected to established Democratic political infrastructure while presenting them as independent voices.

Since 2001, Lakewood Township has transferred 220 acres of public land near the Jersey Shore BlueClaws stadium at no cost to a development arm of Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), a large Orthodox Jewish yeshiva. The entity, Cedarbridge Development, has resold the land to builders for nearly $70 million, while developers have saved over $8.6 million through local tax breaks (PILOTs) since 2018. A 2010 lawsuit challenging the deal as unconstitutional was dismissed. Constitutional experts say the arrangement may violate the state constitution's "gift clause" barring giveaways of public property without clear public benefit.

The New Jersey State Commission of Investigation is now examining similar municipal land deals involving PILOT tax breaks statewide, without confirming whether Lakewood is a specific target. The scrutiny comes as Lakewood faces a budget shortfall, a hiring freeze, and warnings of 2027 layoffs.

Pennsylvania health officials confirmed a fifth measles-associated death this year, involving an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident whose identity was not released. Two prior Lancaster County deaths involved Amish infants, while Mifflin and Jefferson counties each reported one death, an 18-year-old and a 40-year-old. Confirmed cases statewide have reached 943, the largest outbreak in the state in three decades and the highest case count nationwide this year, with 40 new cases added in the past two days. Lancaster County remains the epicenter with nearly 400 cases, while Chester County has reported 83.

The toll is the nation's highest since 1992, but state and federal officials disagree on how to count it. The CDC currently lists only two measles deaths nationally, a discrepancy tied to decisions under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has clashed publicly with Gov. Josh Shapiro over the state's death count and vaccine messaging. Nearly one in five confirmed patients has been hospitalized, about a third are children, and almost all cases involve unvaccinated individuals.