Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020

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Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 18, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Conor Lamb (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Pennsylvania
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District
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Pennsylvania elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Incumbent Conor Lamb (D) defeated Sean Parnell (R) in the general election for Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District on November 3, 2020.

Lamb was first elected in the March 13, 2018, special election to fill the remainder of Tim Murphy's (R) term in the 18th Congressional District. Lamb defeated Rick Saccone (R) 49.9% to 49.5%. Following court-ordered redistricting in 2018, Lamb was elected to the 17th District, defeating Keith Rothfus (R) 56.3% to 43.7%.

This was Parnell's first campaign for elected office. Prior to his campaign, he was an author and contributor on Fox News.[3]

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) in the district 49% to 47%, making it one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts up in 2020 that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. Among these districts, Lamb's margin of victory was the fourth highest. In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) defeated Barack Obama (D) 52% to 47% in Pennsylvania’s 17th.[4]

Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee prioritized this race.[5][6]

The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District is located in western Pennsylvania and includes portions of Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler counties.[7]

This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.

Sean Parnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click here to view his responses.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 50.7 51.1
Republican candidate Republican Party 48 48.9
Difference 2.7 2.2

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Pennsylvania modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: The mail-in ballot receipt deadline for the general election was extended to November 6, 2020. Drop boxes were made available to return ballots. The state provided prepaid return postage for all mail-in and absentee ballots.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated Sean Parnell in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Conor Lamb
Conor Lamb (D)
 
51.1
 
222,253
Image of Sean Parnell
Sean Parnell (R) Candidate Connection
 
48.9
 
212,284

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 434,537
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Conor Lamb
Conor Lamb
 
100.0
 
111,828

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 111,828
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Sean Parnell advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sean Parnell
Sean Parnell Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
60,253

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 60,253
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[8] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Conor Lamb

Image of Conor Lamb

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Lamb received a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2014 to 2017 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves. In the 116th Congress, Lamb was the Vice Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Lamb said he would work across party lines. He said he did this in Congress when he supported the USMCA trade deal, worked to secure coronavirus relief funding, and broke with the Democratic Party to support energy jobs in Pennsylvania.

Lamb said he would work to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and reduce prescription drug costs. He said President Donald Trump’s (R) healthcare policies reduced access to coverage and Sean Parnell (R) would support reducing coverage protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

Lamb said his priorities included addressing heroin and opioid addiction, reducing healthcare costs, and investing in infrastructure.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Independent Streak," September 9, 2020; YouTube, "At Stake," September 24, 2020; Conor Lamb's 2020 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed October 5, 2020; Conor Lamb's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Congressman Conor Lamb," accessed October 5, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 in 2020.

Sean Parnell

Image of Sean Parnell

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Father, decorated combat veteran, New York Times best-selling author, and speaker.
Retired Army Infantry Captain with the Elite 10th Mountain Division and veteran of 485 days of fierce fighting along the Afghan-Pakistan border, Sean Parnell’s unique leadership skills welded his platoon into one of the most fierce and effective American fighting units in modern military history.
"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Keep Our Economy Booming

Support Our Energy Industry

Keep Our Military Strong & Protect Our Border

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[9] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[10] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Conor Lamb Democratic Party $4,116,060 $3,528,797 $833,819 As of December 31, 2020
Sean Parnell Republican Party $3,991,543 $3,788,169 $203,375 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+3, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District the 210th most Republican nationally.[11]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.[12]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[13]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[14][15][16]

Race ratings: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportLikely DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Timeline

2020

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Conor Lamb

Supporting Lamb

"Service" - Lamb campaign ad, released October 31, 2020
"Serious" - Lamb campaign ad, released October 14, 2020
"At Stake" - Lamb campaign ad, released September 24, 2020
"Independent Streak" - Lamb campaign ad, released September 9, 2020


Opposing Parnell

"Truth" - Lamb campaign ad, released October 14, 2020

Republican Party Sean Parnell

Supporting Parnell

"Vote" - Parnell campaign ad, released November 2, 2020
"Emma" - Parnell campaign ad, released September 18, 2020
"Mask" - Parnell campaign ad, released August 18, 2020
"Defend America" - Parnell campaign ad, released July 7, 2020
"Dollar Sean Club" - Parnell campaign ad, released June 17, 2020
"United America" - Parnell campaign ad, released May 11, 2020


Opposing Lamb

"My Pre-existing Condition" - Parnell campaign ad, released October 27, 2020
"Cracker Plant" - Parnell campaign ad, released October 25, 2020
"Do Better" - Parnell campaign ad, released October 7, 2020
"Burn" - Parnell campaign ad, released August 18, 2020
"It's time to get real" - Parnell campaign ad, released October 31, 2019

Satellite group ads

Opposing Lamb

"Connor Lamb, Sell It" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released October 24, 2020

Debates and forums

September 26 debate

On September 26, 2020, Lamb and Parnell participated in a debate hosted by WPXI News in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Click the links below for roundups of the debate from:

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Conor Lamb

Lamb’s campaign website stated the following:

“

I believe that leaders should have priorities.

There's an old saying that if everything is important, nothing is. My first priority is to get things moving again. I will work with anyone to protect our people and bring good jobs here. I will go to Washington with strong convictions and an open mind. And when I'm there, I'll never forget that the only people I work for are right here at home.

My only bias is the one they taught us in the Marines: a bias for action. It's time that our leaders in Washington do the work we send them there to do. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Now.

TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION TO FIGHT THE HEROIN CRISIS
Heroin is killing crazy numbers of our people. As a federal prosecutor, I brought heroin dealers to justice and fought for their victims and for the families who have lost loved ones to the disease of addiction. I saw firsthand how prescription pain killers were usually the root cause. I also saw how our government has been too slow to take effective action in this crisis.

The President’s declaration that the heroin and opioid epidemic is a national health emergency is important. It was also long overdue. We can’t wait any longer while politicians argue about funding for enforcement, treatment and prevention. We need to leave partisan politics out of this and take urgent, comprehensive action to save lives.

We need to invest in prevention. We need to expand access to treatment and rehabilitation. And we need to crack down on the people who are fueling and profiting from this crisis. There are drug dealers on the street, in doctors’ offices, and in drug company boardrooms, and we need to pass legislation that guarantees every one of them will face justice for their crimes.

JOBS & INFRASTRUCTURE: NO MORE STALLING
Infrastructure – High-quality infrastructure is essential to economic growth here. We need modern airports, roads, and bridges, locks, and dams – to move people and goods into and out of our region, to attract new businesses, and to create jobs.

We need a secure, reliable electric grid that cannot fail.

We need functioning water treatment systems that keep storm water runoff out of our streets and guarantee safe drinking water.

Politicians talk about this all the time, but the fact is we've neglected our critical infrastructure for decades, and every day we fail to act is a missed opportunity. A comprehensive infrastructure bill would create good jobs here tomorrow, and unlike the massive corporate tax cut that just added trillions to the deficit, infrastructure investments pay for themselves.

People in our district ask me every day why an infrastructure bill hasn't even been introduced, let alone passed – and the answer is that politicians in Washington aren't listening to us and aren't keeping their promises. Passing an infrastructure bill – a serious bill big enough to match the urgency of the situation -- is an economic and national security priority, and I will fight every day to get it done.

Job Training – We have to invest in our people. Politicians in both parties like to talk about job training, but that talk hasn't lived up to the reality for too many students and workers in our region -- and both parties bear the blame for that.

We need job training programs that lead to an actual job -- not just a piece of paper.

Companies and industry associations say there are thousands of jobs in our region that they can't fill because we don't have workers with the right training and skills. They want public schools and community colleges to help fill that gap, and of course we should do that.

I'll fight for those investments, but I'll also make those companies put some skin in the game. If workers successfully complete training programs paid for with our tax dollars, employers need to hire those workers for full-time, family-supporting jobs.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
I believe that every American has a right to go see a doctor when they're sick, and that means every American has a right to health insurance they can afford.

The Affordable Care Act has flaws, but it has provided affordable coverage to more than a million Pennsylvanians who were previously uninsured.

Our representatives in Congress should be working together to build on that progress, fix what isn't working, and make the law better. Instead, Republicans in Congress spent the past year trying to take health insurance away from people with no plan to replace it. Now, costs are likely to go up for many of us, especially those with preexisting conditions. That is unacceptable, and it's a failure of leadership.

Republican leaders have not even allowed a vote on a bipartisan, common-sense effort to strengthen the ACA and stabilize the markets. And it took the threat of a government shutdown for both parties to come together and fund the children's health program (CHIP), something they'd ignored for months while the program was forced to survive on week-to-week bailouts.

These legislative failures show what is wrong with the status quo in Washington. I'll work with anyone from either party who wants to help people with pre-existing conditions, improve the quality of care, and reduce premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and prescription drug prices.

PROTECTING MEDICARE & SOCIAL SECURITY
Within 12 hours of giving away our tax dollars to the wealthy and big corporations, Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would try to pay for it by coming after Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. It didn't take long for the Republican leadership in Washington to make clear that once they drove this nation another $1.5 trillion in debt, they were going to use that as an excuse to cut the programs seniors depend on and paid into all their lives.

They call this "entitlement reform," but make no mistake – that is just fancy Washington talk for taking the money you paid your whole working life and using it to cover the trillion dollars they just added to the debt.

It's not right, and I will fight every attempt to break the promises we made to our senior citizens, working families and children.

RELEASING STUDENTS FROM LIFETIME DEBT TRAPS
We need to reform our student loan system, which right now forces too many students into a lifetime debt trap. If you want to go to college or get other post-secondary education, you should be able to do that without taking on decades worth of debt.

Too many people in our district are already stuck with interest payments they can't afford at a time when they should be buying houses, saving their money and becoming financially independent.

We need to allow people to refinance their student loans, just as we do for corporations and credit card holders. And I believe we should let people pay at least some portion of their student loans with pre-tax dollars.

I also support programs that help people pay back their loans when they take important public service jobs in under-served communities and under-populated professions. Some of those programs exist for certain disciplines, but I'll work to expand them. If you want to use your education to serve the public and help meet an urgent public need, the government should help you pay back the cost of that education.

UNIONS
I support unions, and I'm proud to be endorsed by the AFL-CIO. I believe that all workers have the right to organize and bargain collectively for better wages, benefits and working conditions. And I know that when unions do the work, it gets done on time and on budget.

Union members in our district can count on me to be the most effective ally they have in fighting to protect their rights, support prevailing wages and Project Labor Agreements, and defeat the ideological extremists who want to put unions out of existence.

MODERN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
I support robust and responsible energy development. Natural gas extraction is creating and supporting a lot of good, middle-class jobs in our region, and I want more of those jobs for our people.

That means investing in training so people in our district have the skills they need to do these jobs, and it means pushing energy companies to hire people in our communities. People who live here and send their kids to school here will do the work safely and responsibly, so that our families and future generations are breathing clean air and drinking clean water.

Government should not be an impediment to energy development and job creation, but we rely on government to enforce the law and hold companies accountable if they endanger workers or pollute our air or water.

For purely political reasons, this administration wants to undermine our government's ability to perform basic inspection and law enforcement activities -- just as Harrisburg has done here with our state enforcement activities.

That's a mistake, and I'll work to ensure that our government has the necessary resources to do its job, keep workers safe, and protect our air and water. [22]

”
—Conor Lamb’s campaign website (2020)[23]


Republican Party Sean Parnell

Parnell’s campaign website stated the following:

“

I am not a career politician. I am a tried and tested leader. If recent events have taught us anything, it’s the importance of strong leadership in times of crisis. I’ve led some of America’s finest warriors in battle, and I’m ready to bring that leadership to Washington.

We may not agree on all of the issues; in fact I can guarantee we won’t. But the people of Western PA deserve to know where their elected officials stand, and I will always put the interests of Western PA ahead of politics.

Fight For Veterans
Our veterans are the best of us. When they raise their right hand and volunteer to serve our great nation, they do so knowing that they may give their lives in defense of our freedom. When our veteran’s come home from distant battlefields, they deserve to be thanked on behalf of a grateful nation, but that gratitude must not stop there. Our leaders need to work relentlessly on their behalf to ensure they’re given a fair deal on the home front. They fought for us; now it’s our turn as American citizens to fight for them.

I will never forget the dedication and sacrifice of our nation’s warriors. Veterans who fight and bleed for this country should not have to fight and bleed for the healthcare and benefits they were promised. Veterans willingly chose to serve this nation during a time of war; they deserve the right to choose where to get their healthcare. If you like the care you receive at the VA, great. You can keep it. If you don’t, then it should be your right as a veteran to choose where you want to go.

Veterans who deploy to defend the streets of America should not have to return home to sleep on them. I will fight to ensure our veterans stay off the streets and in jobs where they can provide for their families and live the American Dream that they bled to protect.

Protect Our Second Amendment Right
“…The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed…” I will fight like hell to protect the right to keep and bear arms, and I reject the notion that society is somehow guilty because a criminal commits a crime. We do not need more gun control laws.

Strengthen Our Military
Ensure our military is the strongest fighting force in the world and is used to defend Americans from our enemies, NOT to police every corner of the earth.

Stop Illegal immigration
Crack down on illegal Immigration, by ending “Sanctuary Cities” and finishing The Wall.

Support Law Enforcement
I will always support our law enforcement and oppose efforts to defund the police.

Protect Our PA Jobs
I will fight to keep taxes as low as possible, protecting your earnings and your freedom, and slash regulations to get DC off the necks of Pennsylvania job creators.

I’m from a union family and understand how important unions have been to middle-class families in Western Pennsylvania. I will always support middle-class working families and defend their rights in the workplace.

After decades of being beholden to OPEC, we are finally energy independent. A net energy exporter, in fact. We need to keep it this way. Fracking creates jobs and keeps us free. I will support Pennsylvania’s energy workers – and I won’t let my party betray them.

Healthcare
I have a pre-existing condition. This is personal to me. I will always protect people with pre-existing conditions and make sure they have the same access to quality health care.

I want Americans to have the freedom to choose a healthcare plan that fits their needs. The best way to drive healthcare costs down is to get people jobs, allow insurance companies to compete across state lines, and allow small companies to band together to get lower rates.

I will defend the good health benefits Pennsylvania’s labor unions have won through negotiation – and fight the liberals who try to take these benefits away.

I believe the more insurance companies have to compete for your business, the more affordable healthcare will be, and will ultimately empower all Americans to pick a customizable plan that works best for them.

Fight for the Unborn
I’m pro-life, and I will vote that way and support Presidential candidates who will pick pro-life judges for our courts. My opponent voted against the Born Alive Act, allowing abortion-surviving babies to be left to die. This amounts to infanticide and murder, and we deserve better.

Social Security and Medicare
It’s simple, Social Security and Medicare should be protected. People have paid into the program their whole lives and at the end of the day, they have earned it and they deserve their Social Security and Medicare at retirement.

Love America
America is still the greatest nation in the history of the world. While the radical left is tearing down statues of George Washington, taking over city blocks, and trying to change our National Anthem, I will always fight to defend the country I love. [22]

”
—Sean Parnell’s campaign website (2020)[24]


District represented by a Democrat in 2020 and won by Donald Trump in 2016

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Democrat in 2020 and won by Donald Trump in 2016

This district was one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts up in 2020 that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. Most were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2020.


2020 Democratic-held U.S. House districts won by Donald Trump in 2016
District Incumbent Ran in 2020? 2018 congressional margin 2016 presidential margin 2012 presidential margin
Arizona's 1st Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran Yes Democrats+7.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+2.5
Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath Yes Democrats+1.0 Trump+1.5 Romney+23.3
Illinois' 14th Democratic Party Lauren Underwood Yes Democrats+5.0 Trump+3.9 Romney+10
Illinois' 17th Democratic Party Cheri Bustos Yes Democrats+24.2 Trump+0.7 Obama+17
Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Yes Democrats+5.1 Trump+3.5 Obama+13.7
Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Retired Democrats+5.2 Trump+4.1 Obama+13.1
Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne Yes Democrats+2.2 Trump+3.5 Obama+4.2
Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden Yes Democrats+1.3 Trump+10.3 Obama+8.6
Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin Yes Democrats+3.8 Trump+6.7 Romney+3.1
Michigan's 11th Democratic Party Haley Stevens Yes Democrats+6.7 Trump+4.4 Romney+5.4
Minnesota's 2nd Democratic Party Angie Craig Yes Democrats+5.5 Trump+1.2 Obama+0.1
Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson Yes Democrats+4.3 Trump+30.8 Romney+9.8
Nevada's 3rd Democratic Party Susie Lee Yes Democrats+9.1 Trump+1.0 Obama+0.8
New Hampshire's 1st Democratic Party Chris Pappas Yes Democrats+8.6 Trump+1.6 Obama+1.6
New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim Yes Democrats+1.3 Trump+6.2 Obama+4.6
New Jersey's 5th Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer Yes Democrats+13.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+3.0
New Jersey's 11th Democratic Party Mikie Sherrill Yes Democrats+14.6 Trump+0.9 Romney+5.8
New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Yes Democrats+1.9 Trump+10.2 Romney+6.8
New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose Yes Democrats+6.5 Trump+9.8 Obama+4.3
New York's 18th Democratic Party Sean Maloney Yes Democrats+10.9 Trump+1.9 Obama+4.3
New York's 19th Democratic Party Antonio Delgado Yes Democrats+5.2 Trump+6.8 Obama+6.2
New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Yes Democrats+1.8 Trump+15.5 Romney+0.4
Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn Yes Democrats+1.4 Trump+13.4 Romney+18.4
Pennsylvania's 8th Democratic Party Matt Cartwright Yes Democrats+9.3 Trump+9.6 Obama+11.9
Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb Yes Democrats+12.5 Trump+2.6 Romney+4.5
South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Yes Democrats+1.4 Trump+13.1 Romney+18.1
Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams Yes Democrats+0.3 Trump+6.7 Romney+37.0
Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria Yes Democrats+2.2 Trump+3.4 Romney+2.3
Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger Yes Democrats+1.9 Trump+6.5 Romney+10.5
Wisconsin's 3rd Democratic Party Ron Kind Yes Democrats+19.3 Trump+4.5 Obama+11
Source: Sabato's Crystal Ball and Daily Kos


Click here to see the five U.S. House districts represented by a Republican in 2020 and won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Three of 67 Pennsylvania counties—4.5 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Erie County, Pennsylvania 1.56% 16.03% 19.88%
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 19.31% 4.81% 8.41%
Northampton County, Pennsylvania 3.78% 4.71% 12.30%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Pennsylvania with 48.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Pennsylvania cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Pennsylvania supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election between 2000 and 2012, but voted Republican in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Pennsylvania. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[25][26]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 89 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 84 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.3 points. Clinton won 19 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 114 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 20 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 119 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 28.2 points. Trump won 17 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


Candidate ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for 17th Congressional District candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Pennsylvania 17th Congressional District Qualified party 1,000 Fixed number $150.00 Fixed number 2/18/2020 Source
Pennsylvania 17th Congressional District Unaffiliated Unknown (results unavailable for calculations) 2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election $150.00 Fixed number 8/3/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated incumbent Keith Rothfus in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Conor Lamb
Conor Lamb (D)
 
56.3
 
183,162
Image of Keith Rothfus
Keith Rothfus (R)
 
43.7
 
142,417

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 325,579
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Conor Lamb
Conor Lamb
 
100.0
 
52,590

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 52,590
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Keith Rothfus advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Keith Rothfus
Keith Rothfus
 
100.0
 
38,513

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 38,513
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Results prior to 2018 redistricting

On February 19, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopted a new congressional district map after ruling that the original map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. District locations and numbers were changed by the new map. Click here for more information about the ruling.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In Pennsylvania, in-person mail-in voting is available (i.e., a voter can visit a county election office, obtain a mail-in ballot, and return it).
  2. ↑ In Pennsylvania, in-person mail-in voting is available (i.e., a voter can visit a county election office, obtain a mail-in ballot, and return it).
  3. ↑ Sean Parnell, "About," accessed October 11, 2020
  4. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008," accessed October 6, 2020
  5. ↑ DCCC, "Frontline," February 7, 2019
  6. ↑ NRCC, "McCarthy Promotes 15 Candidates to Final Phase of Young Guns Program," May 27, 2020
  7. ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "Composite Listing of Congressional Districts," accessed April 12, 2018
  8. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  9. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  10. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  11. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  12. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  13. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  14. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  15. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  16. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  17. ↑ Twitter, "Dave Wasserman on November 2, 2020," accessed November 2, 2020
  18. ↑ Twitter, "Jacob Rubashkin on October 28, 2020," accessed October 29, 2020
  19. ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Sean Parnell for Congress," October 27, 2020
  20. ↑ The Cook Political Report, "House Rating Changes: Seven Races Move, Mostly Towards Democrats," September 29, 2020
  21. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fec
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  23. ↑ Conor Lamb’s campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 6, 2020
  24. ↑ Chris Parnell’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed October 6, 2020
  25. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  26. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  27. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
  28. ↑ The New York Times, "Pennsylvania Primary Results," April 26, 2016


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