Pennsylvania will hold the 2010 midterm primary elections May 18 for state and federal offices.

Primary elections are held to select nominees to represent political parties in upcoming elections.

Voters will have less dilemma in the ballot box than previous years.

Of the nine contests affecting the region, eight feature unopposed Republican incumbents.

There are races in both parties for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, as well as a U.S. Senate seat.

The ballots do not yet include third-party or write-in candidates.

All 203 state House seats will be determined in this year’s elections.

The 63rd District includes all of Clarion County and the northern end of Armstrong County, where Republican incumbent Donna Oberlander is unopposed.

Republican incumbent Scott Hutchinson is unopposed in the 64th, which covers all of Venango County and the northern tip of Armstrong County.

Kathy Rapp, Republican incumbent, runs unopposed in the 65th, which includes all of Warren and Forest counties and parts of McKean County. Also on
the ballot are all 435 U.S. Congress seats.

The 5th district covers much of Northwestern Pennsylvania including Forest, Clarion and most of Venango counties.

Democrat Michael Pipe and Republicanincumbent Glenn Thompson run uncontested.

In the state Senate, half of the 50 seats are up for election.

Clarion’s 21st District is not part of that half, but the 50th District, covering Crawford and Mercer counties and part of Erie County, has Republican incumbent Robert Robbins running unopposed.

In the race for the governor’s seat are Democrats Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner, Anthony Williams and Joseph Hoeffel.

On the Republican ticket are Tom Corbett and Samuel Rohrer.

By law, Gov. Ed Rendell cannot seek another term.

Vying for the Democratic nod for lieutenant governor are Doris Smith-Ribner, Scott Conklin and Jonathan Saidel.

For the office of Lieutenant governor, both parties have nominees for the voters’ approval

On the ballot for the Republicans are Steve Johnson, Jean Craige, Russ Diamond, Chet Beiler, Jim Cawley, Billy McCue, John Kennedy, Stephen Urban and Daryl Metcalf.

Candidates for one of Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senate seats will be decided.

The Democrats will run Joe Sestak and incumbent Arlen Specter. The Republicans will run Peg Luksik and Pat Toomey.