Voters head to the polls for midterm elections; 4 Pa. seats could determine control of U.S. House; races to watch

For the most part, early morning voters at the Glassboro VFW, a quiet Gloucester County polling place on Wilmer Street, didn’t cast their ballots with a specific race in mind despite the county commissioners race gaining traction — and controversy — online.

As a member of the military, Randall Williams, 47, said he voted Tuesday to do his civic duty. He declined to share his party.

“You can’t sit there and complain if you don’t go out and vote,” Williams said.

Juan Lopez wanted to be fully retired at his age – 69 – but has to juggle painting houses with caring for his disabled wife. So when he walked around the corner from his Bridesburg home to the Point No Point Club to cast his ballot on Tuesday morning, he voted with his wallet in mind, he said.

“The most important thing is the food – the prices, everything is so expensive,” said Lopez. “And the gas. Since Trump took over, it hasn’t been the same. I have to work now.”

Lopez has always trended Democratic, he said, but since Donald Trump took office, he won’t consider a Republican candidate. He enthusiastically voted for Gov. Josh Shapiro, whom he saw as an anti-Trump.

At Monaghan Presbyterian Church in Dillsburg, York County Tuesday morning, the parking lot was as full as on a Sunday morning, with every parking spot taken.

People on hand to vote, rather than worship, crowded the brick sanctuary in the 10th Congressional District near the home of incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Perry, who is in a tight reelection fight against Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson.

The rural community of around 2,400 people has long leaned Republican, as evidenced by what voters with freshly cast ballots said.

A handful of pivotal congressional races in Pennsylvania and New Jersey could well decide the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representative and a menu of other races of interest are on the ballots.

But it wouldn’t be shocking if it turned out that fewer than half of those eligible decided to vote.

In the mid-term elections since 2010, turnout in Pennsylvania has averaged 46%, and 42% in the Garden State, both within range of the national average, according to data assembled by the University of Florida’s U.S. Elections Projects.

New Jersey voters in at least one district on Tuesday will help determine which party controls the U.S. House, in a midterm election widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. faces long odds that voters will return him for a third term in the 7th Congressional District in Central and North Jersey, as Democratic momentum builds amid a national backlash against Trump that will potentially elevate former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett to the seat.

Voters’ frustration with the president is so severe that Democrats have expanded their map in the final weeks, increasing their support for Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock’s challenge against four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew in South Jersey’s 2nd District.

Whatever factors may discourage people from going to polling places on Tuesday in the Philly region, the weather won’t be one of them.

The remarkable run of rainless days will reign at least through Tuesday around here, and voting conditions should be excellent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from the Port of Erie to Cape May Point ferry terminal.

In fact, they should be decent in the majority of the nation, said Jennifer Tate, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, in College Park, Md.

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to polling places in Philadelphia and three other Pennsylvania counties on Election Day. Whether that’s cause for concern or business as usual is up for debate.

It’s not uncommon for the federal government to deploy election monitors. However, the plan has raised alarms due to President Donald Trump’s track record of disputing election results. The Justice Department, which is run by Trump’s former personal attorney Todd Blanche, said the goal is to make sure federal law is followed.

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections in the commonwealth, shared some of the Justice Department's communications, as well as its plans. Here’s what we know:

Gov. Josh Shapiro closed out his gubernatorial reelection campaign on familiar turf in Jenkintown on Monday night, urging supporters to look toward the future as Democrats aim to retake Congress and the Pennsylvania state Senate on Election Day.

Flanked by his family and numerous elected Democrats, Shapiro reflected on his political beginnings in Montgomery County and implored the crowd to reject what he described as the "chaos," "cruelty," and "corruption" of President Donald Trump's administration.

Standing in the shadow of Jenkintown's Plaza Apartments, Shapiro recalled his first political campaign in 2004, when he ran for state representative and, after knocking thousands of doors, beat a well-known Republican incumbent.

Stacy Garrity, the Republican Party’s nominee for Pennsylvania governor, projected confidence at an Election Day eve rally in Bucks County, despite multiple statewide polls showing her with a double-digit disadvantage in the race.

“The most important message of tonight,” she said to a crowd of about 170 people Monday in Newtown, “we will win this race.”

Garrity, who is challenging popular incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, has struggled to find her footing in the gubernatorial race and build a strong war chest to match Shapiro’s massive haul.

Pennsylvania, can you believe it? It’s here. Voters across the Keystone State are casting their ballots in the midterm elections, which will decide the balance of power in Harrisburg and Washington.

Control of the U.S. House could come down to a few key Pennsylvania congressional districts, including one in the Philly suburbs. And the election will determine whether Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro holds onto the governor’s office as he faces a challenge from Republican Stacy Garrity.

Pennsylvanians will also make their voices heard in state House elections and state Senate races as Democrats vie for their first trifecta in Harrisburg in decades. The majority in the state Senate will likely come down to a handful of competitive races in the eastern half of the state.