Photo by Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt speaks to the media about primary elections at a 9 p.m. press conference on May 19.

On a sweltering Election Day, more than one million Pennsylvanians cast their ballots, voting for their preferred candidate in hundreds of races across the commonwealth. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt shared that of the 854,000 registered voters who requested mail-in ballots for the primary, an estimated 77% were returned as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“Remember, counties in Pennsylvania could not begin processing and opening those mailed ballots until 7 a.m. today, and the last of those ballots were just received (at 8 p.m.),” said Schmidt at a 9 p.m. press conference. “While we all want to know the results of elections as soon as possible, election officials’ priority is to accurately count every eligible vote and to do so with integrity.”

Results will be certified three weeks after the primary, meaning that final counts could still change.

Names at the top of the ballot had little competition — Gov. Josh Shapiro is running for reelection with no Democratic opponent. State Treasurer Stacey Garrity, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, also doesn’t have a formal opponent, though a write-in campaign for state Sen. Doug Mastriano likely attracted a handful of votes despite his recent nomination to be the Slovakian ambassador.

Shapiro’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, is running uncontested, but the same can’t be said for Garrity’s second, Jason Richey. Richey, an Allegheny County attorney, appeared to overcome a challenge from John Ventre, of Westmoreland County, with the AP calling the race just after 10 p.m.

The day didn’t appear to have any major disruptions aside from an investigation into an “explosive device” thrown near a Lehigh County polling place. No injuries were reported and investigators say it appears to be unrelated to elections.

“Voting in the polling place continued uninterrupted, and voters were not prevented from voting,” said Schmidt about the incident.

Races in the state Senate

Races further down had more competition, including 40 seats in the General Assembly. In Pennsylvania, Democrats control the House with a one-seat majority while Republicans hold 27 of the 50 seats in the Senate.

Such narrow margins create opportunities for both parties, though only a handful of races are truly competitive. All 203 House seats and 25 Senate seats are up for election in November.

Twenty-nine state House districts had primaries Tuesday, including 13 challenges to sitting lawmakers and nine races with no incumbent. On the Senate side, eight of the eleven races on Tuesday’s ballot are primary challenges to incumbent legislators.

Two primaries on Tuesday narrowed down the field for competitive Senate districts in November. Rep. Tom Jones (R-Lancaster) stepped down from his House seat to run in Senate District 36, where he won over Jere Swarr, a former township commissioner.

He’ll face Sen. James Malone (D-Lancaster) in the fall. Malone flipped the seat in a historic upset last year, becoming the first Democrat to represent the county in the chamber since 1889.

The Democratic winner of a Lehigh Valley primary was still unclear at 11:45 p.m., though Lehigh Valley Controller Mark Pinsley led over Pennridge School Board Director Bradley Merkl-Gump with over 1,600 votes and 85% of votes counted.

The race was one of a handful of competitions where gaming companies ran advertising, seeking to intercede while state lawmakers weigh whether or not to tax skill games. The slot machine-like devices allow players to bet to win money, but they differ crucially from casino games by incorporating an element of skill that gives players a second chance to win.

Skill games have come under criticism from local officials and state lawmakers who blame them for increases in crime and exposing children to gambling. Proponents of the industry say it provides crucial revenue to small businesses and social organizations that host the machines.

Coleman opposes skill game taxes, and a gaming-affiliated group sent mailers opposing Merkl-Gump late last month.

Industry opposition to a Republican incumbent roiled a central Pennsylvania primary, but horse farmer Clovis Crane failed to win over incumbent Sen. Chris Gebhard (R-Lebanon).

Gebhard was one of the Senate Republicans who proposed a 35% tax on skill games during last year’s budget impasse, while Pace-O-Matic, the predominant producer of the machines, lobbied for a 16% tax.

Sens. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) and Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) similarly had pushback from skill games groups, but appeared to fend off primary challengers.

Over in the House

Four incumbent House lawmakers trailed opponents Tuesday night. Three Democrats and one Republican may lose their seats.

According to the Associated Press, Democratic Rep. Keith Harris (D-Philadelphia) was defeated by Sierra McNeil in the 195th District in Philadelphia. The safely liberal seat is almost certain to go to the winner of the primary.

In the 22nd District Democratic primary in Lehigh County, unofficial results had Ce-Ce Gerlach ahead of Rep. Ana Tiburcio (D-Lehigh) with 56% of the vote. Tiburcio has served less than two months in the state House. She won a special election and was sworn in in late March.

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) also appears likely to be unseated by challenger Judy Trombetta in the 166th District Democratic Primary. According to the Associated Press, Trombetta had 62% of the vote with an estimated 99% of ballots counted, though the race hasn’t been called. The winner will face Republican Joe Walker.

In the 50th District in southwest Pennsylvania, Republican incumbent Rep. Bud Cook (R-Fayette) trailed challenger Ben Humble in a 55-45 vote.

The retirements of three other state House lawmakers — Reps. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland), Anita Kulik (D-Allegheny) and Eddie Pashinski (D-Luzerne) — put their competitive districts into play.

The Republican primary to succeed Delozier was too close to call at 11:45 p.m., with less than 100 votes separating Jeff Clark and Savannah Martin. The winner will need to defeat Democrat Sara Agerton in the fall to succeed Delozier. Agerton ran against Delozier in 2024, but lost with 45% of the vote.

The primary to succeed Kulik grew bitter in its final days after Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena sent out a flyer attacking opponent Brittany Bloam, an attorney, for supporting transgender athletes after another anonymous mailer publicized her address. He later apologized for the flyer about transgender athletes.

AP called the race for Bloam at 10:51 p.m., with 94% of the vote counted. She will face off against Republican James Julius in the fall.

Across the state, Wilkes-Barre Council President Jessica McClay won the Democratic primary in Pashinski’s district over retired emergency medical technician Michael Stadulis, according to AP. She will compete against Republican Mike Harostock in the fall.

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