First Deputy Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck took a major step Tuesday in his quest to fill his boss’s job by easily winning the Democratic nomination.

Houck, of Forks Township, now moves on to face a much lesser known candidate, Tom Carroll, who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Houck racked up a better than 2½-to 1 margin over challenger Nuria DiLuzio, Northampton County’s chief public defender and wife of Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio.

When November’s winner takes office in January, it will mark the first time in 28 years that John Morganelli will not head the district attorney’s office. Morganelli, a Democrat who cross filed, was unopposed for a 10-year judicial seat on the county’s Court of Common Pleas.

As district attorney, Morganelli earns $172,271. As judge he will earn around $185,000 after a cost-of-living increase at the end of the year.

In Lehigh County, a crowded field of seven cross-filed candidates sought the lone seat on that county’s Court of Common Pleas. With 100 percent of the votes counted, Anna-Kristie Morffi Marks of South Whitehall Township has won both parties’ primaries so is almost certain to win the seat. She is senior deputy district attorney and special victims unit prosecutor.

Lehigh Township Republicans voted out the supervisor chairman, Darryl Snover, in a three-person race. Gerald Pritchard won the GOP primary and will face unopposed Democrat Michael P. McGonigle in November.With 100% of the ballots counted, Pritchard had 326 votes; David Hess came in second with 181 votes, followed by Snover with 174.

Two seats are available in Northampton Area School District’s Region 1, which includes Lehigh and Allen townships. With most of the votes counted, incumbent John Becker came in first on both parties’ ballots, so is almost assured of retaining one of the seats. The second will feature a contest between another incumbent, Robert Mentzell, who placed second on the Republican ballot, and Barbara Knoll, who came in second on the Democratic ballot.

In other key Lehigh Valley races, interim Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell easily outpaced three challengers getting more votes than the other three combined to wrap up the Democratic nomination, which is tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic third largest city in the state. Assuming he gets by unopposed Republican Timothy Ramos in November, O’Connell will serve the remaining two years of ex-Mayor Ed Pawlowski’s term. Pawlowski is in federal prison serving a 15-year term for his part in the pay-for-play scandal that rocked the city.

Longtime Easton Mayor Sal Panto cruised with nearly 75 percent of the vote to easily capture the Democratic nomination over Taiba Sultana. Panto will face unopposed Republican Timothy Reilly, a city firefighter.