Election 2018

Democrats dominate in regional races

Polls are now closed in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania for races critical to all three statehouses and the makeup of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Hundreds of supporters came out to support various Pennsylvania Democratic candidates at the official watch party for Mary Gay Scanlon in Swarthmore, Pa on November 6th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)

Hundreds of supporters came out to support various Pennsylvania Democratic candidates at the official watch party for Mary Gay Scanlon in Swarthmore, Pa on November 6th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)

Live election results:

Updated: 11:43 pm

With many results in, it has been a victorious night for women.

Democrat Chrissy Houlahan won her congressional seat, PA-6, against Republican Greg McCauley. This makes her one of four women winning congressional races in Pennsylvania tonight. Susan Wild, PA-7, and Mary Scanlon, PA-5, and Madeleine Dean, PA-4  also won.

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One of the few Republican winners in the region is Pennsylvania freshman U.S Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick who narrowly prevailed over Scott Wallace in PA-1. The Bucks County race was one of the most expensive races in the state.  Wallace spent millions of his family fortune while Fitzpatrick had considerable outside money from Republican and conservative super PACs. This district went for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Brian Fitzpatrick celebrates his reelection with his brother, and former congressman, Mike Fitzpatrick. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

Pennsylvania Democrat U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb keeps his district, PA-17, after defeating Republican Keith Rothfus. Lamb won a special election last fall. This was the nation’s only congressional race this year that featured two sitting congressmen, because of Pennsylvania’s redistricting.

A court-ordered redistricting of Pennsylvania congressional boundaries and the departure of four Republican incumbents have given Democrats a chance to pick up several seats in their bid for power in the U.S. House.

Delaware stays Democratic with incumbents U.S. Senator Tom Carper and U.S. Rep. Lisa Rochester winning their respective races.

Incumbent Democrats Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle won their U.S. House races in PA-3 and PA-2.

On the New Jersey side, the first declared winner is incumbent Bob Menendez over Republican Bob Hugin, who has conceded. This race was one of the most expensive and competitive in the state.

Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey beat Republican Lou Barletta, according to the Associated Press.

Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf won his second term, beating Republican Scott Wagner.

A court-ordered redistricting of Pennsylvania congressional boundaries and the departure of four Republican incumbents have given Democrats a chance to pick up several seats in their bid for power in the U.S. House.

According to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, voter turnout seems to be high, closer to presidential election years. The official estimate of turnout will be available in a few days.

There have been a few notable problems at polling places.

In Chester County, there was an incorrectly configured ballot in a Phoenixville precinct which affected about 93 voters, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. There were other scattered problems throughout the state.

Micah Sims, director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, says 17 polling places in four counties opened late, some more than an hour late. The organization has 600 poll monitors in 25 of the state’s 67 counties.

“The number of new poll workers and the impact that is having on voting has begun to pop up throughout the state. New poll workers who are just learning the process unfortunately are slowing down the process, in some instances causing long lines, but people have been patient and diligent with staying in line,” he said.

Sims says there have been registration issues in areas with large pockets of college students, mainly around Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and they have been working to make sure those areas have enough provisional ballots.

WHYY’s capitol reporter, Katie Meyer, was tracking issues throughout the day as well.

Also in Western Pennsylvania, a man was arrested on charges that he threatened to shoot workers at a polling place.

Forty-eight-year-old Christopher Thomas Queen of Claysville is charged with terroristic threats and disorderly conduct. Melanie Ostrander, Washington County’s assistant elections director, said he came to the South Franklin Volunteer Fire Department in South Franklin Township at about 9 a.m. Tuesday and became irate when he was told he wasn’t registered to vote.

Ostrander said the man allegedly “became upset, told the poll workers he was going to go get a gun and come back and shoot them.”

Court documents don’t list an attorney for Queen and a phone number listed in his name rang unanswered before disconnecting Tuesday.

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Taylor Allen, Mark Eichmann, Sara Hoover, Katie Meyer, Kimberly Paynter, and WESA contributed to this report.

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