3 Pennsylvania congressional races still uncalled as Republicans fight to keep slim House majority

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie speaks before Republican presidential nominee former... — State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

By The Associated PressUpdated November 6, 2024 1:32 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three races for the U.S. House in Pennsylvania remained uncalled by The Associated Press on Wednesday, as vote counting continued and Republicans fought to keep their slim majority in the chamber.

A House majority would give the GOP a full sweep of power in Congress alongside President-elect Donald Trump in the White House.

In all three of Pennsylvania's uncalled races, the Republican candidate held a slight lead, with some votes still outstanding and two Democrats conceding.

One uncalled race was the contest in an Allentown-based district in eastern Pennsylvania, where three-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild conceded to Republican Ryan Mackenzie.

Mackenzie is a member of the state House of Representatives. Democrats hold a slight registration advantage in the district, but its close political divide made Wild a perennial target of Republicans.

Also uncalled was a race in a northeastern Pennsylvania district around Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, where six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright conceded to Republican Rob Bresnahan, a first-time candidate and developer who runs a family construction company.

Bresnahan claimed victory early Wednesday morning.

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., running for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district,... — Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., running for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, laughs as she speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 17, 2019. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik

Democrats hold a slight registration advantage in the district, but voters there backed Trump in 2020’s presidential election, making Cartwright just one of five Democrats nationally running for reelection in a Trump district.

The other uncalled race is in southern Pennsylvania, where Republican Rep. Scott Perry is seeking a seventh term in his Republican-leaning district around the cities of Harrisburg and York.

Challenging him is Janelle Stelson, a longtime local TV news anchor who is a Republican-turned-Democrat.

Perry was chairman of the Freedom Caucus, a hardline faction of conservatives and was the only lawmaker to have his cellphone seized by FBI agents investigating the web of Trump loyalists who were central to his bid to remain in power in 2020. Perry has not been charged with a crime.