Summer Lee apparent winner in 12th Congressional District race
Summer Lee appears to be on her way to a second term in Congress, representing Pennsylvania’s 12th District.
The Associated Press declared the incumbent Democrat the winner shortly after polls closed.
In the unofficial results as of 11 p.m., Lee topped Republican challenger James Hayes with 51% of the vote to Hayes’ 44%.
Lee, 36, of Swissvale said the AP’s call coming in so soon — just 12 minutes after polls closed — was a record.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had an election night that’s gone as smoothly as this one, so that’s really exciting,” she said.
Voter turnout looked “great,” she said, with long lines and good weather.
The @AP called incumbent Democrat @RepSummerLee’s race very early tonight in her favor.
Watch Lee’s live reaction below @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/51Rv9KZchl
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) November 6, 2024
“Pennsylvania is apparently the center of the universe, as we have all figured out, so we know that, and I think that the Pennsylvania voters recognize that too,” Lee said.
Hayes could not be reached for comment.
Lee focused her campaign on infrastructure, along with environmental and economic justice. Whereas Hayes, 63, of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood focused on supporting the energy industry, law enforcement to create safer communities and reducing illegal immigration at the southern U.S. border.
I’m here at the Allegheny County Thank You election night party in Homewood, where @RepSummerLee will make an appearance soon. @MayorEdGainey is here as well @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/6hvCbkSF5L
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) November 6, 2024
The 12th Congressional District is split between Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
In Westmoreland County, the district includes Adamsburg, Arona, Export, Jeannette, Irwin, Madison, Manor, Murrysville, North Huntingdon, North Irwin, Penn Borough, Penn Township, Sewickley Township, Sutersville, Trafford and parts of Hempfield and South Huntingdon.
In Allegheny County, the district includes Pittsburgh and stretches from Plum and Monroeville in the north to Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills, McKeesport, South Park, West Mifflin, Whitehall and parts of Swissvale.
Lee, who won a contested Democratic primary against Bhavini Patel, said the 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge put a spotlight on both local and national infrastructure needs.
“We’ve already delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for those efforts,” she told TribLive previously. “We need to continue securing funding and focusing on green energy to create union jobs while addressing environmental harm.”
She graduated from Woodland Hills High School, Penn State and Howard University School of Law.
Lee said she’s waiting to see if Republicans retain control of the U.S. House, which will determine how her next term plays out.
“Our agenda largely remains the same,” she said. Regardless of which party controls the House, Lee said, she intends to advocate for working class families.
“We were in the minority this year,” Lee said. “What we know is that this was one of the least productive Congresses in history, but I will say it was least productive for the majority party — we held the line.”
Hayes, a chief financial officer for a sand and aggregate company, earned a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University, a master’s in public affairs from Princeton, an MBA in finance accounting from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in business administration from Case Western Reserve University.
As part of his platform, Hayes expressed his support for Israel.
“I think they’re one of our best allies in the world — a thriving democracy in the Middle East,” he said. “I think it’s strategically important. I support them and their efforts, and my opponent has made remarks which are at odds with Israel’s safety and security.”
Lee said it’s Congress’ responsibility to respond to constituents’ requests, no matter the party.
“I like to hope that we will all heed the advice, the warnings, the fears, the hopes of the voters and actually go and get things done,” she said.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.
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