2024 Pennsylvania primary guide

See: How to vote | Races & Candidates

Pennsylvania voters will decide a slew of party nominations in the April 23, 2024, primary elections. In this presidential election year, Pittsburgh-area voters will also decide on U.S. Senate, two U.S. House races and a number of other positions across the commonwealth. Whether you’re voting for the first time, updating your party registration or looking for candidate information, this guide helps you prepare for the 2024 election season.

How do I vote?

Get registered if you’re not already

If you were registered to vote in 2022 and you haven’t moved, you’re still good.

Be aware: In Pennsylvania, if you are not a registered Democrat or Republican, you cannot vote in either of those parties’ primaries.

Not sure? Find your registration status. Also note: The deadline to register for the primary is April 8.

Vote in person

  1. Find your polling place. Even if you’ve been voting in the same location for years, that location might be different for the April 23 primary. In Allegheny County alone, voters in 60 precincts will cast their ballots in new locations
  2. Go to your polling place and cast your vote between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day (May 23 for the Pennsylvania primary).

Or, vote by mail

If you’ll be out of town on Election Day, you can fill out an absentee ballot. Or, if you prefer not to vote in person, you can fill out a mail-in ballot.

Download the vote by mail application. You’ll get a ballot packet in the mail. Fill out the ballot (see step-by-step instructions), put it in the secrecy envelope, which already has the correct address, add a stamp and mail it. Your ballot must be:

  • Received (not just postmarked) by 8 p.m. Election Day (the Pennsylvania primary is on April 23).
  • Inside the secrecy envelope.
  • Correctly dated.
  • Signed.

If any of these requirements are not followed, your ballot won’t count.

Instead of mailing, you can drop off your ballot at these designated locations on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The candidates

U.S. president

Democrat

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden is seeking a second term in the White House against the man he defeated four years ago. Before being elected as the 46th president in 2020, he served in the U.S. Senate and then was vice president for two terms under Barack Obama.

Republican

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump quickly disposed of more than a dozen challengers in the Republican primary and won his party’s presidential nomination for the third consecutive time. He would be only the second person to serve two non-consecutive terms as president, following Grover Cleveland.

The latest

U.S. Senate

Democrat

Bob Casey Jr.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, son of a former governor, is seeking his fourth term in Washington. Prior to serving in the Senate, he spent eight years as state auditor general and two years as state treasurer.

Republican

David McCormick

Former hedge fund executive David McCormick is making his second run for the Senate. He lost the GOP primary two years ago to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who was defeated by John Fetterman in the general election.

The latest

Pennsylvania attorney general

Democrat

Keir Bradford-Grey

Former head of Philadelphia’s public defense lawyers association, former head of Montgomery County’s public defender’s office

Eugene DePasquale

State Auditor General (2013-2021), state congress, York County (2007-2013)

Joe Kahn

Bucks County solicitor (2020-2023), former prosecutor in the Philadelphia district attorney’s office and the U.S. attorney’s office

Jared Solomon

State representative of Philadelphia (2017-present)

Jack Stollsteimer

Delaware County district attorney (2019-), former Pennsylvania safe schools advocate, former U.S. assistant attorney

Republican

Dave Sunday

York County district attorney (2018-present), prosecutor with York County district attorney’s office

Craig Williams

State representative, Delaware County (2021-present), assistant U.S. attorney in Colorado and Pennsylvania

The latest

U.S. House, District 12

Not sure if this is your district? Look it up by your zip code.

Democrat

Summer Lee

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, first elected in 2022, is the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania at the U.S. Capitol. She has aligned herself with the group of lawmakers known as the Squad, which includes other progressive lawmakers of color. Ms. Lee is a former state legislator.

Bhavini Patel

Edgewood Borough Council member Bhavini Patel initially entered the 2022 Democratic primary but quickly withdrew. She was the co-founder and CEO of a small business and is a community outreach manager for Allegheny County.

Republican

James Hayes

Business executive James Hayes is running unopposed.

The latest

U.S. House, District 17

Not sure if this is your district? Look it up by your zip code.

Democrat

(U.S. House of Representatives via Wikimedia Commons)

Chris Deluzio

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, is seeking a second term in Washington. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, an Iraq War veteran, and a voting rights attorney. He was the starting pitcher for the Democrats last year in the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

Republican

(Pennsylvania House of Representatives)

Rob Mercuri

State Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, also is an Iraq War veteran, where he served after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. He is a former banker who now owns a small business.