Pennsylvania’s general election is just two weeks away. On Nov. 8, Pennsylvania voters will decide on the next governor, senator and congressional representatives, along with other various positions. The two most important competitions can be seen running for the senator and the governor positions. 

U.S. senators are responsible for voting on laws, bills, amendments and more as a representative of their state in Congress. For the Senate, Pennsylvania’s candidates are Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz. Both candidates seem widely popular to their base but detested by the other side. Fetterman has been facing scrutiny lately from his recovery of a stroke in May of this year, and opponents like Oz have been questioning his ability to govern based off his condition. Fetterman claims that he is more than fit to carry out his duty as senator, but some think otherwise.

Both parties have been running furious ads and smear campaigns against one another. Fetterman, however, is still leading in the polls. From an average of five different polls, 270towin.com has Fetterman at 46.4% and Oz at 44%. 

“Polls are not always indicative of voting results but are certainly good at showing where most people stand. As far as this election goes, it seems to be a very close year for the senator,” Shippensburg University political science Professor Lonce Bailey said. “It has tightened up, and the winner of that race might end up determining whether or not the Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.” 

When it comes to the governor, this race is a little more serious.  

“The governor’s race is really important too even though it does not appear to be very close. Pennsylvania and Arizona are significant for the same reason — abortion. Both states have a Republican legislature that would easily pass an anti-abortion bill that would severely limits women’s control of their bodies,” Bailey said.

The governor of a state is in charge of implementing laws and overseeing the functions of the state executive branch. Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano are candidates for governor. Shapiro has had a steep jump in popularity, rising 11% over Mastriano, with their polling results being 53% and 42%, respectively (270towin.com). 

While the deadline to register to vote has passed, those who have registered should make sure they are aware of their polling location, voting times and all local regulations surrounding voting. Information about voting can be found at vote.pa.gov.

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