FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2026
CONTACT: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, snow@pennpolicy.org
STATEMENT: Pennsylvania Helps Flip Congress as Democrats Oust Four Republican Incumbents
After health care accountability campaigns in all four districts, Pennsylvanians Together in Action calls on Congress to reverse Medicaid cuts and restore affordable coverage
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania helped reshape the balance of power in Washington on Tuesday, as Democrats defeated four Republican congressional incumbents in the Commonwealth and won control of both the U.S. House and Senate. All four districts were at the center of Pennsylvanians Together in Action’s (PTIA) health care accountability campaign, which highlighted rising health insurance costs, threats to Medicaid coverage, and the voting records of incumbent members of Congress.
Democrats Bob Harvie (PA-01), Bob Brooks (PA-07), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), and Janelle Stelson (PA-10) defeated Republican incumbents Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry, respectively. The four-seat sweep included the defeat of two longtime incumbents and marked the first time since 2011 that a Democrat will represent Bucks County in Congress.
Throughout the election cycle, PTIA worked alongside national and local partners to bring attention to the consequences of federal health care policy decisions. Through community events, constituent storytelling, digital advocacy, and direct accountability actions, Pennsylvanians shared their experiences with rising insurance premiums, unaffordable prescriptions, and the growing uncertainty surrounding their health care coverage.
“Health care affordability isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s a Pennsylvania issue,” said Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director of Pennsylvanians Together in Action. “We spent months hearing from people across these four districts who were worried about keeping their insurance, paying for prescriptions, and getting the care their families need. Their concerns don’t disappear because an election is over. The people who represented these communities had voting records that deserved scrutiny, and the people taking their places now have a responsibility to deliver results. A new majority in Congress means an opportunity to change course, but Pennsylvanians need more than a change in leadership. They need affordable health care.”
At the center of PTIA’s campaign was H.R. 1, the federal budget legislation enacted in July 2025. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry voted for the legislation twice. Fitzpatrick voted for the original House version, which passed by a single vote, before opposing the final Senate-amended bill.
The law’s Medicaid provisions put health care coverage at risk for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, with new work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks beginning January 1, 2027.
Meanwhile, the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits has already had significant consequences. According to Pennsylvania’s official health insurance marketplace, Pennie, approximately 214,000 people had canceled their coverage as of October 2026, while enrollees maintaining their plans faced average premium increases of 102%.
Across the four congressional districts, PTIA’s campaign highlighted the local consequences of these federal policy decisions, including rising monthly premiums, coverage cancellations, and projected Medicaid losses.
The election changes who will represent these communities. It does not reverse the policies affecting their health care.
With less than two months before new Medicaid requirements begin taking effect, PTIA is calling on the current Congress to act immediately and the incoming Congress to prioritize a federal health care affordability agenda that:
- Reverses harmful Medicaid cuts and eligibility changes, including new work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks that threaten coverage for Pennsylvania families.
- Restores and extends enhanced ACA premium tax credits to reduce the cost of Marketplace insurance and help families maintain coverage.
- Protects Pennsylvania’s hospitals, health care providers, and communities from additional federal cuts, coverage losses, and costs shifted onto families and the Commonwealth.
- Advances lasting solutions to health care affordability, ensuring that access to necessary care does not depend on a family’s income or ability to absorb rising costs.
“January 1 is less than two months away. That’s when new Medicaid requirements begin taking effect, and hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians face greater uncertainty about their health care,” Williams added. “Congress doesn’t have the luxury of treating affordability as another campaign promise to revisit later. Whether lawmakers are returning to Washington or arriving for the first time, the expectation is the same: protect Medicaid, bring down health care costs, and deliver results.”
PTIA emphasized that accountability does not end on Election Day. The organization will continue working with constituents and partners across Pennsylvania to advocate for affordable, accessible health care and hold elected officials accountable for the decisions that affect their communities.
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About Pennsylvanians Together In Action
Pennsylvanians Together In Action (PATIA) is a statewide 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that organizes and mobilizes Pennsylvanians to advance policies that make our Commonwealth more affordable and ensure working families can thrive. Through advocacy, organizing, civic engagement, and public education, PATIA works to advance economic security, strengthen our democracy, and hold elected officials accountable to the communities they represent.