Veteran Pennsylvania lawmaker Joe Preston will not be serving a 16th term in the House. With 99.5% of precincts reporting, Ed Gainey has defeated Preston 65.8% to 33.9%.
In the special election in legislative district 22, Democrat Martin Schmotzer will succeed Chelsa Wagner who resigned after being elected as Allegheny County Controller. Schmotzer defeated Republican Chris Cratsley in the special election 51.7% to 38.2%.
However, Schmotzer won't serve beyond the 8 months remaining in Wagner's term because Erin Molchany defeated him in the Democratic primary 53.1% to 38.9%.
Molchany will take on Chris Cratsley who was unopposed for the GOP nomination.
D. Raja, who lost his bid to become Allegheny County Executive last fall, is on his way to becoming a state Senator. With 99% of precincts reporting in Allegheny County, Raja has 44% of the votes, Sue Means 30.9% and Mark Mustio 24.9%.
41-year old State Senator John Pippy (R-Allegheny County). Pippy, who served eight years in the House, decided not to seek a third 4-year term in the Senate.
Raja is not likely to face competition in the fall. No Democrat was on today's ballot.
The other three Senate races in Allegheny County are uncontested. In district 43, Democratic incumbent Jay Costa of Forest Hills is seeking his fifth 4-year term.
State Senator Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny County) is unopposed for renomination in district 45 and no Republicans filed.
In Senate district 47, much of which is in Beaver and Lawrence Counties, the Republican incumbent Elder Vogel, Jr. was unopposed on the GOP ballot. He will be challenged in the general election by Kimberly Pazzanita Villella, who was the only candidate on the Democratic ballot in this district.
In legislative district 20, State Representative Adam Ravenstahl, brother of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, held off two challengers in the Democratic primary, Mark Purcell and David Schuilenburg.
