Could Pennsylvania be the most important state in midterm elections?

A Hummer stretch limousine is parked at the Pennsylvania State Capitol during Doug Mastriano's rally against vaccine mandates in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on December 14, 2021. Photo by Paul Weaver/Sipa USA.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman won the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. He has been in the hospital since Friday after suffering from a stroke. Fetterman handily defeated his challenger, moderate Democratic U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb by 30 points. 

The Senate primary on the Republican side is still too close to call, and an automatic recount is likely in the race between hedge fund manager David McCormick and celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz.

Republicans also nominated a far-right candidate for governor, State Senator Doug Mastriano, who supported former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and was photographed at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. What do these primary races mean for the rest of the country? 

Credits

Guest:

  • Stephen Medvic - political scientist and the director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania