Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District

The 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania was a congressional district that was eliminated in the 2020 Census apportionment process. During the 2020 apportionment process, Pennsylvania had one seat in the U.S. House taken due to population changes across the country. The 18th Congressional District ceased to exist following the 2022 elections.

As of the 2020 Census, Pennsylvania representatives represented an average of 765,403 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 707,495 residents.

Elections

2020

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Incumbent Michael Doyle defeated Luke Negron, Daniel Vayda, and Donald Nevills in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Doyle (D)	69.2	266,084
		Luke Negron (R)	30.8	118,163
	Submit photo	Daniel Vayda (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Donald Nevills (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 384,247
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Incumbent Michael Doyle defeated Jerry Dickinson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Doyle	67.2	90,353
		Jerry Dickinson	32.8	44,170

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134,523
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Janis Brooks (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Luke Negron defeated Kim Mack in the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luke Negron	100.0	30,497
	Submit photo	Kim Mack (Write-in)	0.0	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,497
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jeremy Cartner (R)

2018

Results of 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. Candidates were listed under Pennsylvania’s new districts, which were used in the 2018 congressional elections. Click here for more information about the ruling.

The chart below compares this new district with the old district that was the most geographically similar to it.

Old district	Prior incumbent	Prior 2016 presidential result	New 2016 presidential result
14th District	Mike Doyle (D)	D+35.5	D+26.8

Not sure which district you're in? Find out here.

Click the box below to see how the new congressional districts compare to the ones in place before the redrawing.

Changes in Pennsylvania's congressional districts
New district	Prior district	Prior 2016 presidential result	New 2016 presidential result	Prior incumbent
1st District	8th District	R+0.2	D+2.0	Brian Fitzpatrick (R)
2nd District	13th District	D+33.6	D+48.0	Brendan Boyle (D)
3rd District	2nd District	D+82.8	D+83.9	Dwight Evans (D)
4th District	13th District	D+33.6	D+19.4	None
5th District	7th District	D+2.3	D+28.2	Pat Meehan (R)
6th District	6th District	D+0.6	D+9.3	Ryan Costello (R)
7th District	15th District	R+7.6	D+1.1	Charlie Dent (R)
8th District	17th District	R+10.1	R+9.5	Matt Cartwright (D)
9th District	17th District	R+10.1	R+34.0	None
10th District	4th District	R+21.5	R+8.9	Scott Perry (R)
11th District	16th District	R+6.8	R+25.8	Lloyd Smucker (R)
12th District	10th District	R+36.0	R+36.5	Tom Marino (R)
13th District	9th District	R+42.5	R+45.5	Bill Shuster (R)
14th District	18th District	R+19.6	R+29.0	Conor Lamb (D)
15th District	5th District	R+28.8	R+43.4	Glenn Thompson (R)
16th District	3rd District	R+26.1	R+19.9	Mike Kelly (R)
17th District	12th District	R+20.8	R+2.5	Keith Rothfus (R)
18th District	14th District	D+35.5	D+26.8	Mike Doyle (D)
Source: Daily Kos

Regular election

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Incumbent Michael Doyle won election in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Doyle (D)	100.0	231,472

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 231,472
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Incumbent Michael Doyle defeated Janis Brooks in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Doyle	75.9	52,080
		Janis Brooks	24.1	16,549

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 68,629
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Special election

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District special election, 2018

This election was held to replace Tim Murphy (R). On October 5, 2017, Murphy submitted his letter of resignation, effective October 21, 2017. The announcement came in the midst of allegations that he had an extramarital affair that led to Murphy asking a woman to seek an abortion.

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated Rick Saccone and Drew Gray Miller in the special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 18 on March 13, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb (D)	49.9	114,102
		Rick Saccone (R)	49.5	113,347
		Drew Gray Miller (L)	0.6	1,381

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 228,830
= 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.

2016

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Tim Murphy (R) was unopposed in the general election held on November 8, 2016. He also faced no opposition in the Republican primary on April 26, 2016.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy Incumbent	100%	293,684
Total Votes				293,684
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State

2014

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Tim Murphy (R) ran unopposed in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy Incumbent	100%	166,076
Total Votes				166,076
Source: Pennsylvania Secretary of State

2012

See also: Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Tim Murphy won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Larry Maggi	36%	122,146
	Republican	Tim Murphy Incumbent	64%	216,727
Total Votes				338,873
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Tim Murphy won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Dan Connolly (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy incumbent	67.3%	161,888
	Democratic	Dan Connolly	32.7%	78,558
Total Votes				240,446

2008

On November 4, 2008, Tim Murphy won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Steve O'Donnell (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy incumbent	64.1%	213,349
	Democratic	Steve O'Donnell	35.9%	119,661
Total Votes				333,010

2006

On November 7, 2006, Tim Murphy won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Chad Kluko (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy incumbent	57.8%	144,632
	Democratic	Chad Kluko	42.2%	105,419
Total Votes				250,051

2004

On November 2, 2004, Tim Murphy won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Mark G. Boles (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy incumbent	62.8%	197,894
	Democratic	Mark G. Boles	37.2%	117,420
Total Votes				315,314

2002

On November 5, 2002, Tim Murphy won election to the United States House. He defeated Jack Machek (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Murphy	60.1%	119,885
	Democratic	Jack Machek	39.9%	79,451
Total Votes				199,336

2000

On November 7, 2000, Michael Doyle won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Craig C. Stephens in the general election.

U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 18 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael F. Doyle incumbent	69.4%	156,131
	Republican	Craig C. Stephens	30.6%	68,798
Total Votes				224,929

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also: Redistricting in Pennsylvania after the 2020 census

On February 23, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled to enact a new congressional map. Over a dozen maps were submitted to the supreme court, including the map approved by the legislature. The court ultimately selected the Carter map in a 4-3 ruling, which was submitted by a group of Pennsylvania citizens who were petitioners in a redistricting-related lawsuit. Justices Debra Todd (D), Sallie Mundy (R), and Kevin Brobson (R) dissented. Spotlight PA's Kate Huangpu wrote that the map is "as similar as possible to the current congressional map, with nearly 90% of residents staying in the same district." This map took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 congressional elections.

The state supreme court took authority over the redistricting process after Gov. Tom Wolf (D) vetoed the legislature's enacted map on January 26. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to approve the initial map 110-91 on January 12, and the Pennsylvania State Senate voted 29-20 to approve the map on January 24. Following Wolf's veto, the authority for determining a new map initially rested with a lower court, but in a February 2 ruling the supreme court ruled that it would have control over the process to select a new congressional map.

How does redistricting in Pennsylvania work? In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. These lines are subject to gubernatorial veto.

State legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission. Established in 1968, the commission comprises five members:

1. The majority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
2. The minority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
3. The majority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
4. The minority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
5. The first four commissioners appoint a fifth member to serve as the commission's chair. If the commission is unable to reach an agreement, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must appoint a commission chair.

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Further, state legislative districts should "respect county, city, incorporated town, borough, township and ward boundaries." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.

Pennsylvania District 18
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

2018

On January 22, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional district map, finding that the map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. On February 19, 2018, the court adopted a remedial map for use in the 2018 election cycle. Pennsylvania Republicans filed suit in federal district court to prevent implementation of the new map. The district court dismissed the suit on March 19, 2018. State Republicans also petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to stay the state supreme court's order pending appeal. The court rejected this request on March 19, 2018. To learn more, see here.

2010-2011

This is the 18th Congressional District prior to the 2010 redistricting.

See also: Redistricting in Pennsylvania after the 2010 census

The Legislative Reapportionment Commission in Pennsylvania approved the GOP-proposed map. It was signed into law on December 22, 2001.

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 D+13, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 13 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District the 105th most Democratic nationally.

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 0.98. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.98 points toward that party.

See also

• Redistricting in Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District election, 2020

Footnotes

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Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Fetterman (D)

David McCormick (R)

Representatives

District 1

Brian Fitzpatrick (R)

District 2

Brendan Boyle (D)

District 3

Dwight Evans (D)

District 4

Madeleine Dean (D)

District 5

Mary Scanlon (D)

District 6

Chrissy Houlahan (D)

District 7

Ryan Mackenzie (R)

District 8

Rob Bresnahan (R)

District 9

Dan Meuser (R)

District 10

Scott Perry (R)

District 11

Lloyd Smucker (R)

District 12

Summer Lee (D)

District 13

John Joyce (R)

District 14

Guy Reschenthaler (R)

District 15

Glenn Thompson (R)

District 16

Mike Kelly (R)

District 17

Chris Deluzio (D)

Republican Party (11)

Democratic Party (8)