Democrat Fetterman, Republican Bartos Win Lt. Governor Primaries

Update, 10:49 p.m.: Montgomery County native and real estate developer Jeff Bartos has won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, soundly defeating Kathy Coder, Diana Vaughan, and Peg Luksik.

Bartos, 44, will team up with Scott Wagner, who won the GOP gubernatorial primary. They'll face off against incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf and John Fetterman in the general election this fall.

Update, 10:37 p.m.: John Fetterman, the mayor of a tiny town outside of Pittsburgh, has won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, dealing a decisive defeat to incumbent Mike Stack, whose term was fraught with controversy. It marks the first time ever that an incumbent lieutenant governor was ousted in the primaries in Pennsylvania.

Fetterman was declared the winner at around 10:30 p.m. as he held a significant lead of 189,605 votes over former Jim Kenney advisor Nina Ahmad's 100,864. About 65 percent of precincts are reporting.

"It's overwhelming," Fetterman, 49, told a gathering of supporters immediately after he won, in a video he posted to his Twitter page. "I'm just coming at this from a very low key, overwhelmed, humble place."

Fetterman is the mayor of Braddock, which lies just east of Pittsburgh. He has drawn national accolades for his efforts to revitalize the old steel town. Fetterman previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2016, losing to Katie McGinty in the primary.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Fetterman, and hit the campaign trail on his behalf earlier this month.

Jeff Bartos maintains a significant lead in the Republican primary.

Update, 10:24 p.m.: Fetterman and Bartos maintain their respective leads with about 65 percent of precincts reporting, but the race remains too close to call.

Update, 10:01 p.m.: With about 50 percent of precincts reporting, John Fetterman leads Democrats with 42 percent of the vote to Nina Ahmad's 21 percent. Jeff Bartos, meanwhile, leads the GOP race with 42 percent to Kathy Coder's 25 percent.

Original story

Primary elections in Pennsylvania will take place on Tuesday, and one of the most wide open and most widely talked about races is lieutenant governor. Numerous leaders from across the state and party lines battled for the chance to earn one of the littler known but most hotly contest races this primary season.

Current Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, a Democrat, has had a messy relationship with Gov. Wolf. Much of the controversy stems from an alleged incident where he lambasted his security detail and other state employees at his residence. Both Democrats and Republicans are running to replace him.

From his side of the aisle, Stack faces Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone, Montgomery County Commissioner Ray Sosa, and Nina Ahmad, a former aide to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. Lancaster County Commissioner Craig Lehman has dropped out of the race.

Republicans seeking the nomination are Washington County Commissioner Diane Irey Vaughan, management consultant and Bellevue councilwoman Kathy Coder, Montgomery County developer Jeff Bartos, and pro-life advocate Peg Luksik. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale was ordered off the ballot by a state judge for being too young, at age 28.

While primaries for governor and lieutenant governor are held separately, the winners run together as a single ticket for their party come the general election in November. So the winner of the Democratic primary will join Wolf, who is running for his second term, on the ballot, while the winner of the Republican primary will join either Scott Wagner or Paul Wagner, depending on who wins the GOP governor's primary.

As Billy Penn reports, this could be the last year that voters get the chance to choose the lieutenant governor. Legislation is currently working its way through the Pennsylvania House that would allow governors to directly pick their running mates, much like Presidents and Vice Presidents. There's even a separate measure that's been introduced that would abolish the office of lieutenant governor altogether.

Speaking now #PAPrimary. https://t.co/P2uY43oHld
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) May 16, 2018

I am proud to support @JohnFetterman for Lieutenant Governor and @edwardsforpa, @jessforcongress, and @RichLazerPHL for Congress. Polls close at 8 p.m. Find your polling place here --> https://t.co/hs8oeARPXv
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 15, 2018

BREAKING: Jeff Bartos wins Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor. pic.twitter.com/9wm7D4mh6R
— Jeff Bartos (@jeff_bartos) May 16, 2018

Photo of Fetterman via Associated Press