US Senate Pennsylvania and US 2022 Congressional district 12 and 17, Allegheny County, Vote411 voters guides, candidates - League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

HomeUS Senate and Congress

US Senate and Congressional Races

Representing Allegheny County in Washington, D.C.

All Candidates Were Invited to participate in our Vote411 Voters' Guide.

2022 Voters' Guide Questions for Pennsylvania's US Senate and Congressional Candidates

1. What issue(s) would you prioritize, and how would you work with others in government to get legislation passed and signed into law?

2. What will you do in office to ensure all eligible voters have equal access to free and fair elections?

3. What measures, regulations, or acts, if any, would you support to mitigate climate change?

4. How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?

5. Candidates were also invited to post a link to their position on abortion. (This question was added after the primary, and the link may be missing if candidates did not revise their Primary Vote411 submission.)

Voters Guide information also includes campaign email, website, and social media links.

Enter your address to view responses from YOUR candidates

All responses are entered by the candidates or their staff and are not altered or edited in any way by the League of Women Voters. Candidates are able to update their responses throughout the campaign. Any changes made after the print deadline will be available at Vote411.org .

Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate Race

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

Mehmet Oz

Republican Party

Erik Gerhardt

Libertarian Party

Screen_Shot_2022-08-22_at_10.26.32_AM.png

Richard Weiss

Green Party

Daniel Wassmer

Keystone Party

Description of office: The US Constitution states that the Senate be composed of 100 members (two Senators from each state). One third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years. US Senators serve six-year terms. One of Pennsylvania's Senate seats is up for election this year. This is a statewide election, and any registered Pennsylvania voter, no matter what party affiliation, can vote in this race, for any candidate.

Senators must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for at least nine years and be a resident of the State from which s/he is chosen at the time of the election. Senators write and vote in favor of or against final bills and serve on various policy committees. The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House, including advice/consent on presidential nominations and treaties and conducting the trial of federal officials impeached by the House.

The incumbent, Senator Pat Toomey, is not running for reelection. Five candidates are competing for Pennsylvania's open US Senate Seat.

Read the Candidates' Answers to Our Survey in the Vote411 mini-guide for this race.

Candidate response were submitted by the candidates and their campaign staff, and have not been edited or altered in any way. Candidates may update their responses up until Election Day. Any changes will be reflected in the online guide at Vote411.org .

PA US Senate Mini-guide

Direct Link for sharing: www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1040428

Allegheny County's U.S. Congressional Races

US Representatives are elected by district. The 2022 Election is the first election using the new district maps. Allegheny County residents are in either District 12 or District 17. To locate your district, you can:

refer to the map on the left
refer to the text descriptions below
enter your address at Vote411.org
check your voter registration at vote.pa.gov

Description of office: The US Constitution requires that the House of Representatives be composed of Representatives from each state, elected in proportion to population. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, with 17 Representatives allotted to Pennsylvania after the 2020 census. US Representatives serve 2-year terms, and all 435 seats are up for reelection every 2 years.

A US Representative must be at least 25 years old, have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years, and be a resident of the state they seek to represent at the time of the election (though not necessarily the same district). The House of Representatives is responsible for introducing and voting on bills, resolutions and amendments, and for approving the budget. Representatives also serve on various policy committees. The House may send Articles of Impeachment of elected officials to the Senate and elects the President if there is a tie in the Electoral College.

Pennsylvania US Representative District 12

Summer Lee

Democratic Party

Mike Doyle*

Republican Party

*This candidate is not the incumbent Congressman by the same name.

PA Congressional District 12 Mini-guide

Direct Link for sharing: www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1040431

Where is the new Pennsylvania US Congressional District 12? The NEW District 12 is made up of:

Part of ALLEGHENY County consisting of

the CITIES of Clairton, Duquesne, McKeesport and Pittsburgh and the TOWNSHIPS of Elizabeth, Forward, North Versailles, South Park, South Versailles, Upper St. Clair and Wilkins and the BOROUGHS of Baldwin, Bethel Park, Braddock, Brentwood, Bridgeville, Chalfant, Dravosburg, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Elizabeth, Glassport, Homestead, Jefferson Hills, Liberty, Lincoln, Monroeville, Mount Oliver, Munhall, North Braddock, Pitcairn, Pleasant Hills, Plum, Port Vue, Rankin, Swissvale (PART, Districts 01, 02 (only blocks 2014, 2015, 3007, 3008, 3009 and 3010 of tract 515100), 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11), Trafford (Allegheny County Portion), Turtle Creek, Versailles, Wall, West Elizabeth, West Homestead, West Mifflin, Whitaker, White Oak, Whitehall and Wilmerding and,

Part of WESTMORELAND County consisting of

the CITY of Jeannette and the TOWNSHIPS of Hempfield (PART, Districts East Adamsburg, High Park, Lincoln Heights West, Middletown (all blocks except 1000, 1001, 1004, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1020, 1021, 1022, 1026, 1027 and 1055 of tract 804701, blocks 1015, 2018 and 2019 of tract 804804 and blocks 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 of tract 804901), Wegley, Wendel Herm and West Hempfield), North Huntingdon, Penn, Sewickley and South Huntingdon (PART, District Yukon) and the BOROUGHS of Adamsburg, Arona, Export, Irwin, Madison, Manor, Murrysville, North Irwin, Penn, Sutersville and Trafford (Westmoreland County Portion).

Pennsylvania US Representative District 17

Chris Deluzio

Democratic Party

Jeremy Shaffer

Republican Party

Candidate Forum

We regret that the candidate forum scheduled for this race on November 1, at 7:00pm has been canceled due to illness on the part of one of the candidates.

Cosponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh and WTAE-TV

Event Details

PA Congressional District 17 Mini-guide

Direct Link for sharing: www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1040430

Where is the new Pennsylvania US Congressional District 17? The NEW District 17 is made up of:

Part of ALLEGHENY County consisting of

the TOWNSHIPS of Aleppo, Baldwin, Collier, Crescent, East Deer, Fawn, Findlay, Frazer, Hampton, Harmar, Harrison, Indiana, Kennedy, Kilbuck, Leet, Marshall, McCandless, Moon, Mount Lebanon, Neville, North Fayette, O'Hara, Ohio, Penn Hills, Pine, Reserve, Richland, Robinson, Ross, Scott, Shaler, South Fayette, Springdale, Stowe and West Deer and the BOROUGHS of Aspinwall, Avalon, Bell Acres, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Blawnox, Brackenridge, Braddock Hills, Bradford Woods, Carnegie, Castle Shannon, Cheswick, Churchill, Coraopolis, Crafton, Dormont, Edgewood, Edgeworth, Emsworth, Etna, Forest Hills, Fox Chapel, Franklin Park, Glen Osborne, Glenfield, Green Tree, Haysville, Heidelberg, Ingram, Leetsdale, McDonald (Allegheny County Portion), McKees Rocks, Millvale, Oakdale, Oakmont, Pennsbury Village, Rosslyn Farms, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights, Sewickley Hills, Sharpsburg, Springdale, Swissvale (PART, Districts 02 (all blocks except 2014, 2015, 3007, 3008, 3009 and 3010 of tract 515100), 03, 04 and 05), Tarentum, Thornburg, Verona, West View and Wilkinsburg and

All of BEAVER County.

Learn more with these resources:

WESA Pittsburgh's Voter Guide - https://www.wesa.fm/pa-election-guide-2022
WHYY Philadelphia's Guide to Senate, Governor and More: https://whyy.org/articles/pa-election-2022-guide-to-vetting-candidates-for-u-s-senate-governor/
PA State Campaign Finance Records - https://www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/Pages/CampaignFinanceHome.aspx
Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org

Do you have a non-partisan resource to share here? Contact the webmaster@lwvpgh.org .

"Third Parties" and Pennsylvania's Party System
In PA, only the two "major parties" participate in the Primary. All party voters and candidates can participate in the November General Election.

Meet the political parties on the ballot in 2022:

Democratic Party of Pennsylvania

Republican Party of Pennsylvania

Libertarian Part of Pennsylvania

Green Party of Pennsylvania

Keystone Party of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's major parties (Democratic and Republican,) and minor parties (Green and Libertarian,) are shown as party options on PA's Voter Registration form. To register as a member of a political body, you must choose the "Other" box and write in the name of your political body.

Major Parties, Minor Parties and Political Bodies in Pennsylvania - Definitions
Pennsylvania's Constitution recognizes three types of political organizations that may nominate candidates for public office:

1. Major Parties - At least 15% of Pennsylvania's registered voters have registered as members of the party.
2. Minor Parties - Party registration is less than 15% of PA's registered voters, AND
- Have received at least 2% of the vote in at least 10 counties in a General Election, OR
- Have received at least 5% of the vote in one county in a Municipal Election.
3. Political Bodies - Have not met the requirements to become a Minor Party

Major party candidates file petitions with voter signatures to make it onto the Primary ballot. The winners of the Primary qualify for the General Election ballot.

Candidates of minor parties and political bodies cannot participate in the PA Primary. Their nomination process begins after the Primary, and they qualify for the General Election ballot by submitting nominating papers with voter signatures 10 weeks after the Primary - usually in early August.

Learn more on our Elections in PA page

Follow Us

Support Us

Contact Us