A number of House incumbents who played key roles in spreading the Big Lie and voted against certifying President Biden’s 2020 electoral victory are running for reelection in 2024. In addition, while the state’s Republican candidate for Senator was once dismissed by Trump as “not MAGA” enough, four months before the election he started to parrot election fraud claims after the former president endorsed him. The candidates are:
- David McCormick | Senate
After narrowly losing the GOP Senate primary in 2022, David McCormick is running again—this time for the seat currently held by longtime Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr. When McCormick first ran for the Senate in 2022, he hired former Trump advisor and indicted co-conspirator Mike Roman to work on his campaign. In 2023 he also hired one of Pennsylvania’s fake electors who was part of an effort to overturn the 2020 election to run his super PAC. Far-right Pennsylvanian politician Doug Mastriano is among those who have endorsed McCormick’s 2024 Senate bid. Although McCormick’s refusal to say that the 2020 election was stolen cost him Trump’s support last election cycle, he recently promoted baseless fears of widespread voter fraud, talking about bags of ballots being left at “non-secure” ballot drop boxes “in the middle of the night” and the need for an “army” of observers and lawyers to protect this year’s election. - Aaron Bashir | House (PA–2)
Aaron Bashir is making his third consecutive run for the House in this solidly Democratic district, where his opponent, incumbent Representative Brendan Boyle, won 75% of the vote in 2022. According to information compiled by fivethirtyeight, Bashir claimed on his Facebook page that the 2020 election was stolen. - Ryan Mackenzie | House (PA–7)
As a state representative, Ryan Mackenzie signed a group letter dated December 4, 2020, urging Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to object to certifying the state’s Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021. That same month, he signed an amicus brief supporting the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit filed with the Supreme Court to block certification of the vote in Pennsylvania and three other battleground states. - Dan Meuser | House (PA–9)
Both before and after the 2020 election, Representative Dan Meuser sowed doubts about the legitimacy of the outcome, appearing on Fox News and using his official platform as a congressman to issue statements about “election integrity.” On December 1, 2020, he signed a letter urging Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate purported election fraud, and on December 10 he signed an amicus brief in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania and three other battleground states. On January 6, Meuser voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes for Joe Biden and the following month he voted against impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol. - Scott Perry | House (PA–10)
Given his outsized role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Representative Scott Perry was the first sitting member of Congress called to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol and subsequently was investigated by the FBI. In the wake of the election, Perry helped facilitate meetings between Trump’s inner circle and Philadelphia lawyer Jeffrey Clark, the acting assistant attorney general at the DOJ who supported the Big Lie and was eager to help Trump challenge legitimate election results in Pennsylvania and other key states. Perry was also in close contact with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to coordinate on strategies for overturning the election results. On repeated occasions, he urged Meadows to get the National Security Agency to investigate unfounded allegations that various international powers—including China, the UK, and Italy—had interfered with voting machines during the 2020 election. In February 2023, Salon labeled him “the most dangerous insurrectionist you’ve never heard of.” - Lloyd Smucker | House (PA–11)
On January 6, 2021, Representative Lloyd Smucker, who has served in the House since 2017, joined 146 other congressional Republicans in voting against certifying Joe Biden’s win of the 2020 election. He argued that both Pennsylvania’s secretary of state and its Supreme Court had interfered with the election, allowing for fraud or inaccuracies in the final counts. In February 2021, the York Daily Record published an op-ed by Smucker in which he continued to claim that Pennsylvania state election officials illegally tampered with the results and blamed the media for bias in reporting on Republicans’ objections. - John Joyce | House (PA–13)
On January 6, 2021, Representative John Joyce was among the 147 congressional Republicans who objected to certifying Joe Biden’s win of the 2020 election, tweeting: “I will never stop fighting for the TRUTH.” He also signed multiple letters to Attorney General Bill Barr urging the Justice Department to investigate irregularities and accusations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. On November 12, 2020, Joyce accused Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf (D) of illegal interference with the state’s election and claimed that the voting process had been rife with “irregularities.” He won reelection in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement and has the former president’s seal of approval again in 2024 (though he was already likely to win in this solidly Republican district). - Guy Reschenthaler | House (PA–14)
On January 6, 2021, Representative Guy Reschenthaler joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Joe Biden’s win of the presidential election. Months later he repeatedly refused to say that he believes President Biden was legitimately elected and instead coyly rebuffed the question by noting that voters should “worry” that he is the president. On November 11, 2020, the congressman tweeted: “Voter fraud occurred in the 2020 election and it’s our duty to bring it to light. If we don’t take this to the courts and hold the guilty parties responsible, we are going to severely hurt the integrity of all future elections in this country.” Reschenthaler also voted against impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the insurrection and his ongoing loyalty has earned him the ex-president’s endorsements every two years. - Glenn Thompson | House (PA–15)
On November 7, 2020, Representative Glenn Thompson joined other members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in sending a letter to the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general expressing deep concern with the way “the Commonwealth has handled the general election,” claiming that “trust has been eroded in Pennsylvania’s electoral system,” and “citizens deserve free & fair elections.” On January 6, 2021, he voted against certifying Joe Biden’s win of Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes, and he told the Ocean Times Herald that although allegations of voter fraud had not been proven, “we have witnessed a systemic failure in the application of Pennsylvania’s voting law when it comes to the 2020 general election.” These and other comments made on social media have earned him a spot in the Insurrection Index. - Mike Kelly | House (PA–16)
After Pennsylvania had been called for Biden in November 2020, Representative Mike Kelly led an unsuccessful challenge to the state’s mail-in ballot system, claiming it was unconstitutional. But the state Supreme Court balked at his request “to disenfranchise some 2.6 million voters by throwing out every ballot cast by mail.” In the same suit, Kelly requested that if mail-in ballots were not discarded then the state legislature (controlled by Republicans) should be allowed to select the state’s electors. On January 6, 2021, he voted against certifying Joe Biden’s win of Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes, earning him Trump’s endorsement in 2022 and again in 2024. These actions and comments made on social media have earned him inclusion in the Insurrection Index.