Voters in the Times News coverage area will have plenty of choices to make with regard to who will represent them in Harrisburg on Tuesday when the 2026 General Election takes place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

That’s because contested races are on the ballots in various areas, including the Pennsylvania governor’s race that appears on all of the ballots.

The current governor, Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and his lieutenant governor running mate, Austin Davis, are seeking another four-year term and face competition from Republican Stacy Garrity, the current state treasurer, and the lieutenant governor nominee in that party, Jason Richey.

The Libertarian Party is also represented on the ballot. It’s gubernatorial candidate is Ken Krawchuk, who is joined on the ticket by John Thomas.

Meanwhile, the five sitting Republican state representatives in the Times News coverage area all face opposition for two-year terms, including Rep. Doyle Heffley, who represents all of Carbon County. The other incumbents with challenges are representatives Jamie Barton of Schuylkill County, Jack Rader of Monroe County and Zach Mako and Gary Day, both of Lehigh County.

Likewise, three incumbent senators who represent our area – Democrat Nick Miller of Lehigh County and Republicans Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh County and Rosemary Brown of Monroe County – all face opposition in their pursuit of additional four-year terms.

In mid-term elections, half of the state senator positions are up for grabs. This year, the positions in even-numbered districts are to be filled. That means Sen. David Argall, who represents Carbon and Schuylkill counties and parts of Luzerne County as the 29th District standard-bearer, is not up this time around. The current salary of a state senator is the same as that of a state representative.

Here is a look at the districts in the Times News area that are on Tuesday’s ballots and the candidates in each of them:

House of Representatives

122nd District

Rep. Heffley went into the Primary Election unopposed within his party and also having no Democratic opponent, but he lost a concerted effort to win the Democratic nomination to another Republican, Christian Bartulovich of Penn Forest Township. The latter collected 483 write-in votes to defeat Heffley, who tallied 384 write-in votes, setting up the General Election matchup in all 47 precincts of Carbon County.

Heffley was first elected in 2010, following the retirement of Speaker of the House Keith R. McCall of Summit Hill. Previously, Heffley worked in the trucking industry where he oversaw more than 100 employees.

He holds an associate degree in architectural drafting and design from Lincoln Technical Institute.

The Democratic nominee, Bartulovich, is a current Penn Forest Township supervisor. Previously, he ran 911 calls and critical care transports as a paramedic and went on to become Regional Solutions Manager for Olympus America, a medical device industry.

He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Thomas Edison State University.

124th District

The 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.

Rep. Barton is the incumbent, having succeeded former Rep. Jerry Knowles upon his retirement.

A resident of East Brunswick Township, before his election, Rep. Barton spent 35 years in the energy industry as the vice president of Jack Rich, Inc.

His opponent is Democrat Tina Burns of Tamaqua, who he defeated two years ago. Burns is a health care consultant who helps smaller providers operate independent of large health systems. She served in the Coast Guard before earning a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from Florida International University.

176th District

The district includes parts of Monroe County, including the townships of Chestnuthill, Eldred, Hamilton, Jackson, Polk, Ross, Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock and has been represented by Rep. Rader since 2015.

A resident of Jackson Township, he served 28 years on the township’s board of supervisors, including 20 years as chairman, and also served as chairman of the Pocono-Jackson Water Authority.

His opponent is Democrat Thomas Kucer, a sheet metal worker who holds a bachelor of science degree in construction management.

183rd District

The 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.

Rep. Mako, of Lehigh Township, in his fourth two-year term.

He is a PA National Guard veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom who holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Kutztown University.

His opponent is Democrat Deirdre Kamber Todd, a 23-year attorney who worked in business, civil rights, health care, contracts and education law. She also worked in Harrisburg for the Departments of Health and Corrections.

187th District

The district includes parts of Lehigh County, including the townships of Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lynn, Upper Macungie (part, Districts 3, 7 and 8), Washington and Weisenberg, and the boroughs of Alburtis and Macungie.

Rep. Day, of Heidelberg Township, has represented the district for the past two years and previously served in the House from 2008-2022, before redistricting.

Before his legislative career, he was the director of Marketing and Human Resources for Service Electric Cablevision and was an executive assistant to the mayor of Allentown.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in business from Pennsylvania State University.

His opponent is Democrat Rachel Cuevas of Alburtis, who has spent her career as a human resources professional at Amazon and Boston Beer.

116th and 123rd districts

In two districts on the “fringes” of the Times News area, Republican officeholders Dane Watro of Kline Township and Tim Twardzik of Butler Township, are seeking reelection as well.

Rep. Watro, a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi and the former mayor of McAdoo, is unopposed in the district that includes parts of Luzerne County, and parts of Schuylkill County, including the townships of East Union, Kline, Mahanoy, North Union and Union, and the boroughs of Mahanoy City, McAdoo, Ringtown and Shenandoah.

Rep. Twardzik is currently serving his third term in the House and represents parts of Schuylkill County, including the townships of Blythe, Cass, East Norwegian, and West Mahanoy, and the boroughs of Ashland (Schuylkill County portion), Cressona, Middleport, New Philadelphia, Palo Alto, Port Carbon, Schuylkill Haven and Saint Clair.

Before entering public service, he was the executive vice president and co-owner of Ateeco Inc., makers of Mrs. T’s Pierogies.

Twardzik has opposition from Democrat John Deatrich, the mayor of Palo Alto a career vocational education and technical teacher and former small business owner who operated an auto repair and racing parts shop.

Senate

14th District

The district consists of parts of Lehigh County, including Lehigh Township.

Sen. Miller is the current officeholder.

Following his graduation from Penn State University, he built his career as a project manager and later launched his own business. He began his public service on the Allentown School Board.

Sen. Miller is being challenged by Republican Omy Maldonado. He served eight years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two overseas deployments, and earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina - Beaufort, and a master’s degree in business administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He currently works as a technology consultant.

16th District

The 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.

Rep. Jarrett Coleman is the incumbent.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in aviation and a master of business administration degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Cincinnati and worked as a pilot for CommuteAir, Compass Airlines, and JetBlue. He previously served in the Parkland School District Board of Education.

Challenging him is Democrat Mark Pinsley.

Pinsley is a U.S. Army veteran who currently hold the position of Lehigh County Controller.

40th District

The district includes all of Monroe County and parts of Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

Sen. Brown is the incumbent, having been elected to the Senate in November of 2022 after serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for six terms.

Prior to public service, she worked in the private sector, including in a position in the executive management training program with Macy’s, as an executive sales manager and assistant buyer with Macy’s, management posts with Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in Manhattan and as a divisional manager for Bon Ton.

Sen. Brown faces opposition from Democrat Brian Wrightson, the owner and operator of Fire Tower Communications, managing communications infrastructure and broadband expansion across Monroe, Lackawanna, and Wayne counties. Previously, he worked in government for Lackawanna County and as the director of emergency services for the American Red Cross.