 The incumbent was Republican Bill Shuster, who had represented the district since 2001.He was re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2014 and the district had a PVI of R+14.Shuster, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was challenged in the 2014 Republican primary by two candidates, Art Halvorson and Travis Schooley, unhappy with his support for earmarks that bring projects to the district.