2022 US Senate Race In PA: Who's In, Who's Out

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania's all important battle for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2022 is intensifying, more than a year out from Election Day and just under a year away from the start of the primaries.

The race could determine the balance of power in the Senate moving forward, as Pennsylvania is the only U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in a country which voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The Cook Political Report has labeled the race a "toss-up."

As endorsements are made and candidates declare or formally step aside, the race has slowly begun to take shape. Here's a glance at where the field stands.

Who's in

Democrats

• Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is among the favorites and perhaps the candidate with the most name recognition. Fetterman, 51, ran for the Democratic Senate nomination in 2016, but lost to Democrat Katie McGinty. She then lost to Toomey. Fetterman, the former mayor of Braddock, was elected lieutenant governor in 2018.
• Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh is another prominent Democratic name in the mix. Arkoosh recently received an endorsement from EMILY's List, an organization dedicated to helping elect Democratic, pro-choice women into office, should not as a huge surprise. Arkoosh is one of just two women who have formally declared their candidacy for the open seat, and she was already among the early favorites in the race at large.
• State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (Philadelphia)
• State Sen. Sharif Street (Philadelphia)
• John McGuigan (former Norristown councilman)
• Alexandria Khalil (Jenkintown councilwoman)
• Kevin Baumlin (Pennsylvania Hospital emergency medicine coordinator)

Republicans

• Kathy Barnette, who lost the battle for the U.S. House seat in the 4th District in 2020. She drew headlines as a pro-Trump Republican during the fallout from the election and related lawsuits.
• Sean Gale, the brother of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale and another staunch member of the MAGA wing of the party.
• Jeff Bartos, the 2018 lieutenant governor candidate alongside Scott Wagner. The local real estate developer has launched his campaign with attacks on Biden, particularly over immigration and how it impacts the state. Bartos' image is not based on Trump, but he has praised the former president, and has sided with him on issues like eliminating mail-in balloting.
• Everett Stern, a businessman and whistleblower who ran against Toomey in 2016.
• Sean Parnell, who ran for office in the 17th Congressional District in 2020.

Who's out

• Retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is vacating this seat to retire, announcing in 2019 that he would not pursue re-election. That came as support from the President Trump side of the Republican Party waned for Toomey, and Toomey himself called for Trump's impeachment after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Congresswomen Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan announced late last month that they were declining to run, and would focus on re-election in their respective House races. The announcements give Arkoosh a clearer path to earning the lion's share of votes in her heavily populated home region, where she has strong name recognition. She'll need it in order to stand up to a challenge from Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is from western Pennsylvania and is primed to pick up votes in Allegheny County. Fetterman is also far better known around the state, although Arkoosh raised her profile during the pandemic, which hit Montgomery County particularly hard in the early going.
• Another Philadelphia area U.S. Rep., Brendan Boyle, has also declined interest in running.
• Other big Pennsylvania Democratic names like Gov. Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro have said they will not pursue this seat.

Undecided

• Moderate Democratic Rep. Connor Lamb, who has not yet announced his candidacy but who whose bipartisan appeal could siphon votes from any other Democratic candidate.
• Moderate Republican Ryan Costello, who formerly was a U.S. Congressman in the 6th District.