Polls close in Pennsylvania at 8PM Eastern.
There are only four races worth watching in the Keystone state tonight, and the Pennsylvania Department of State will be posting the returns as they come in:
PA-03 (D): Results
PA-05 (D & R): Results
PA-10 (R): Results
PA-18 (D): Results
The Swing State Project’s rundown of these races can be found here.
Can someone tell me which candidates we want to win, both from a policy standpoint and from an electability standpoint. It makes watching election returns more interesting when you have someone to cheer for. :p
This is why I love Swing State Project!
PA-03 – Kathy Dahlkemper (D)
PA-05 – McCracken (D)
PA-05 – Derek Walker (R)
PA-10 – Chris Hackett (R)
PA-15 – Steve O’Donnell (D)
Look like the winners tonight.
The pessimist in me can’t resist reminding everyone of the last time this seat was open, in 1996. John Peterson was hit with accusations of sexual harassment barely a week before the election, and he still won with 60%. Then again, rural Pennsylvania is the kind of place that doesn’t necessarily take sexual harassment seriously but does look down upon burglary.
I figure it’s a win-win situation for us: either we pick up one of the most Republican seats in the East or the Repubs get stuck with yet another known criminal on their side of the aisle.
Glen Thompson took the lead. I’m not sure if I missed it or if more results threw him over the top. No more burglar holding the plurality though.
PA-03: Lake Erie Arboretum director Kathy Dahlkemper wins with 44.9% of the vote.
PA-05: Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken with 40.7% for the Dems and Glenn Thomson with 19.5% for the reps.
PA-10: Club for Growth favorite Chris Hackett wins with 52.3%!
PA-18: Self funder Steve O’Donnell wins with 45.3%
D votes = 72255
R votes = 70818
Obviously the presidential primary will have brought more Dems out but the GOP primary for this seat was very competitive so maybe that negates things and there is something to work with here in another R+10 district.
the Republicans nominated the accused burglar?
I can’t pick a winner! Dahlkemper? Really, PA-03ers? The Glenn Thompson vs. Mark McCracken match-up will cure insomnia. I really wanted Vilello in PA-05. If either Vilello or Cahir had dropped out, the other would have beaten McCracken. Oh well, at least I can laugh at Shaner and Walker who clearly deserve each other. The two wealthy criminals finished just 14 votes apart.
are they good on issues? smart? electable?
and i’m unimpressed. i suppose dahlkemper has an outside shot if the wave is big enough, but the fundraising and websites for these candidates are pathetic. i’ve really admired ed rendell over the years, but he, as the leader of the PA democratic party, should have been recruiting candidates for these swing districts instead of focusing on a presidential primary which only helped the split the democratic party.