2018_Pennsylvania's_15th_congressional_district_special_election
Special elections for the 7th and 15th congressional districts in Pennsylvania were held on November 6, 2018, following the resignations of Republican U.S. Representatives Pat Meehan (7th district) and Charlie Dent (15th district).
These were the last elections held in either district under their configurations made in 2011 by the Pennsylvania Legislature, as new districts drawn in accordance will the ruling of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were in effect for the main 2018 congressional elections in November. The bulk of the old 7th became the new 5th District and the bulk of the old 15th became the new 7th District. In both cases, the two candidates on the ballot for these special elections were also on the ballot for the regular election held on the same day in their respective successor districts.
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County results Scanlon: 50–60% Kim: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
In January 2018, following revelation that he used taxpayers' money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by a female staff member, Meehan announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of his current term and not seek reelection in 2018.[1] On April 27, 2018, Meehan resigned and said he would pay back the taxpayer funds used for the settlement.[2]
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district under the 2011 configuration is located in the Delaware Valley and borders Delaware. It includes portions of Berks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Lancaster County and Montgomery County.[3] The district has a Cook PVI score of R+1.
Candidates
In Pennsylvania, primaries are not held for special congressional elections. Instead, nominees are chosen by party committee members from each of the counties represented in the district.
Republican
- Pearl Kim, former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania and Republican nominee for Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district in 2018[4]
Democratic
- Mary Gay Scanlon, attorney and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district in 2018[5]
Green
- Brianna Johnston, businesswoman[6]
Libertarian
- Sandra Salas, sex worker
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mary Gay Scanlon | 173,268 | 52.27% | +11.47% | |
| Republican | Pearl Kim | 152,503 | 46.01% | -13.46% | |
| Libertarian | Sandra Teresa Salas | 3,177 | 0.96% | N/A | |
| Green | Brianna Johnston | 2,511 | 0.76% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 331,459 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
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County results Wild: 50–60% Nothstein: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
In September 2017, Dent announced that he would retire from Congress and not seek re-election to another term in 2018.[7] In April 2018, Dent announced that he would resign in May 2018, not serving out the remainder of his term.[8][9] He resigned on May 12, 2018, leaving the seat vacant.[10]
In Pennsylvania, primaries are not held for special congressional elections. Instead, nominees are chosen by party members from each of the counties represented in the district.
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district under the 2011 configuration is located in the Lehigh Valley and borders New Jersey. It includes portions of Dauphin County, Lebanon County, Berks County, and Northampton County, and the entirety of Lehigh County.[3] The district has a Cook PVI score of R+4.
Candidates
Republican nominee
- Marty Nothstein, chairman of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners and Republican nominee for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in 2018[11]
Democratic nominee
- Susan Wild, former Allentown Solicitor and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in 2018[5]
Libertarian nominee
- Tim Silfies, business reporter for WFMZ-TV and Libertarian nominee for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in 2018.
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susan Wild | 130,353 | 48.54% | +10.52% | |
| Republican | Marty Nothstein | 129,594 | 48.26% | -10.13% | |
| Libertarian | Tim Silfies | 8,579 | 3.19% | -0.40% | |
| Total votes | 268,526 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
- Tamari, Jonathan (January 25, 2018). "Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection after sexual harassment furor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- Tamari, Jonathan (April 27, 2018). "Rep. Pat Meehan resigns; will pay back $39,000 used for harassment settlement". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- "File:Pennsylvania December 2011 Redistricting Map.jpg - Ballotpedia". Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- Carey, Kathleen E. (August 2, 2018). "Kim will face Scanlon in 7th District special election, too". Delaware County Daily Times.
- Engelkemier, Paul (May 25, 2018). "Pa. Dems Pick Scanlon and Wild for PA-7 and PA-15 Special Elections". PoliticsPA.
- Carey, Kathleen E. (September 9, 2018). "Green Party candidate running in special election for the 7th". Delaware County Daily Times.
- DeBonis, Mike. "Rep. Charlie Dent, outspoken GOP moderate, will not seek reelection". Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- Brelje, Beth (May 14, 2018). "Charlie Dent, Pat Meehan's constituents can still get help". Reading Eagle. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- Radzievich, Nicole (July 31, 2018). "Nothstein nominated to run in special election for Dent's seat". The Morning Call.
- "Susan Wild wins special congressional election to finish Charlie Dent's term". Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- Official campaign websites of seventh district candidates
- Official campaign websites of fifteenth district candidates