Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser was reelected for a fifth term in the 9th Congressional district against Democratic challenger Rachel Wallace, according to unofficial election results.
Meuser, 62, of Luzerne County, claimed victory just after polls closed at 8 p.m., surrounded by supporters at a joint election night watch party with state Sen. Lisa Baker and state Rep. Brenda Pugh at Leggio’s Italian Restaurant in Dallas.
"A little early for speech time, but we'll take it, won't we?" Meuser joked during the start of his speech, given shortly after his 8 p.m. arrival.
According to unofficial vote totals available around 12:30 a.m., Meuser led Wallace 11,090 votes to 5,760 votes.
Early results had showed Wallace in the lead, as mail-in ballots tend to favor Democrats. That lead quickly evaporated as the night wore on.
"I've learned a lot on this campaign. I've learned, I've had an amazing experience getting to dig into the challenges and opportunities for our part of Pennsylvania," Wallace said just before 10 p.m. in Schuylkill County.
The district includes all of Bradford, Columbia, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, roughly the western half of Luzerne County and parts of Berks and Lycoming counties.
One other incumbent Republican congressman who represents part of Northcentral Pennsylvania also won reelection, Rep. Glenn Thompson. Two other incumbent congressmen who represent Northeast Pennsylvania, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, lost their reelection bids.
'Hell no to the so-called socialist Democrats'
Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Meuser’s campaign focused on advancing the “America First Agenda,” prioritizing border security, American energy dominance, economic growth and national security.
"We've got a number of battlegrounds that all of us, including myself, have been working on ... making sure that Pennsylvania's 9th said a 'hell no' to the so-called socialist Democrats," he said. "I'm so proud of Pennsylvania's 9th that we were able to do this so early to not let the socialist Democrats think that this might be some sort of ripe ground for them in the future."
His remarks were met by cheers and applause from supporters, who sat around tables with red, white and blue balloons and decor. Two hours later, just after 10 p.m., supporters celebrated again when Baker and Pugh claimed victory.
'An honor'
Wallace, 38, walked into her campaign party at The Zone in Pottsville after 9:30 p.m. A staffer got her a Yuengling Lager, her hometown beer.
A DJ played pop music while a campaign staffer projected CNN’s election results on the wall of the bar. The crowd cheered when Democrats won races nationwide. Some supporters wore straw boater hats, like female suffragists of the past, with a red, white and blue ribbon near the brim and Wallace for Congress pins fastioned to the side.
"It's been an honor and a privilege to run in this race to build this kind of campaign that people wanted to be a part of, and ... it's been wonderful," she said.
Wallace was endorsed by high ranking members of the Democratic party in Pennsylvania, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, who campaigned with her on Friday. Her campaign focused on lowering the cost of living, protecting access to affordable health care and bringing people in the community together.
However, the district, which is made up of all or parts of 12 counties, leans heavily Republican — 58% of voters registered as Republicans, compared to 26.7% registered Democrats.
She ran a grassroots campaign, holding seven town halls throughout the district and meeting with constituents at community events and fairs.
She said both the national Democratic and Republican Parties have given up on the area of the state covered by the ninth.
“And so, for me to just have the opportunity to say, I care, I'm going to show up. Let's show up, and people have throughout this race,” she said.
Allison Lussi
Meuser's experience
Meuser was first elected to the U.S. House from Pennsylvania’s 9th District in 2018. He took office in January 2019 and has since won reelection for the 117th, 118th and 119th Congresses. Meuser serves on the House Financial Services Committee, where he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He also serves on the House Small Business Committee.
Previously, Meuser served as state revenue secretary from 2011 to 2015 under then-Gov. Tom Corbett.
A fifth term
Meuser was concerned about his party retaining the House majority early in the night.
He said Republicans could have benefited from better communicating tax relief stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as well what he described as the cost of living growing at a slower pace under the second Trump administration compared to Joe Biden’s administration.
Going into his fifth term, Meuser said: “The plan remains the same but to do better. We need to do it better.”
“We need to deliver on health care solutions, premiums without a doubt. We just need to focus on affordability," he added.
He also mentioned the necessity of the party developing and communicating a united plan on lowering gas prices, attributing them partially to the Iran conflict, as well as Biden-era energy policies.
He further criticized policies of far-left factions of the Democratic party and hopes for widespread civility, open-mindedness and truth-seeking behavior from those who oppose him.
“I'm looking forward to turning a page here after this election,” he said, emphasizing plans to reach across the aisle and pursue a more perfect union. “We're all Americans first, right?”
Meuser starts his fifth term Jan. 3 and will be paid $174,000 a year.
As for what happens next for Wallace, she said she’s been singularly focused on Nov. 3.
"I have not thought about November 4, and I'll get there tomorrow," she said.
Here are the unofficial results of the congressional races in Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania with some precincts still unreported:
DISTRICT 7 (Monroe/Northampton/Lehigh)
Democratic: Bob Brooks, 160,125
Republican: Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, 127,117
DISTRICT 8 (Lackawanna/Luzerne/Monroe/Pike/Wayne)
Democratic: Mayor Paige Cognetti, 152,583
Republican: Rep. Rob Bresnahan, 128,081
DISTRICT 9 (Luzerne/Berks/Bradford/Columbia/Lebanon/Luzerne/ Lycoming/Montour/Northumberland/Schuylkill/Sullivan/Susquehanna/Wyoming)
Democratic: Rachel Wallace, 91,426
Republican: U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, 149,549
DISTRICT 15 (Armstrong/Cameron/Centre/Clarion/Clearfield/Clinton/Elk/Forest/Indiana/Jefferson/Lycoming/McKean/Potter/Snyder/Tioga/Union/Venango/Warren)
Democratic: Ray Bilger, 96,057
Republican: Rep. Glenn Thompson, 170,219
