Special elections for the 7th and 15th congressional districts in Pennsylvania were held on November 6, 2018, following the resignations of RepublicanU.S. RepresentativesPat Meehan (7th district) andCharlie Dent (15th district).
These were the last elections held in either district under their configurations made in 2011 by thePennsylvania Legislature, as new districts drawn in accordance will the ruling of theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania inLeague 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 new5th District and the bulk of the old 15th became the new7th 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.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Scanlon: 50–60% Kim: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
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 fromCongress at the end of his current term and not seekreelection 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 theDelaware Valley and bordersDelaware. It includes portions ofBerks County,Chester County,Delaware County,Lancaster County andMontgomery County.[3] The district had aCook PVI score of R+1.
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.
| 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 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Wild: 50–60% Nothstein: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
In September 2017, Dent announced that he would retire fromCongress and not seek re-election to another term in2018.[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 theLehigh Valley and bordersNew Jersey. It includes portions ofDauphin County,Lebanon County,Berks County, andNorthampton County, and the entirety ofLehigh County.[3] The district had aCook PVI score of R+4.
| 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 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
Official campaign websites of seventh district candidates
Official campaign websites of fifteenth district candidates
.jpg)
.jpg)
