In the spring before any general election in Pennsylvania, roughly every two years, a new ballot of democrats and republicans to be voted on is released. Better known as the “primaries” this election chooses who will be on the final ballot in the following fall, where the official vote for each pending position change will be made.
Also recognized as midterms, because this round of voting falls on May 19th half way through the President’s term, the main candidates people were focused on were statewide offices, like Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Pennsylvania State Senate, and the House of Representatives
For Governor the notable Democrat nominee was Josh Shapiro and the Republican nominee was Stacy L. Garrity. Due to neither facing opponents, they both secured the slots.
The Lieutenant Governor candidates included Democrat Austin Davis and Republicans Jason Richey and John Ventre. Austin Davis also went unopposed as the Democrat nominee, but even though he had competition, Jason Richey prevailed with almost double the votes.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is split up by district. With 203 seats in total up for grabs, Bellefonte falls in the 171st district. The Republican nominee is Kerry Benninghoff and the Democratic nominee is John Zangrai.
25 of the 50 seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate are up for vote. The senate is also split up by district, putting Bellefonte in the 25th district. The Republican nominee ended up being Cris Dush, and William McGill as the Democratic nominee.
Lastly, the US House of Representatives, with 435 seats in total, is divided into 17 districts in Pennsylvania, and we are the 15th district. Both candidates went uncontested, leaving the Democratic nominee as Ray Bilger and the Republican as Glenn Thompson.
In order to vote at the primaries you must be a registered Republican or Democrat to vote. However, later in the coming fall on the first Tuesday of November, independents may vote as well. Voting is a highly positive way to remind yourself you play a role in our nation!
