Republican U.S. Rep. John Joyce has won reelection in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Beth Farnham for the second consecutive election. The district covers all of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin and Perry counties, along with parts of Cumberland and Somerset counties, stretching across much of south-central Pennsylvania.
According to WGAL, citing the Associated Press, Joyce defeated Farnham to secure another two-year term in the seat he has held since 2019. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The results remained unofficial pending certification.
Joyce, a retired dermatologist from Blair County, was first elected to Congress in 2018 and has since built a campaign identity around rural health care access. His latest bid, as reported by FOX43, emphasized health care, economic development, energy production, veterans' services and national security, with support for the Trump administration's tax and energy policies woven throughout his messaging.
Medicare, Rural Health Care Anchor Joyce's Pitch
Joyce's campaign focused heavily on protecting Medicare and expanding the local doctor workforce in rural communities through his Homegrown Health Care Initiative, the same WGAL report notes. He also backed cutting regulations on the energy industry, expanding high-speed internet access and improving veterans' access to VA health care, arguing that reducing regulations and encouraging domestic energy production can lower costs and create jobs, according to FOX43.
Farnham's Second Run Centered on Affordability
Farnham, an Adams County resident and former Conewago Valley School District board member, mounted her second straight challenge against Joyce. The station's report describes her campaign as built around protecting voting rights and abortion access, creating universal health care and raising the federal minimum wage, along with a push to require members of Congress to hold in-person town halls every three months.
FOX43 reports that Farnham also campaigned on affordability and the impact of federal policies on working families, arguing that families need greater economic security and more affordable health care. She challenged the administration's approach to tariffs and other economic policies, according to the outlet, framing her bid as a response to rising costs facing voters across the district.
A Shifting Political Landscape
Pennsylvania has again loomed large in national politics this cycle, with the state expected to play a critical role in determining which party controls Congress, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Even with Joyce's win, the 13th District race shifted 8.7 points toward Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election, per NBC News.
Joyce also won the district in 2024, a race called by the Associated Press and later certified, according to a New York Times results page from that election. If Joyce's 2026 win holds once all votes are tallied, it would mark his fifth term representing the district, with a new term set to begin in January 2027, FOX43 reports. Election officials have not yet certified the results, and under Pennsylvania procedure outcomes remain unofficial until that certification is complete.
