By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor

The United States general election will take place this month on Nov. 5. Polls across Pennsylvania will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., though anyone in line at 8 p.m. will still be permitted to vote.

The headlining race for this election will undoubtedly be the one between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for the office of the United States presidency. However, there will also be many Pennsylvanian and local races on the ballot. This guide will detail significant state-wide and local races.

Sample ballots can be seen at ballotpedia.org/Sample Ballot_Lookup. To find your polling place, visit alleghenycounty.us/Government/Elections/Sample-Ballots. For more information, visit vote.pa.gov.

State-wide races

United States Senate

Pennsylvanian voters will vote for one of the state’s two Senate seats during this election. Democratic candidate Bob Casey Jr. is defending his seat, which he has held since 2007.

The Republican candidate for the seat is businessman David McCormick, who ran in the Republican primary for the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate elections, but lost to Mehmet Oz. The seat would ultimately go to Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.

Also on the ballot are Marty Selker of the Constitution Party, Leila Hazou of the Green Party and John Thomas of the Libertarian Party.

Senators are elected for six-year terms.

U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

As with every general election, U.S. representatives’ seats are up for vote. Pennsylvania District 12 covers all of Pittsburgh and parts of Allegheny County and Westmoreland County.

Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat, is the incumbent for the seat, having been elected to the position in the 2022 election. Lee is the first Black woman from Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives.

The Republican candidate is James Hayes. New to politics, Hayes previously worked for Bankers Trust, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.

Pennsylvania Attorney General

The position of Pennsylvania Attorney General is an open one this election season, meaning there is no incum- bent. The current office holder, Michelle Henry, was appointed in 2023 to replace Josh Shapiro after he became governor. Henry has opted not to run for reelection to a full term.

The Democratic candidate is Eugene DePasquale, who previously served as Pennsylvania’s Auditor General from 2013 to 2021, when he left due to term limits. He ran to become a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania in the 10th congressional district, but lost to incumbent Scott Perry.

The Republican candidate is Dave Sunday, who is a U.S. Navy veteran and worked as a prosecutor with the York County District Attorney’s Office for 15 years.

Also appearing on the ballot are Justin Magill of the Constitution Party, Eric Settle of the Forward Party, Richard Weiss of the Green Party and Rob Cowburn of the Libertarian Party.

Pennsylvanian Attorneys General serve four-year terms.

Pennsylvania Auditor General

Republican Timothy DeFoor will be defending his seat as Pennsylvania’s Auditor General after winning election in 2020. DeFoor is the first Black Auditor General in Pennsylvania history.

The Democratic challenger for the seat is Malcolm Kenyatta, whose last major election appearance was as a candidate in the Democratic primary for the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania. The primary was won by John Fetterman, who went on to win in the general election against Mehmet Oz.

Also on the ballot are Eric Anton of the American Solidarity Party, Alan Goodrich of the Constitution Party and Reece Smith of the Libertarian Party.

Auditors General in Pennsylvania serve four-year terms. If DeFoor wins reelection, he will be term-limited from seeking the office in 2028.

Pennsylvania Treasurer

Stacy Garrity, a Republican and United States Army Reserve veteran, will seek a second term as Pennsylvania Treasurer. Garrity won her seat in 2020 against then-incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella.

The Democratic candidate for the position is Erin McClelland. McClelland previously ran in 2014 and 2016 to be the U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, but lost both times. Professionally, she worked at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and, before that, ran an addiction recovery program.

Also on the ballot are Troy Bowman of the Constitution Party, Chris Foster of the Forward Party and Nickolas Ciesielski of the Libertarian Party.

Pennsylvania Treasurers are elected to four-year terms. If Garrity wins reelection, she will be term-limited from seeking the office in 2028.

Local races

District 19 Representative

Democrat Aerion Abney is running unopposed for a second term as the District 19 state representative.

Abney was elected in 2022 in a special election to replace Rep. Jake Wheatley, who resigned to become chief of staff to Mayor Ed Gainey.

District 20 Representative

Democrat Emily Kinkead is seeking her third term as the state representative of District 20. Kinkead was first elected in 2020 after winning in an unopposed general election, and is a Northside native, living in Brighton Heights.

The Republican candidate in the race is Matt Kruth, who is from Ross Township and works as a literacy teacher in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

State representatives are elected to two-year terms.

District 21 Representative

Democrat Lindsay Powell is seeking her second term as the state representative for District 21.

Powell was elected in a 2023 special election to replace Emily Kinkead, who resigned after she was elected as the Democratic candidate for Allegheny County Executive in May 2023, which she went on to win.