Romney sweeps GOP primaries, local races decided

Even though the Republican presidential primary was all but over by the time it reached… Even though the Republican presidential primary was all but over by the time it reached Pennsylvania, there were still a number of competitive local races to be decided across the state.

While Mitt Romney swept Tuesday’s five Republican presidential primaries, Tom Smith, a former Armstrong County coal company owner, emerged the victor of a tightly contested race as the Republican candidate to challenge incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey in the November election.

Romney won primaries in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania Tuesday. Pennsylvania’s primary would have been more competitive had former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum not dropped out of the race two weeks before the primary in his home state.

The former Massachusetts governor used the evening to launch his presidential campaign against President Barack Obama, unveiling a new slogan: “A better America begins tonight.”

To represent Pittsburgh in the House, incumbent Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) routed Janis Brooks, a pastor and founder of a local youth program in North Versailles, by 60 points. Doyle will face Republican Hans Lessmann in a race for the Democratic representative’s 10th term in Congress.

Also locally, underdog U.S. Rep. Mark Critz (D-Johnstown) beat U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Aliquippa) for the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 12 in a battle that pitted the two incumbents against each other in a newly redrawn district.

Former Lackawanna County prosecutor Kathleen Kane won the Democratic nomination for state attorney general with 53 percent of the vote over former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. She will face Republican David Freed, who did not have a primary challenger, in the fall.

Smith, who Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett endorsed, defeated Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-Berks); Steve Welch, an engineer and business owner from Chester County; Marc Scaringi, an attorney from Perry County; and David Christian, a businessman from Bucks County.

Throughout the day, members of Smith’s campaign remained confident that his conservative ideals struck a chord among members of the Pennsylvania electorate.

Jim Conroy, director of communications for the Smith campaign, said earlier in the day via email that the campaign met with enthusiasm throughout the state.

“We’re encouraged by what we’re hearing across the state,” Conroy said. “Republican voters are responding to Tom’s message of conservative change, and our volunteers are out in force reminding supporters to vote.”

Smith received 235,391 votes, or 41.4 percent of the total vote, with Rohrer trailing behind at 117,911 votes. Welch finished in third with 116,127 votes.

After winning the election, Smith reiterated his message of American exceptionalism during a victory rally in Pittsburgh.

“I will never give up on this country,” Smith said. “I love America because of the God-given freedom America represents. I know she’s resilient because I know our people are resilient. I ask you tonight to join me in that belief.”

The primary race between Critz and Altmire over the newly redrawn District 12 resulted in a modest upset, with Altmire withdrawing from the race after Critz acquired an 8-percentage-point lead around 10:15 p.m.

District 12 encompasses all of Greene County and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Fayette, Cambria, Westmoreland, Somerset, Lawrence, Mercer and Beaver counties.

Altmire’s former constituency, then District 4, included Lawrence, Mercer and Beaver counties as well as Pittsburgh’s suburbs, while the other areas were included in Critz’s district.

The state legislature redrew the district after the general elections in 2010 because of the district’s slow growth relative to the nation’s. District 4, Altmire’s former constituency, will become part of the south-central portion of Pennsylvania on Jan. 3, 2013.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State website, voter turnout was higher in Critz’s former district than in Altmire’s, a factor that likely contributed crucially to Critz’s victory.

After the election, Altmire placed his support behind Critz in a statement to the press, saying he was happy with the turnout among Democratic voters in the district.

“It was that turnout that won the election, and I have no doubt that the remainder of the district will have the same level of support for Congressman Critz as they get to know him,” Altmire said.

Critz will face Republican challenger Keith Rothfus, an Allegheny County attorney, in the November general election.