The presidential race came closer to home this week as the Pennsylvania 2024 primary election kicked off on Tuesday, April 23. The campaigns running in Pennsylvania included both the Democratic and Republican primaries, as well as the primaries for attorney general, auditor general and treasurer. There were also several primaries for Congressional positions.

Starting with the campaigns for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both ran largely uncontested. According to counted votes, Joe Biden ran an 87% vote victory over contender Dean Phillips.

On the GOP side, although candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race almost two months ago, she was still able to gather 16% of the Republican vote in Pennsylvania. Despite this, most votes went toward former President Trump, although this may prove an issue for Trump when Pennsylvania’s moderate conservatives cast their ballots this fall.

In the campaigns for attorney general, Eugene DePasquale won a tight race against four competitors, taking 35% of the vote. He will next run as the Democratic candidate against Dave Sunday, who won with 70% of the vote in the Republican primary.

One thing of note for the Democratic primary was the 5% of write-in votes that went against President Biden. The president’s response to the conflict in Gaza has proved polarizing for numerous progressive Democrats, including many progressive candidates running in Pennsylvania’s primary elections.

One such candidate is Summer Lee, who represents Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in Pittsburgh. Her stance on opposing the Israel-Hamas conflict and calling for a ceasefire has gained traction with uncommitted Democratic voters.

This has become a pressing issue for moderate candidate Bhavini Patel, who is running against Lee. According to Patel, calling for write-in votes threatens President Biden’s chances for reelection in the fall. Despite Patel’s challenge, Lee won with 60% of the vote.

While the coalition of uncommitted voters did not stop Biden’s victory in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, how the president handles the conflict in Gaza going forward may be pivotal for his election success this fall.

Conflict in the Middle East was far from the only issue on the ballot on Tuesday. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, abortion has been a hot-button topic for candidates across the country – the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday was no exception.

For the Democrats, all five candidates for attorney general are in favor of protecting the right to abortion and access to medications like mifepristone that are vital for abortion and miscarriage care. The Republican candidates for attorney general do not view abortion as a right defended by the state constitution. As such, they believe the Pennsylvania legislature should settle the issue.

In Pennsylvania’s 1st District, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick won 60% of the vote against anti-abortion activist Mark Houck. Houck ran a campaign strongly against abortion rights, believing that it should be banned in nearly all cases.

The 2024 campaign trail is headed to Indiana next as the state’s primaries will be held on Tuesday, May 7. In Indiana, 79 delegates are up for grabs in the Democratic primary and 58 delegates for the Republican primary. Much like in Pennsylvania, there will also be primaries for Indiana’s House and Senate positions.

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