We analyze the 2024 election results, taking a closer look at some key or unexpected results. First, an interview with U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17), who held off a GOP challenger in a key swing district.
Pennsylvania’s House delegation lost two Democrats in Tuesday’s elections, and promising Democratic challengers in two tight House districts in the central and eastern parts of the state failed to unseat longtime Republican incumbents.
But in western Pennsylvania, Democrats in the House fared better. Both incumbent Reps. Summer Lee (12th District) and Chris Deluzio (17th District) won re-election. After Lee won a controversial primary against challenger Bhavini Patel in April, it was widely expected that she would win the general election, which she did: defeating the GOP challenger Unofficial results put James Hayes 56.1% to 43.9%.
But Deluzio’s re-election to a second term from a district that included parts of blue Allegheny and red Beaver counties was much more uncertain. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has put the race on its list of seats to be rejected in 2024. His opponent, state Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny), received key support from the conservative super PAC Americans for Prosperity (AFP). . Even his own party considered the district a swing district; The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identified Deluzio as one of the “vulnerable” officials this cycle sought to protect, adding him to its First list of candidates.
He is the only one of three Pennsylvania House candidates on Frontline’s ticket to win re-election.
“I’m very proud of the victory,” Deluzio told the Capital-Star. “I’m really proud that we increased the margin, especially in Beaver County, which moved to the right at the top of the ticket, but we moved it towards me.”
According to unofficial data, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, lost to President-elect Donald Trump in Beaver County 60% to 39%. And although Deluzio lost to Mercuri in Beaver, it was by a smaller margin; Mercuri won 59% and Deluzio 40%. In Allegheny County, where Harris defeated Trump 59% to 40%, Deluzio defeated Mercuri 57% to 43%.
Deluzio also increased margins since his first election in 2022, when he won by 6.8% against challenger Jeremy Shaffer. In this election he won by 7.3% over Mercuri.
Deluzio stopped tiny of blaming some parts of the Democratic Party after Harris lost to Trump, but said that as a representative of a Rust Belt district, he understood the frustration many voters have with those in power.
“Whether it’s influential people, forces or companies that hurt people or make their lives worse, I think there is a tendency among some members of my party to always look for win-win solutions,” he said. “And you know what? Sometimes there’s a bad guy and you have to kick his ass.
One of the biggest issues Deluzio tackled during his first term was rail safety. His district includes Darlington Township, which is located right on Ohio’s border with eastern Palestine. The February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment influenced his constituents and prompted his introduction House of Representatives Railroad Safety Act. The legislation would tighten rail safety requirements and strengthen oversight by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It made no progress in the House.
Deluzio pushes for rail safety legislation
“I think the most important element of what I’ve done here has always been making it clear who I’m fighting for and who I’m fighting against,” Deluzio said. “I think it was effective in fighting for rail safety, standing up to the railroads, and conveying the clear economic message that I had about corporate power and what that means, that lives are expensive and small businesses are struggling.” .
But he said it was more than just opposition to rail that helped him connect with voters.
“I think in a lot of the mills in Beaver County and beyond, I had a pretty clear idea of how we could, number one, never go back to Wall Street and corporate leaders taking us apart and outsourcing jobs and factories, and really a positive vision of what we can do to increase production and jobs here and give people a chance to achieve the American dream,” he said, which has always been a central point of both of his campaigns. “[Sen.] John Fetterman and I put ours up Do something here program a few months ago and we will continue to work on it.”
Deluzio said this is a key element to winning elections in the Rust Belt.
Deluzio credits a “multi-year effort” by residents across the district to organize mobilization efforts and operations to cast ballots and talk to voters. The labor movement also played a key role in this, he said.
“I’ve always said, and I’ve said it on election night every time I’ve won, that you can’t win in Western Pennsylvania without the support of union workers,” he added. “And I never took that support for granted. This was central to my economic proposal to voters, and having a strong and vibrant labor movement is not only good for our economy and workers, but also for how we can elect candidates who will stand up for those workers.”
Deluzio was among the lawmakers in western Pennsylvania who urged the Biden administration to reject Nippon Steel’s proposed takeover of U.S. Steel, a position Trump also favors. While Deluzio is not a fan of the president-elect, he said this could be an area where he can work with the Trump administration.
US Steel: Fetterman and Casey criticize company’s proposed $14 billion sale of Nippon Steel
“If the president-elect is going to do crazy things and attack people’s rights and freedoms and do some of the things that are outlined in Project 2025, I will fight that tooth and nail,” he said. “If he is going to continue with the Biden administration and his administration’s efforts to increase trade, especially with China, I will support those efforts. We need this for domestic steel production and other production. “I will do what I would do in any administration, which is stand up for my region and push back where needed.”
Whether Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives depends on several races that are too close to call as of press time. And the race between Casey and his GOP challenger Dave McCormick is still up in the air – the Associated Press has called the race for McCormick, but Casey has not conceded, citing the number of votes that have yet to be counted.
Deluzio, however, expressed optimism that rail safety will be a priority regardless of which party controls the House or Senate; Vice President-elect J.D. Vance was one of the co-authors, along with Casey and Fetterman, of the Senate version of the Railroad Safety Act. And if McCormick defeats Casey, Deluzio hopes to find a way to work with him as well.
“I will work with whoever I need,” he added. “But the task of providing resources and urging our senator to stand up for Pennsylvania should not be a partisan one.”
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