Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu

Election season is upon the state of Pennsylvania, but many have yet to research candidates and their political ideals. On Nov. 8, residents of the state will vote on nine categories: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, other state executive, State Senate, State House, Special state legislative, municipal government, and local ballot measures. Listed below is important information about U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Governor elections, while the graphic includes political opinions. 

U.S. Senate

Pennsylvania candidates for U.S. Senate are democrat (D) John Fetterman and republican Mehmet Oz (R). Current Senator Pat Toomey (R) is not seeking re-election. 

Fetterman is Pennsylvania’s current Lieutenant Governor, while Oz is entering a political race for the first time but had previously served on the Presidential Council for Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.  

Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates include Ronald Johnson (Constitution Party), Richard Weiss (Green Party), Daniel Wassmer (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania), Erik Gerhardt (Libertarian), Quincy Magee (Independent) and Everett Stern (Independent). 

The outcome of this race is critical to the political balance of the U.S. Senate. 

U.S. House

House candidates vary from district to district. Erie County candidates are incumbent Mike Kelly (R) and Dan Pastore (D). 

Governor

Current PASenator Doug Mastriano and PA’s current Attorney General Josh Shapiro are Pennsylvania candidates for Governor. Governor Tom Wolf (D) will hold his position until the elections, but is term-limited, and therefore is ineligible to run for the Governor position again. 

Shapiro has been involved in Pennsylvania state government since 2005, where he has served in multiple positions, including as a state House member and as Montgomery County Commissioner. Mastriano served in the United States Army from 1988 to 2017, and was then elected as a state Senator in 2018. 

As it currently stands, Pennsylvania has a divided government with a Democratic Governor and Republican majorities in both legislative chambers. A Mastriano win would result in a Republican majority in all three sections of PA government, while a Shapiro win would maintain the divide. 

Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates include Christina Digiulio (Green Party), Joseph Soloski (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania), and Matt Hackenburg (Libertarian).