WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania voters have a lot to think about when they hit the polls for Tuesday’s primary, including a hotly contested Republican primary for governor.
Also on the card are a five-way race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, a Republican primary to pick who will take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in the fall, House races in the wake of the major redistricting case and a host of open seats in the Legislature.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and elections officials emphasize that the redistricting decision did not change where anyone in the state will be voting.
• Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is running for a second term and is uncontested in Tuesday’s primary election. On Tuesday’s Republican ballot for the nomination to challenge him in the November election are three people: Scott Wagner, a state senator from York County who has made millions in the waste-hauling industry; Paul Mango, a former health care systems consultant; and Laura Ellsworth, a commercial litigation attorney and former chairwoman of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.
• Lt. Gov. Mike Stack is fighting for another term in office after a first term in which he had a chilly relationship with Wolf.
Stack has four Democratic challengers — Nina Ahmad, Kathi Cozzone, Ray Sosa, and John Fetterman.
Four Republicans are running in the primary — Jeff Bartos, Diana Irey Vaughan, Kathy Coder and Marguerite “Peg” Luksik.
• Casey, D-Scranton, is running for a third six-year term in office and is uncontested in the primary.
Two Republicans are seeking the nomination — four-term U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, the former mayor of Hazleton, and five-term state Rep. Jim Christiana of Beaver County.
• There are three local congressional races — in the 8th, 9th and 12th districts.
• Locally, there are no contested primary races for the state Senate or state House of Representatives, and only two House races will see an incumbent challenged in November.
Both local state senators — Sen. Lisa Baker and Sen. John Yudichak — are unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, and there are no candidates filed to challenge them in the fall.
All six local state representatives are up for re-election, but only two will have an opponent in November.
State House
• 116th Legislative District — Incumbent Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, is unopposed and no Democrat has filed.
• 117th Legislative District — Incumbent Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, is unopposed; no Democrat has filed.
• 118th Legislative District — Incumbent Michael Carroll, D-Avoca, is unopposed and no Republican filed.
• 119th Legislative District — Incumbent Gerald Mullery, R-Newport Township, is unopposed in the primary; Republican Justin Behrens, of Wright Township, is also unopposed Tuesday.
• 120th Legislative District — Incumbent Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, is unopposed and no Democrat has filed.
• 121st Legislative District — Incumbent Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, is unopposed in the primary; Republican Gregory Wolovich, of Hanover Township, is also unopposed Tuesday.
