U.S. House · Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District
Justin Wagner
CandidateD
- Race
- U.S. House · Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District
- Result
- Mike Kelly, projected winner
- Opponent
- Mike Kelly (R)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did8 statements · 0 votes
Send me to congress, and I will co-sponsor and vote to pass The Medicare For All Act (H.R. 3069).
Expand public health coverage
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 16
2026-11-03
| Mike Kelly R | incumbent |
| Justin Wagner D | challenger |
Won the May 19 Democratic primary
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Send me to congress, and I will co-sponsor and vote to pass The Medicare For All Act (H.R. 3069).
Pledges to oppose cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and to co-sponsor and vote for the Medicare For All Act (H.R. 3069).[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
I support a strong federal guarantee of the right to choose so that your medical decisions stay between you and your doctor, and not the government.
Supports a federal guarantee of the right to choose and pledges to vote for the Women's Health Protection Act.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
If you buy a firearm, you should pass a background check—plain and simple.
Supports universal background checks and red flag laws with due process protections, while affirming the right to bear arms.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
I will vote to pass tax policy that does not allow working-class families to pay a higher tax rate than billionaires.
Calls for closing 2017 tax-law loopholes and taxing wealth like work, and criticizes the cut in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
I’ll push for real action to cut emissions, invest in clean energy jobs, and make sure our communities aren’t left behind as the world changes around us.
Pledges to push for real action to cut emissions and invest in clean energy jobs.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
The Constitution says that war powers belong strictly to Congress.
Says war powers belong to Congress and pledges to vote for legislation requiring a president to seek a House debate and vote before putting troops in harm's way.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
In Congress, I’ll push for a real, across-the-board increase that finally gives working people the paycheck they’ve earned.
Calls for raising the federal minimum wage and tying it to inflation.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
I do not support school vouchers that take away from public school funding.
Says he does not support school vouchers that take away from public school funding.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Justin Wagner, a Democrat and Army veteran who served in Iraq in 2006, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Pennsylvania's 16th District to Mike Kelly. According to his campaign website, he is a senior automation engineer who has worked for NASA, Boeing, Ford and the City of Seattle.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
According to his campaign website, Wagner was born and raised in Greenville and Transfer, Pennsylvania, where his family had lived for eight generations, and he began working at age 15.[1] He graduated from Reynolds High School in 1998, then attended ITT Technical Institute and took additional classes at Youngstown State University.[1]
Wagner joined the Army after completing his education, trained at Fort Jackson and Fort Rucker, served in South Korea with the 6th Cavalry and stateside with the 4th Infantry Division, and deployed to Iraq in 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[1] He continued his service in the Army Reserves with the 377th Engineer Company in Butler, Pennsylvania.[1]
Wagner has worked as a senior automation engineer for 15 years, beginning with the commissioning of a new steel plant in Youngstown, Ohio, and including work for NASA, Boeing, Ford, and the City of Seattle's water and wastewater treatment system.[1] He currently works in the life sciences industry and is a past member of the UAW and IBEW unions.[1] His campaign website says he and his wife, Amanda, an Army veteran, have been married 21 years and have four daughters who have been home-schooled, and that he coaches youth hockey and plays in a local band and his church's worship group.[1] According to Ballotpedia, he advanced from the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary to the November general election.[2] His campaign website listed veterans and labor issues, affordability, health care access, and school resources as his priorities.[1][2] He received 46.1% of the vote to Mike Kelly's 53.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]
In their own words
Campaign money$67K raised · 99% from individuals · FEC through 2026-06-30
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $66K
- Party $50
- Own money & loans $620
Largest committee contributions
- Machinists Non Partisan Political League of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers PAC$10K
- Pennsylvania Democratic Party Party$6,005
- Ua Union Plumbers & Pipefitters Vote! PAC (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada) PAC$5,000
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/justin-wagner
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.About · Justin Wagner for Congress Candidate's own words
- 2.Justin Wagner · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.U.S. House · Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 4.Platform · Justin Wagner for Congress Candidate's own words
- 5.About · Justin Wagner for Congress Candidate's own words
- 6.Home · Justin Wagner for Congress Candidate's own words