Forty-two of the 190 Pennsylvania state legislators running for re-election this year—20 Democrats and 22 Republicans—face contested primaries. That equals 22% of incumbents seeking re-election, the highest rate since 2014. The remaining 78% of incumbents are not facing primary challengers.
A contested primary is one where more candidates are running than there are nominations available. After redistricting, it is common to see primaries where two incumbents run against one another. This can happen if a district’s lines are redrawn to place two incumbents in the same district.
