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Chester County Press

Primary Election set for June 2

05/26/2020 12:27PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Pennsylvania residents will be casting their ballots to determine who earns the Republican and Democratic nominations in a variety of state and federal races on Tuesday, June 2. This is the new date for the Pennsylvania Primary which was originally scheduled for April 28, but was pushed back as the state grappled with the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak.

While the health crisis certainly hampered the campaigning efforts of incumbents and new candidates alike, some important decisions will be made by voters on June 2 as they determine who will advance to the general election in November.

Five-term State Rep. John Lawrence, who represents the 13th District in Harrisburg, is seeking the Republican nomination in the Primary. Richard Ruggieri is on the ballot on the Democratic side.

In the 158th District race, incumbent Christina Sappey is seeking a second term. She is on the Democratic ballot. On the Republican side, Eric Roe, a former state representative, is seeking the nomination of his party. This is a rematch of the 2018 election.

Craig Williams is seeking the Republican nomination for the open seat in the 160th District. On the Democratic side, voters will decide between Anton Andrew and Cathy Spahr. This is the State House seat currently held by Steve Barrar.

Carolyn Comitta, the Democratic incumbent, is seeking a second term as the state representative in the 156th District. Len Iacono is seeking the Republican nomination to face Comitta in November.

Comitta is simultaneously seeking to win the Democratic nomination for the open State Senate seat in the 19th District, vying with Kyle Boyer and Don Vymazal. Kevin Runey, a Republican, is seeking that party’s nomination in the 19th Senate District. This is the State Senate seat currently held by Andy Dinniman.

In the State Senate 9th District race, Tom Killion, the incumbent Republican, is seeking another term, while on the Democratic side, Brett Burman and John Kane are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella is seeking another term as state treasurer. Stacy Garrity is seeking the Republican nomination for the chance to run against Torsella in November.

Josh Shapiro is running for another term as state attorney general. He is running unopposed on the Democratic side. Heather Heidelbaugh is seeking the Republican nomination for state attorney general.

Voters will choose from among Democratic auditor general candidates—Scott Conklin, Michael Lash, Tracie Fountain, Rose Marie Davis, Nina Ahmad, and Christina Hartman, as they seek to fill a seat that will be open. On the Republican side, Timothy DeFoor is seeking the nomination for auditor general.

Chrissy Houlahan, who represents the 6th District in the U.S. Congress, is seeking a second term after winning the open seat in 2018. She is unopposed on the Democratic side, while John Emmons is unopposed in his bid for the Republican nomination.

There will be a number of names still on the ballot for the U.S. Presidential election, but the only names that matter at this point are incumbent Donald Trump, who will be the Republican nominee, and former vice president and senator Joe Biden, who will be the Democratic nominee.

Democrats and Republicans will also be selecting the delegates to the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention during the Primary election.