Governor, legislature positions on ballot
Three area Pennsylvania Senators and five members of the state House of Representatives are seeking re-election in the 2026 mid-term elections and are unopposed in the Primary Election to be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Some of them await Democratic challenges in November, while battle lines will also be established in this round of voting for three U.S. Congress positions, governor and lieutenant governor of the commonwealth.
Here’s a look at what voters will see Tuesday:
Governor
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Montgomery County is unopposed, as his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity of Bradford County.
The current lieutenant governor to Shapiro, Austin Davis, of Allegheny County, is unopposed on the Democratic side.
Republican voters have a choice for Garrity’s running mate as John Ventre of Westmoreland County and Jason Richey of Allegheny County are seeking the lieutenant governor nomination tomorrow.
Pa. Senate
The incumbent senators up for re-election are Democrat Nicholas P. Miller of the 14th District, and Republicans Jarrett C. Coleman and Rosemary M. Brown of the 16th and 40th districts, respectively.
Each of them will have opposition in November. Republican Omy Maldonado, a Marine Corps veteran who works as a technology consultant, is running against Miller, Democrat Bradley Merkel-Gump of Perkasie, a teacher in the Perkiomen Valley School District, will face Coleman, and Democrat Brian Wrightston will be Brown’s opponent.
The 14th District consists of parts of Lehigh County, consisting of the City of Allentown (parts, wards 1-12, 14-17 and 19) and the townships of Hanover, Salisbury, South Whitehall (parts, districts 1, 2, 4 5 and 7) and Whitehall and the boroughs of Catasauqua, Coplay, Emmaus and Fountain Hill, and part of Northampton County, consisting of the townships of Allen, Bushkill, East Allen, Hanover, Lehigh and Moore and the boroughs of Bath, Chapman, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport
The 16th District consists of parts of Bucks County and parts of Lehigh County, including Heidelberg, Lowhill, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg townships and the borough of Slatington.
The 40th District consists of all of Monroe County and parts of Lackawanna County and Wayne County.
Pa. House
Three of five Republican state House members up for re-election will have opposition: Jamie Barton in the 124th District, Zachary Mako in the 183rd District and Gary Day in the 187th District.
Rep. Doyle Heffley, who represents Carbon County’s 122nd District, does not face a Democratic opponent on the ballot, but Christian Bartulovich, a Penn Forest Township supervisor, is seeking write-in votes on the Democratic ballot.
Barton will face Democrat Tina Burns of Tamaqua, a healthcare industry worker. The 124th District includes parts of Berks County and parts of Schuylkill County, including the townships of Delano, East Brunswick, Rush, Ryan, Schuylkill, South Manheim, Walker, West Brunswick and West Penn, and the boroughs of Auburn, Coaldale, Deer Lake, Landingville, New Ringgold, Orwigsburg, Port Clinton and Tamaqua.
Mako’s opponent in the General Election will be Democrat Deirdre Kamber-Todd, an attorney and small business owner from Schnecksville.
The 183rd District includes parts of Lehigh County, including the townships of Lowhill and North Whitehall and the Borough of Slatington, and parts of Northampton County, including Lehigh Township and Walnutport.
Day will be running against the winner of a Democratic race between Geoffrey S. Whitcomb, a pastor and Southwest Middle School music teacher, and Rachel Cuevas, a human resources professional, in November.
The 187th District includes parts of Lehigh County, including the townships of Heidelberg, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg townships.
Rep. Jack Rader, who represents the 176th District, has no opposition on the Democratic side at this time.
The 176th District includes parts of Monroe County, including the townships of Chestnuthill, Eldred, Hamilton, Jackson, Polk, Ross, Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock.
Senators and House members have a salary of $113,575, and are paid a stipend of $198 for each day they are in Harrisburg.