Stelson, Cognetti and Perry are among PA’s top congressional fundraisers in 2026

Campaign finance reports for the first quarter of 2026 are in, and they offer a glimpse into which Pennsylvania congressional candidates have a financial edge heading into the May 19 primary election. 

Democratic challengers Janelle Stelson and Paige Cognetti were the two strongest fundraisers in Q1, each raising more than $1 million through the end of March. Meanwhile, several Republican incumbents have significant war chests heading into competitive general election matchups, chief among them U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who reported having $7,655,968 in cash on hand at the end of March – more than any other candidate running for a congressional seat in the commonwealth. 

City & State combed through the latest round of campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission to put together a race-by-race breakdown of the latest fundraising numbers in Pennsylvania's 2026 congressional elections. 

1st Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick raised the most money of any candidate in the 1st Congressional District in Q1, pulling in more than $665,000 in contributions and bringing his total cash on hand to $7.6 million. On the other side of the aisle, Bob Harvie, the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, raised nearly $416,000 in total contributions, finishing the quarter with more than $603,000 in the bank. Lucia Simonelli, another Democrat seeking the party’s nomination, raised $23,700 in Q1, bringing her total cash on hand to $30,000.

2nd Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, an incumbent Democrat who has represented Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District since 2015, has over $4.9 million in cash on hand after raising $241,000 in the first quarter of 2026. The campaign finance report for Jessica Arriaga, a Republican running in the 2nd Congressional District, was not immediately available.

3rd Congressional District

In the three-way Democratic primary race in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, progressive state Rep. Chris Rabb raised the most money in the first quarter of 2026 with $392,711 in total contributions. Dr. Ala Stanford, a physician and founder of the Black Doctors Consortium, raised $211,084, and state Sen. Sharif Street raised $198,601. Stanford has the most cash on hand, with $449,876, followed by Street with $263,296, and Rabb with $236,960.

4th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean raised a little over $218,000 in the first quarter and has $1.1 million cash on hand heading into Q2. The incumbent Democrat spent over $135,000 in the first quarter; a campaign finance report for Republican candidate Aurora Stuski was not immediately available. 

5th Congressional District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon raised $179,510 in the first three months of 2026, bringing her total cash on hand to $390,911. A report for the Republican candidate in the race, Nicholas Manganaro, wasn’t available at press time. 

6th Congressional District

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan has a large war chest at her disposal, with more than $3.9 million in cash on hand after raising $218,038 in the first quarter. On the Republican side of the ticket, GOP candidate Marty Young raised $73,426, bringing his cash on hand to $176,219.

7th Congressional District

In his bid for reelection, Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie pulled in $546,239 in total contributions in Q1, bringing his total amount of cash on hand to $2,455,819. Of the four Democrats running to face Mackenzie in the fall’s general election, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell raised the most money in Q1, bringing in $482,700 and finishing the quarter with $715,329 total on hand. Bob Brooks, a firefighter and union leader backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, raised $423,828.19 and finished with $543,983.78 in the bank. Carol Obando-Derstine, an energy engineer endorsed by the last Democrat to hold the 7th Congressional District seat, former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, raised $86,876.63 and finished Q1 with $127,936 on hand. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure raised just over $20,000, finishing the reporting period with $285,077 in cash. 

8th Congressional District

Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan received $715,136 in total contributions, according to his most recent campaign finance reporting, bringing his total amount of cash on hand to $2,214,132. His general election opponent, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, outraised him in the first quarter of the year, bringing in $1,395,320 in total contributions. Bresnahan finished Q1 with more cash on hand, as Cognetti reported having $1,924,859 in the bank at the end of the quarter.

9th Congressional District

In the 9th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Dan Meuser raised $348,473.31 in Q1, outraising his Democratic opponent, Rachel Wallace, who brought in $202,581. Wallace, who formerly worked as chief of staff at the White House Office of Management and Budget, finished the quarter with more cash on hand, as she reported having $282,046, compared to Meuser’s sum of $221,235.

10th Congressional District

In Pennsylvania’s closely watched 10th Congressional District, former news anchor and Democratic candidate Janelle Stelson raised more money than any other candidate running for Congress in Pennsylvania during the first quarter. Stelson, who narrowly lost to Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in 2024, raised $1,467,227 in Q1 and finished the reporting period with $3,174,188 in cash on hand. Perry, meanwhile, raised $805,341 and finished the quarter with $2,295,580 on hand. Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, who is running against Stelson in the Democratic primary, raised $36,978.97 and finished the period with $11,104.57 in cash on hand.

11th Congressional District

In the 11th Congressional District, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker holds a financial advantage over Democrat Nancy Mannion. In Q1, Smucker raised $231,439, bringing his cash on hand to $1,120,864. Mannion, a former emergency nurse and healthcare leader, raised $49,823.03 and finished the quarter with $25,265 in the bank.

12th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, the incumbent Democrat representing the 12th Congressional District, holds a fundraising advantage over her primary and likely general election challengers. Lee raised $160,690 in Q1, bringing her cash on hand total to $1,810,818. Her primary challenger, Democrat William Parker, raised $10 over the course of the reporting period and closed out the quarter with $5,561 in cash. James Hayes, the Republican candidate looking to run against Lee in the general election, raised $13,854 in Q1 and finished the quarter with $18,541.

13th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. John Joyce has $3,545,797 in cash on hand after raising $386,079 over the first three months of 2026. That leaves Joyce in a strong position heading into the general election, where he is expected to face Democratic candidate Beth Farnham, a former credit analyst and school board member. Farnham reported $19,277 in total contributions in the first quarter and $16,368 in cash on hand.

14th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler raised $736,852 in the first three months of the year, finishing the period with $908,487 in the bank. His Democratic challenger, David Bradstock, a veteran and former FBI agent, brought in $70,483 in contributions and closed out the quarter with $46,625 in cash on hand.

15th Congressional District

In the 15th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson – the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee – raised $359,522, bringing his cash on hand to $812,739. A campaign finance report for Ray Bilger, a Democrat running in the district, was not immediately available on the Federal Election Commission’s website.

16th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly has a significant financial edge in the 16th Congressional District race, with close to $1.2 million in the bank after raising $177,123 in the first quarter of the year. Justin Wagner, the Democratic candidate looking to face Kelly in the general election, reported $19,278 in total contributions and $13,735 in cash on hand. 

17th Congressional District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio has close to a million in cash on hand after raising $578,333 in the first three months of 2026 – he reported having $996,334 in the bank at the end of the period. Republican candidate Tony Guy reported $7,931 in total contributions and $7,872 in cash on hand. A report for Republican Jesse Vodvarka was not available on the FEC website at press time.