The 2016 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States elections in which all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated. Pennsylvania voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote.

On April 26, 2016, in the presidential primaries, voters selected the Democratic, Republican, and Green parties' respective nominees for president. Pennsylvania is a closed primary state, meaning voters must have been previously registered with a particular political party in order to vote for one of that parties' candidates, to participate in their respective party primary.

In the general election, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes out of more than 6 million cast, a margin of 0.72% and the narrowest margin in a presidential election since 1840, when William Henry Harrison defeated Martin Van Buren by just 0.12%. Pennsylvania voted 2.82% more Republican than the nation-at-large, marking the first time since 1948 that it voted to the right of the nation.

Before the election, Pennsylvania was expected to be close as polling showed the results within the margin of error, but many election experts viewed that Clinton had an edge. However, on Election Day, Pennsylvania unexpectedly swung to Donald Trump. Trump carried 56 of the state's 67 counties, predominantly rural or suburban counties, while Clinton carried much of the Philadelphia metropolitan area as well as other cities including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Scranton. Nonetheless, some areas of traditional Democratic strength such as Luzerne County, where Wilkes-Barre is located, saw swings in margins of up to 25% toward Donald Trump.

Trump was the first Republican nominee for president to win the state of Pennsylvania since George H. W. Bush in 1988. Later in 2024, Trump also became the first Republican to win a majority of the vote in the state since Bush in 1988.

Primaries Democratic primary

Republican primary

Green Party Pennsylvania held a series of caucuses throughout April, culminating with a meeting on April 30 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where delegates were assigned.

+ Pennsylvania Green Party presidential caucuses, April 17, 2016 Candidate Votes Percentage National delegates Jill Stein - - 8William Kreml - - 1Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry - - -Darryl Cherney - - -Kent Mesplay - - - Total-100.00%9

Democratic National Convention From July 25 to July 28, 2016, Philadelphia hosted the 2016 Democratic National Convention. It was held at the Wells Fargo Center with ancillary meetings at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was chosen as the party's nominee for president by a 59.67% majority of delegates present at the convention roll call, winning the nomination, while runner-up rival Senator Bernie Sanders received 39.16% of votes from delegates. Clinton then became the first female candidate to be formally nominated by a major national party as a presidential candidate in the United States. Her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine, the junior United States senator from Virginia, was chosen by delegates as the party's nominee for vice president by acclamation.

General election

Predictions SourceRankingAs ofCNNNovember 4, 2016Cook Political ReportNovember 7, 2016Electoral-vote.comNovember 6, 2016NBCNovember 7, 2016RealClearPoliticsNovember 6, 2016 Rothenberg Political Report November 7, 2016Sabato's Crystal BallNovember 7, 2016

Results

By county CountyDonald TrumpRepublicanHillary ClintonDemocraticGary JohnsonLibertarianJill SteinGreenDarrell CastleConstitutionVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%#%#%#%Adams31,42365.48%14,21929.63%1,2512.61%4050.84%1910.40%5011.04%17,20435.85%47,990Allegheny259,48039.48%367,61755.94%16,1022.45%5,0970.78%1,8180.28%7,0751.08%-108,137-16.46%657,189Armstrong23,48473.70%7,17822.53%6852.15%1410.44%1300.41%2460.77%16,30651.17%31,864Beaver48,16757.03%32,53138.52%2,0222.39%4960.59%3550.42%8911.05%15,63618.51%84,462Bedford19,55282.59%3,64515.40%2601.10%1020.43%780.33%380.16%15,90767.19%23,675Berks96,62652.49%78,43742.61%5,2472.85%1,9741.07%7810.42%1,0200.55%18,1899.88%184,085Blair39,13570.72%13,95825.22%1,2562.27%3380.61%2220.40%4320.79%25,17745.50%55,341Bradford18,14169.81%6,36924.51%8933.44%1370.53%1680.65%2781.07%11,77245.30%25,986Bucks164,36147.64%167,06048.42%8,5562.48%3,1210.90%1,1990.35%7450.22%-2,699-0.78%345,042Butler64,43165.71%28,58629.15%3,0643.12%6150.63%3820.39%9730.99%35,84536.56%98,051Cambria42,25866.45%18,86729.67%1,2702.00%4130.65%2640.42%5170.81%23,39136.78%63,589Cameron1,58971.90%53124.03%532.40%60.27%70.32%241.09%1,05847.87%2,210Carbon18,74364.65%8,93630.82%6912.38%2650.91%1410.49%2170.75%9,80733.83%28,993Centre35,27445.63%37,08847.97%2,6443.42%7981.03%3440.44%1,1590.94%-1,814-2.34%77,307Chester116,11442.53%141,68251.90%7,9302.90%2,2470.82%8270.30%4,1981.54%-25,568-9.37%272,998Clarion12,57671.21%4,27324.20%4692.66%1150.65%1020.58%1250.71%8,30347.01%17,660Clearfield24,93272.16%8,20023.73%7762.25%2200.64%1430.41%2790.81%16,73248.43%34,550Clinton10,02264.64%4,74430.60%4703.03%1210.78%370.24%1110.71%5,27834.04%15,505Columbia18,00463.16%8,93431.34%8833.10%2650.93%1420.50%2780.97%9,07031.82%28,506Crawford24,98766.08%10,97129.01%1,0462.77%2710.72%2170.57%3210.85%14,01637.07%37,813Cumberland69,07655.94%47,08538.13%3,9753.22%9390.76%5420.44%1,8691.51%21,99117.81%123,486Dauphin60,86346.18%64,70649.10%3,4982.65%1,1770.89%6280.48%9110.69%-3,843-2.92%131,783Delaware110,66736.97%177,40259.27%5,9922.00%2,5880.86%9850.33%1,7020.57%-66,735-22.30%299,336Elk10,02568.91%3,85326.49%4012.76%790.54%680.47%1210.83%6,17242.42%14,547Erie60,06948.01%58,11246.44%3,8713.09%1,1390.91%4880.39%1,4501.16%1,9571.57%125,129Fayette34,59063.94%17,94633.17%8531.58%2320.43%1460.27%3320.61%16,64430.77%54,099Forest1,68469.59%62625.87%602.48%190.79%130.54%180.74%1,05843.72%2,420Franklin49,76870.59%17,46524.77%1,7122.43%4500.64%3360.48%7751.10%32,30345.82%70,506Fulton5,69483.47%91213.37%931.36%370.54%350.51%510.75%4,78270.10%6,822Greene10,84968.37%4,48228.25%2841.79%830.52%660.42%1040.66%6,36740.12%15,868Huntingdon14,49472.96%4,53922.85%4252.14%960.48%1520.77%1600.81%9,95550.11%19,866Indiana24,88865.29%11,52830.24%9362.46%2200.58%1980.52%3520.92%13,36035.05%38,122Jefferson15,19277.53%3,65018.63%4322.20%1100.56%940.48%1170.60%11,54258.90%19,595Juniata8,27378.45%1,82117.27%2011.91%710.67%880.83%910.86%6,45261.18%10,545Lackawanna48,38446.34%51,98349.79%1,9351.85%8960.86%2580.25%9480.91%-3,599-3.45%104,404Lancaster137,91456.33%91,09337.21%8,5553.49%2,0210.83%1,5290.62%3,7201.52%46,82119.12%244,832Lawrence25,42861.90%14,00934.11%8702.12%2480.60%1980.48%3230.79%11,41927.79%41,076Lebanon40,52564.84%18,95330.32%1,6472.64%4220.68%2980.48%6581.05%21,57234.52%62,503Lehigh73,69045.28%81,32449.97%4,0272.47%1,4020.86%5500.34%1,7401.07%-7,634-4.69%162,733Luzerne78,68857.90%52,45138.60%2,3391.72%1,1780.87%3270.24%9180.68%26,23719.30%135,901Lycoming35,62769.68%13,02025.46%1,3112.56%3840.75%2230.44%5661.11%22,60744.22%51,131McKean11,63570.67%4,02524.45%4082.48%1510.92%770.47%1681.02%7,61046.22%16,464Mercer31,54459.70%18,73335.45%1,3702.59%4150.79%2470.47%5301.00%12,81124.25%52,839Mifflin14,09475.28%3,87720.71%4762.54%800.43%740.40%1200.64%10,21754.57%18,721Monroe33,38647.69%33,91848.45%1,5022.15%7581.08%1880.27%2560.36%-532-0.76%70,008Montgomery162,73137.10%256,08258.38%10,9342.49%3,7040.84%1,2360.28%3,9650.90%-93,351-21.28%438,652Montour5,28861.80%2,85733.39%2873.35%730.85%510.60%00.00%2,43128.41%8,556Northampton71,73649.62%66,27545.84%3,6902.55%1,3710.95%4500.31%1,0470.72%5,4613.78%144,569Northumberland25,42768.89%9,78826.52%9312.52%2960.80%1800.49%2850.77%15,63942.37%36,907Perry15,61673.07%4,63221.67%6192.90%1630.76%1280.60%2131.00%10,98451.40%21,371Philadelphia108,74815.32%584,02582.30%7,1151.00%6,6790.94%1,0640.15%1,9870.28%-475,277-66.98%709,618Pike16,06161.06%9,26835.24%4941.88%2260.86%710.27%1830.70%6,79325.82%26,303Potter6,25179.49%1,30216.56%1652.10%350.45%310.39%801.01%4,94962.93%7,864Schuylkill44,00169.42%16,77026.46%1,4142.23%4490.71%2350.37%5160.81%27,23142.96%63,385Snyder11,72571.12%4,00224.28%4552.76%1110.67%700.42%1230.75%7,72346.84%16,486Somerset27,37975.90%7,37620.45%6781.88%1660.46%1740.48%3000.83%20,00355.45%36,073Sullivan2,29172.68%75023.79%652.06%140.44%160.51%160.51%1,54148.89%3,152Susquehanna12,89167.69%5,12326.90%5682.98%1921.01%890.47%1800.95%7,76840.79%19,043Tioga13,61473.56%3,90121.08%5482.96%1390.75%1230.66%1820.98%9,71352.48%18,507Union10,62260.02%6,18034.92%4502.54%1430.81%730.41%2281.29%4,44225.43%17,696Venango16,02168.09%6,30926.81%7333.12%1490.63%1360.58%1820.77%9,71241.28%23,530Warren12,47767.06%5,14527.65%5492.95%1300.70%1330.71%1720.92%7,33239.41%18,606Washington61,38660.03%36,32235.52%2,6432.58%7330.72%3660.36%8170.80%25,06424.51%102,267Wayne16,24467.63%7,00829.18%4661.94%2060.86%940.39%00.00%9,23638.45%24,018Westmoreland116,52263.50%59,66932.52%4,3672.38%9360.51%5570.30%1,4410.79%56,85330.98%183,492Wyoming8,83766.63%3,81128.74%3232.44%1160.87%570.43%1180.89%5,02637.89%13,262York128,52861.78%68,52432.94%6,4843.12%1,5680.75%8820.42%2,0430.98%60,00428.84%208,029Totals2,970,74248.17%2,926,45847.45%146,7192.38%49,9410.81%21,5720.35%51,5060.83%44,2840.72%6,166,938

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Erie (largest city: Erie) Luzerne (largest city: Wilkes-Barre) Northampton (largest city: Bethlehem)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Chester (largest borough: West Chester)

By congressional district Trump won 12 of 18 congressional districts, including one which elected a Democrat, while Clinton won six, including two that elected a Republican. District Trump Clinton Representative1 18% 80%Bob Brady28%90%Chaka FattahDwight Evans3 61% 35%Mike Kelly4 59% 37%Scott Perry5 62% 34%Glenn Thompson 6 48% 48%Ryan Costello7 47% 49%Patrick Meehan848%48%Mike FitzpatrickBrian Fitzpatrick9 70% 27%Bill Shuster10 66% 30%Tom Marino11 60% 36%Lou Barletta12 59% 38%Keith Rothfus13 32% 65%Brendan Boyle14 31% 66%Mike Doyle15 52% 44%Charlie Dent1651%44%Joe PittsLloyd Smucker17 53% 43%Matt Cartwright18 58% 39%Tim Murphy

Analysis

The 2016 presidential race is the only one since 1948 in which the Democratic nominee won the national popular vote without Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's vote for Donald Trump, along with that of Wisconsin and Michigan, marked the fall of the Democratic Blue Wall, a bloc of over 240 electoral votes that voted solidly Democratic from 1992 to 2012. Pennsylvania was one of the eleven states to have voted twice for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 which Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. Although Wisconsin eventually delivered the Trump victory, when the Clinton campaign learned that they had lost Pennsylvania, they knew that they had lost the election. While political analysts generally agree that Clinton met her turnout targets for Democratic voters, especially among the key counties of Bucks and Montgomery, Republican voter turnout was unexpectedly high in 2016, leading to a Trump win regardless of the Clinton campaign hitting their targets.

Except for the most college-educated counties in the state (see the map), Trump made massive gains. Chester and Montgomery counties swung significantly leftward, while Centre County (home to Pennsylvania State University) swung slightly leftward. Philadelphia County itself swung slightly rightward, though Clinton still won over 80% of the vote there. This prevented Clinton from winning the state, but it did keep Trump’s margin of victory below 1%.