Justin
Wagner
Democratic engineer and Mercer Borough Council member challenging GOP incumbent Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District.
- sources
- 8
- positions
- 12
- endorsements
- 17
Background
Justin Wagner is a Democratic candidate challenging Republican incumbent Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in the November 3, 2026 election. Wagner was born and raised in Greenville and Transfer, Pennsylvania, and currently lives in Mercer, PA, where he serves on Mercer Borough Council after winning a two-year seat in the November 4, 2025 election. 1620
Professionally, Wagner works as a senior automation engineer in the life sciences industry. His campaign biography describes a career that began at age 15 with jobs including grocery bagging at Giant Eagle and work at Trinity Industries, followed by engineering roles including helping commission a steel plant in Youngstown, working as an engineer for the City of Seattle, and collaborating with organizations such as NASA, Boeing, and Ford. 19
Wagner graduated from Reynolds High School in 1998 and attended ITT Technical Institute and Youngstown State University. He is listed as a Democratic candidate by the Federal Election Commission and in voter guides covering the PA-16 race. 1422
Wagner is running against Republican Mike Kelly, who has held the PA-16 seat since 2011. Wagner is not the incumbent. 89
At a glance
- Party
- Democratic
- Running for
- U.S. House · District 16, Pennsylvania
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
- Current office
- Mercer Borough Council Member; Senior Automation Engineer
- Website
- justinwagnerforcongress.com(opens in a new tab)
Where they stand
Each position links to the page it was drawn from. Quotes are verbatim.
Timeline
- Date unknownfilingFEC filings show Wagner raised $66,591 and had $37,534 cash on hand through June 30
As reported through June 30 of the 2025-26 cycle, Wagner raised $66,591.30 and spent $34,057.58, with $37,534 cash on hand, according to WESA and KnowYourReps citing FEC filings. By contrast, incumbent Mike Kelly had $1,329,347 cash on hand for the same period.
Pennsylvania's 16th District Race 2026: Who's Running (PA-16) · Oct 3, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 5newsWESA voter guide summarizes Wagner's positions and notes labor and Democratic backing
WESA's voter guide published October 5 summarized Wagner's survey responses on affordability, data centers and AI, immigration, Iran, and congressional oversight. It noted Wagner has backing from labor groups including the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and from Democratic leaders inside and outside the district, without specifying dates for those endorsements.
US House 16th District election: Kelly v. Wagner · Oct 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 2newsWagner outlines policy platform in Butler Eagle interview: wages, housing, drug prices, Iran
In an interview reported by the Butler Eagle, Wagner outlined priorities including raising the federal minimum wage, restricting private-equity purchases of single-family homes, enabling Medicare to negotiate all drug prices, raising taxes on billionaires, applying tariffs selectively, supporting a federal pause on new data centers, and opposing the war in Iran.
Rep. Mike Kelly to face off against challenger Justin Wagner in 16th Congressional District race · Oct 2, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 25newsWagner weighs in on AI camera regulation, citing privacy and federal oversight concerns
In a local report on AI-powered security cameras, Wagner said he supports law enforcement having tools but raised privacy concerns, calling it 'a personal freedom issue.' He argued oversight should be federal rather than left to states.
Mike Kelly, Justin Wagner weigh in on AI camera regulation · Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 17endorsementCWA District 2-13 lists Justin Wagner as AFL-endorsed in Pennsylvania endorsements
The Communications Workers of America District 2-13 published their 2026 Pennsylvania election endorsements, listing Wagner as 'PA16- Justin Wagner- AFL endorsed.' The exact date the endorsement was made is not specified.
2026 Pennsylvania Election Endorsements · Sep 17, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Endorsements
- Autumn Vogel officialMeadville City Council member; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Emily Kinkead officialPennsylvania state representative, 20th District; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Ron DiNicola officialFormer PA-16 candidate; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Kevin Boozel officialButler County commissioner; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Jean Carr-Fisher officialMayor of Greenville Borough; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Jaime Kinder officialMayor of Meadville; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Kylie Morris officialMillcreek Board of Supervisors; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO unionReported as backing Wagner in WESA's October 5, 2026 voter guide; also listed on the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO's 2026 general-election endorsements page. wesanews.org
- Ro Khanna officialU.S. Representative from California's 17th District; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Napoleon Nelson officialPennsylvania state representative, 154th District; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Ryan Bizzarro officialPennsylvania state representative, 3rd District; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Bob Dandoy officialMayor of Butler; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Rock Copeland officialErie County Council, District 3; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Dave Henderson officialGreenville City Council member; listed on Wagner's campaign endorsements page without a date. justinwagnerforcongress.com
- Communications Workers of America, District 2-13 unionCWA District 2-13's September 17, 2026 Pennsylvania endorsements list includes 'PA16- Justin Wagner- AFL endorsed,' indicating their listing of Wagner as AFL-endorsed. Does not by itself establish a separate standalone CWA endorsement. cwad2-13.org · Sep 17, 2026
- International Association of Machinists (IAM) Union, District 98 unionWagner announced this endorsement on his X account on July 24, 2026. x.com · Jul 24, 2026
- Malcolm Kenyatta officialPennsylvania state representative, 181st District; Wagner announced the endorsement in an X post dated May 31, 2026. x.com · May 31, 2026
Campaign finance
Totals filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 election cycle.
- Raised
- $67K
- Spent
- $34K
- Cash on hand
- $38K
As of Jun 30, 2026. Filings are periodic, so recent money may not be included yet. ↳ FEC record H6PA16379(opens in a new tab)
Sources 8
- [1] US House 16th District election: Kelly v. Wagner(opens in a new tab) Oct 5, 2026
- [2] Platform(opens in a new tab) Oct 4, 2026
- [3] Pennsylvania's 16th District Race 2026: Who's Running (PA-16)(opens in a new tab) Oct 3, 2026
- [4] Rep. Mike Kelly to face off against challenger Justin Wagner in 16th Congressional District race(opens in a new tab) Oct 2, 2026
- [5] Endorsements(opens in a new tab) Sep 27, 2026
- [6] Mike Kelly, Justin Wagner weigh in on AI camera regulation(opens in a new tab) Sep 25, 2026
- [7] 2026 Pennsylvania Election Endorsements(opens in a new tab) Sep 17, 2026
- [8] Justin Wagner (@JustinWagnerPA) / Posts / X(opens in a new tab) May 31, 2026