So, what will area voters encounter on April 23, the date when the Primary Election in Pennsylvania will take place?

This year being a presidential election year, Pennsylvania moves its Primary Election forward. Instead of the traditional May balloting, Republican and Democratic Party members will vote almost a month earlier than usual and will be able to vote for nominations to state and federal elections.

Of course, the office of President of the United States will top the ballots, while other races include nominations for the U.S. Senate, three row offices in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, congressional seats in the House of Representatives and positions in the House of Representatives and Senate of Pennsylvania.

Information on the U.S. and state houses of representatives and the Pennsylvania Senate will be in separate stories in the Times News.

As for the president’s race, the presumptive favorites, incumbent Democrat Joe Biden and former president, Republican Donald Trump, both have opposition on the Pennsylvania ballot.

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is on the Democratic ballot in opposition to Biden while Trump’s challenger is former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

If the election comes down to Trump and Biden, it will be the first campaign in 112 years featuring two candidates who have already served in the White House. The last case came when Woodrow Wilson defeated incumbent William Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.

U.S. Senate

The federal Senate race features incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, who is seeking his fourth six-year term in Washington. The son of the late former Gov. Robert P. Casey and former Pennsylvania treasurer, Casey has never lost a General Election. The last time around, he defeated former Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta by more than 650,000 votes - 2,792,437 to 2,134,848.

Casey is unopposed in the Primary, and will face the winner of a GOP Primary race between Republicans Dave McCormick and Joseph Vodvarka.

McCormick lost the 2022 Republican Primary Election race to Mehmet Oz, when the other Pennsylvania Senate seat was up for re-election. Oz was then defeated by the Democrat, now Sen. John Fetterman.

McCormick served as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush.

Vodvarka is a small-business owner from Allegheny County who lost Democratic primaries for Senate in 2010 and 2012 and was disqualified from running in 2016 due to signature issues. He became a Republican in 2018 but withdrew from that primary as well due to more petition problems.

Attorney General

Democratic voters will pick from a crowded field for attorney general in the primary. Candidates include former Philadelphia Chief Public Defender Keir Bradford-Grey, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, former Auditor General Gene DePasquale, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and state Rep. Jared Solomon, D-Philadelphia.

The current attorney general, Democrat Michelle Henry, is not seeking the seat. She became the attorney general in 2030 when Josh Shapiro resigned the position after being elected governor. He nominated Henry for the post and she was later confirmed by the Senate.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face the winner of a two-candidate race on the Republican side. The candidates are York County District Attorney David Sunday and state Rep. Craig Williams of Delaware County.

Auditor General

Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor is seeking re-election to his second four-year term in that post and is unopposed in the Primary.

In November, he will face the winner of a Democratic race between Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia.

State Treasurer

Like DeFoor, Republican incumbent Treasurer Stacy Garrity is seeking a second term. She in unopposed on the GOP side and will face the winner of a Democratic race between state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro of Erie and Erin McClelland, a former congressional candidate in Pittsburgh.

Deadlines

Residents not registered to vote can do so until the deadline of April 8.

The deadline for mail-in and/or absentee ballot applications is April 16.