Centre County’s 2026 races are taking shape. Here are 5 recent developments
Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District and several state House seats in Centre County have drawn new challengers for 2026, though incumbents hold steep fundraising and registration advantages. From a Democratic veteran challenging nine-term Rep. Glenn Thompson to a state senator dropping his lieutenant governor bid, the political landscape is shifting ahead of the May 19 primary.
With candidates able to circulate and file nomination petitions to get on the ballot starting Feb. 17, below is a look at recent developments. The general primary is May 19 and the general election is Nov. 3.
• U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, seeking a 10th term, has already raised $1.2 million for 2026 and sits on $867,000 cash on hand. He outraised his 2024 Democratic opponent 20-to-1 and won by 43 points. The Cook Political Report rates the district “Solid R.”
• Democrat Ray Bilger, a Bellefonte-area Air Force veteran and former intelligence officer, is challenging Thompson with goals of raising $100,000 by March and $1 million by November. He has backing from at least six of the district’s 18 county Democratic parties.
• State Sen. Cris Dush dropped his bid for lieutenant governor after losing the endorsement of likely GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity to Allegheny County GOP Chairman Jason Richey. Dush endorsed Richey and said he plans to campaign for Garrity in rural counties.
• Democrat John Zangari entered the race for PA House District 171, held by Republican Kerry Benninghoff since 1997. Zangari, a former Lehigh County corrections officer who works at Penn State, is campaigning on lowering costs and cutting the gas tax.
• In PA House District 77, Rep. Scott Conklin faces a primary challenge from Zach Womer, who ran against Thompson in 2024. Womer cited cuts to Medicaid and SNAP from Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” as motivation for his state House bid.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.