Who's running in Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Mary Gay Scanlon currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Restraining private equity ownership of hospitals; she has introduced bills against private equity hospital operators.
Abortion rights; she is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Federal support for Delaware County after the closure of Crozer-Chester and Taylor hospitals.
Judiciary and rule-of-law oversight, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Opposition to the Republican federal funding package.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 5th District since November 2018; re-elected in 2024 with 65.3%.
Member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Rules Committee.
Lawyer; spent much of her career at Ballard Spahr; former Wallingford-Swarthmore school board member.
Has not co-sponsored H.R. 3069, the Medicare for All Act, according to Congress.gov.
Ballard Spahr, her former firm, was her top contributor in the 2023 to 2024 cycle at $96,495, with a further $17,500 from the firm's donors in 2025 to 2026.
Three Delaware County hospitals have closed or been downgraded since 2018; Crozer-Chester closed on May 2, 2025 and Taylor Hospital on April 26, 2025, affecting more than 3,200 workers.
Arguments in favor
The main abortion-rights organisation endorsed her re-election.
— Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Arguments against
More than 1,700 constituents have signed a petition asking her to co-sponsor the Medicare for All Act; she has not, and the campaign says her office has not acknowledged it. The same constituents point out that her largest campaign donor is her former law firm, whose health care practice represents health insurers, and from which her household draws salary and pension benefits.
— Delco Rising and the constituent accountability project TrackScanlon
The Delaware County Republican chairman says she has no real platform other than hatred for President Trump, and her Republican opponent says she voted for the spending that drove inflation and approved continuing resolutions without adequate oversight.
— Delaware County Republican Party chairman Frank Agovino; Nick Manganaro
What we couldn’t verify
The conflict-of-interest argument is made by a constituent group that publishes its own sourcing; the underlying donation figures come from FEC data, but the inference drawn from them is the group's.
Scanlon's response to the Medicare for All petition and to the donor criticism was not established from sources read.
A second published case for her re-election, beyond the Planned Parenthood endorsement, could not be found.
Cutting federal spending, which he argues drove inflation and made life unaffordable.
Balancing the federal budget and opposing new entitlement expansions.
Legal immigration while opposing illegal immigration and objecting to non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and opposing Affordable Care Act mandates.
An all-of-the-above energy policy including hydrocarbons and nuclear.
Opposing war with Iran.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Finance professional; has worked at J.P. Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, BlackRock, Glenmede Trust and Oliver Wyman, and earlier as a power industry analyst.
A.B. in mathematics from Reed College; S.M. in finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Resident of Haverford; has not held elected office.
Declared for the Republican primary and advanced to the November 3, 2026 general election.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Manganaro by name could be found. Searched: his name with 'criticism', with 'opponent', against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee material, against Mary Gay Scanlon's campaign, and against Delaware County and Philadelphia news coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, no case for him is presented either.
His campaign website was showing a launching-soon placeholder when checked, so his positions above come from Broad + Liberty's interview and Ballotpedia rather than from his own site.
His fundraising and any endorsements were not established from sources read.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Pennsylvania held its primary on May 19, 2026. Democratic incumbent Mary Gay Scanlon and Republican Nick Manganaro are on the November ballot. The district covers all of Delaware County plus parts of Montgomery County and south-west Philadelphia. The collapse of Delaware County's hospital system — Crozer-Chester and Taylor hospitals both closed in spring 2025 — runs through the race. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia, PoliticsPA and City & State Pennsylvania. Criticism of Manganaro by name could not be found, so his entry carries no arguments in either column.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Pennsylvania ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Pennsylvania Department of State.