Breaking down Pennsylvania’s 2026 primary election

Voters across Pennsylvania, including those in Philadelphia, cast ballots in several significant races for Tuesday’s 2026 primary election.

The May 19 election operated under Pennsylvania’s closed primary system — meaning voters must be registered with a political party to vote in that party’s primary election — with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters selected candidates for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and a variety of state and federal legislators, as well as voting on two ballot questions.

In the third congressional district — which encompasses University City — state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-200) won a competitive race against Penn professor Ala Stanford and state Sen. Sharif Street (D-3). Rabb is expected to succeed Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) as the only candidate in the United States House of Representatives general election. Rabb graduated from Penn in 2006 with a master’s in organizational dynamics.

A Penn Democrats spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the PA-03 race was a “significant indicator of the political mood” of the Democratic party, as it is “one of the bluest districts in the country.”

Additionally, two city-wide ballot questions — an amendment to create the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board and a proposal to add the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter — were ratified. Ballot questions are open to all voters regardless of party affiliation.

In Pennsylvania Senate District 8, which includes part of Penn campus, voters selected Incumbent Anthony Williams over his opponent, David Goldsmith Jr. Williams has held the post since 1998.

Incumbent Democrats who were unopposed within their party — including Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D), and 2013 Engineering graduate state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-188) — all secured the nomination for their respective seats.

Davis has served as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor since 2023. He is the state’s 35th lieutenant governor and the first Black man to hold the post.

Both Pennsylvania House District 188 and Pennsylvania Senate District 8 have no Republican candidates.

Penn Dems previously endorsed Shapiro, Davis, and Krajewski, as well as both ballot questions.

Jason Richey claimed the Republican ticket in the race for lieutenant governor. Richey has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity secured the Republican nomination for governor. She will face Shapiro in November for leadership of the swing state.

2025 College graduate Leo Solga — who launched his campaign for Pennsylvania’s 148th House District in December — lost his primary election.

In an interview with the DP, Executive Director of Penn’s Office of Government and Community Affairs Dawn Maglicco Deitch noted a “low turnout” on Penn’s campus for the primary. She attributed this fact to University move-out earlier this month.

“Residential buildings on campus are empty, so there’s a structural disadvantage to the voters who register at their campus residences,” Deitch said.

Deitch noted, however, that this barrier to students’ “ability to vote in person” did not reflect a lack of engagement for a “majority” of Penn voters. She said that student-organized candidate visits and issue debates had driven a “high interest” in the election.

“I feel the sense of frustration that a lot of our student residents do when they come to learn that they won't be here for the spring election cycle,” Deitch said.

A Project Lead the Vote spokesperson wrote to the DP that they “encourage and emphasize voting in every election” despite “less public awareness around the primary elections.”

The 2026 primary follows last year’s substantial increase in voter turnout during an off-cycle election, with a total of 2,126 ballots cast at Penn’s on-campus polling locations in November 2025.

Pennsylvania’s 2026 general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, with voter registration closing on Oct. 19.

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