Democrats are already planning for 2026 and think they can flip these four Pa. congressional seats

Julia Terruso, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 8, 2025

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House Democrats have their eyes on four Pennsylvania congressional districts in 2026 — two they hope to regain and two they’ve been trying to win for years.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told The Inquirer it is focusing its midterm attention on longtime U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Bucks County and Scott Perry of York County, and on two freshmen: U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie of Lehigh County and Rob Bresnahan of Lackawanna County.

Pennsylvania, which loomed large in the 2024 election, is the state with the most Democratic targets on the DCCC’s 2026 list, previewing another election cycle obsessively focused on the commonwealth.

The party lost two House seats last year, when Democratic Reps. Matt Cartwright in northeastern Pennsylvania and Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley were defeated amid a national red wave. Republicans have continued to close the registration gap in the state, as well.

But Democrats are hoping their recent win in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and a state Senate win in Lancaster last month indicate shifting energy that they can build on ahead of the midterms.

The announcement also comes as President Donald Trump is experiencing widespread backlash for massive tariffs and worries about the economic outlook, sentiments Democrats are hoping to seize on heading into 2026.

DCCC chair Suzan DelBene tied the four Republicans to Trump’s policies and accused them in a statement of failing to protect working Pennsylvanians.

“From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, they’ve broken their promises to Pennsylvanians, and it’s going to cost them their seats,” DelBene said.

Democrats running in races identified by the DCCC as target districts often benefit from funding from the group, though being listed does not guarantee financial support.

In Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District, Fitzpatrick has already drawn a challenger: Bucks County Commissioners Chair Bob Harvie.

In the 7th Congressional District, Lamont McClure, the Democratic Northampton County executive, has said he will challenge Mackenzie. Wild, who held the seat, said she will not run in 2026.

Janelle Stelson, a former television anchor who lost to Perry by about 5,000 votes, said at a town hall in the district last month that she was “seriously considering” a second run.

Meanwhile, National Republican Campaign Committee regional spokesperson Maureen O’Toole predicted the GOP strength seen in 2024 would continue.

“Democrats across Pennsylvania were resoundingly rejected in 2024 for being too radical and out of touch,” O’Toole said. “They will be rejected again.”

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