- Democrat Summer Lee is running against Republican Mike Doyle in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.
- Redistricting added more conservative portions of Westmoreland County, making the district tougher for Democrats.
Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee faces off against Republican Mike Doyle in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Doyle — whose identical name to the Republican candidate has caused much confusion in the race — announced he would not seek reelection, leaving the seat open for the first time in nearly three decades.
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District candidates
Lee, first elected to the state House in 2018, made history as the first Black woman from western Pennsylvania ever elected to the legislature when she defeated 20-year incumbent Republican Paul Costa.
Prior to entering public office, the progressive firebrand worked as an attorney and labor organizer, also leading voter mobilization efforts for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
Doyle, Lee's opponent, who is campaigning under the hashtag, #TheRightMike, is an insurance executive who currently serves as a Plum Borough councilman. And while he shares his name with outgoing Democratic incumbent Mike Doyle, their values aren't shared.
The Republican Doyle told a local news station that he would support a federal abortion ban that includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Voting history for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District includes the heavily Democratic city of Pittsburgh and covers western Westmoreland County.
Joe Biden had a more than 30-percentage-point margin of victory over President Donald Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before the once-in-a-decade redistricting process following the 2020 Census added more conservative portions of Westmoreland County. This made the district tougher for Democrats.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Lee has raised $1.4 million, spent $1.15 million, and has $255,000 cash on hand, as of October 19. Her opponent, Doyle, has raised $167,000, spent $146,000, and has $21,000 cash still left to spend, as of October 19.
As of November 4, more than a dozen super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups have together spent about $6.6 million to advocate for or against candidates in this race, including during the race's primary phase.
More than half of that money was spent by the United Democracy Project super PAC — a nonpartisan group that backs candidates who'd "support the U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress". The United Democracy Project opposed Lee and backed her Democratic primary opponent, Steven Irwin, who lost.
What experts say
The race between Lee and Doyle is rated as "likely Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "likely Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.