“A lot of people wanted to convince us that we couldn’t be for peace and win this district,” Lee said in his victory speech.
Pennsylvania will play a central role in the November rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump in the battle for the White House, and will also be crucial for both parties as they jostle for control of the Senate and from the room.
Tuesday’s primaries cemented three competitive races whose results will help determine control in Congress. Sen. Bob Casey (D) will officially face businessman David McCormick (R) in what is expected to be one of the most expensive and closely watched Senate races in the country.
Republican Rep. Scott Perry will face longtime local news anchor Janelle Stelson, a Democrat, in his bid for re-election in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. Democrats are targeting Perry’s Harrisburg-area seat because they could potentially flip him in their effort to win back the House. And Democratic Rep. Susan Wild will defend her 7th District seat against Ryan Mackenzie, a GOP state representative. The Lehigh Valley district is a perennial battleground and Republicans have once again chosen it as an opportunity to oust a Democrat as they fight to maintain their slim majority in the House.
Lee, a new Pittsburgh-area congresswoman, survived a Democratic primary challenge from Edgewood Borough Council member Bhavini Patel in a race that highlighted Democratic divisions over Israel.
Last fall, Lee was one of the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire and criticize the Israeli government’s response to the Hamas attack on October 7.
At the time, her position distinguished her from the majority of her party. But over the past six months, voter sentiment toward the conflict has shifted, and more Democrats — including Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) — have sharpened their criticism of the conflict. respect of the Israeli government. In interviews with voters in Lee’s district before the primary, some Lee supporters said they were initially unsure of his position but had come to accept or consider it as more dominant.
In a tweet after his victory, Lee said: “Opposing genocide is good politics and good policy. #CeasefireNOW.
McCormick takes on the famous Casey in his second Senate attempt
The race between Casey and McCormick is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate matchups in the country, as Democrats fend off challenges to their one-seat majority in the upper chamber. The race will also take place in one of the most crucial states in deciding the presidential election.
Casey is well known throughout the state; his last name is an integral part of Pennsylvania politics. He has held the Senate seat since 2007 and is the son of Robert Casey Sr., a two-term governor from 1987 to 1995. Casey easily won his past re-elections and public polls give him an early advantage, leading by seven percent. points in a Franklin & Marshall College poll last month.
But Republicans hope that McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, will be Casey’s most formidable challenger yet. After narrowly losing the 2022 Senate nomination to TV doctor Mehmet Oz, McCormick united the party around his candidacy and avoided a primary challenge.
McCormick intends to portray Casey as a career politician and hopes Casey will be dragged down by Biden’s low approval ratings and voters’ continued unease with the economy.
Casey also hopes that Trump leading the Republican field will hurt McCormick among suburban voters critical to winning the state. In 2022, Trump endorsed Oz and eviscerated McCormick as a “liberal Wall Street Republican.” But since then, the two men have supported each other during this year’s campaign. Democrats will also attack McCormick because he lives in Connecticut, where he still owns a home.
Race for Perry siege highlights core message of both parties
Stelson handily won the six-way primary to challenge Perry.
Democrats believe Stelson, who was a registered Republican until January 2023, can win over independents and moderate Republicans who might be. discouraged by Perry’s conservatism and his ties to Trump. Stelson, who enjoys a high profile due to his years on television, attacked Perry for his support of the Life Begins at Conception Act, congressional legislation that would effectively ban abortion nationwide.
But Republicans point to Perry’s comfortable re-election victories in previous cycles as evidence that he will do it again. He won the district by eight percentage points in 2022, even as Democrat Josh Shapiro won the district by 12 points. in the race for governor.
Perry, who previously chaired the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, also played a central role in efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Democrats hope will harm him with Trump at the top of the ticket. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack found that Perry participated in White House meetings in which strategies to try to challenge the transfer of power were discussed. After Trump supporters attacked the Capitol, Perry formally objected to the counting of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
“Together we can defeat its extremism and chaos and bring common sense problem-solving back to Congress,” Stelson posted on X after his victory.
washingtonpost
