Shapiro-Backed Candidates Win in Districts Dems Hope to Flip

Democrats in Pennsylvania backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro won their primaries Tuesday to shape a congressional slate in which they hope to flip the state's four swing districts and, ultimately, capture a US House majority, the AP reports. Janelle Stelson, Bob Harvie, and Bob Brooks won the party's nomination in three swing districts where Democrats had a contested primary for the right to take on Republican seat-holders in November. All were endorsed by Shapiro, the Democratic governor who is putting his clout on the line in trying to help flip the House seats and also deliver Democratic control of the state Legislature to advance his own agenda.

Speaking to a primary night crowd, Shapiro—considered a potential White House contender in 2028—spent a considerable amount of his speech attacking President Trump and a Republican Congress that he said is weak, serves Trump's will, and gives Trump a free pass on wrongdoing and corruption. "The only way we can expect to change this is to win in November and bring some accountability back to our nation's capital," Shapiro told the crowd in an event space that was once a centrifuge where the US Navy tested G-forces on astronauts. Shapiro and Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity will face each other in November after winning their uncontested primaries. Shapiro will go into the fall as a heavy favorite to win.

The governor also urged the crowd to help the party's candidates win control of the Legislature for the first time in more than three decades. "Give me a Democratic majority in the Senate and we will fully fund mass transit, we will build more housing, and we will codify abortion rights into state law," Shapiro said. For Shapiro, the election year is more than an opportunity to win a second term: It's a chance show his battleground-state political strength should he decide to run for president in 2028. The US House campaigns will put Pennsylvania on the front lines of Democratic efforts to retake control of Congress and block the last two years of Trump's agenda.