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  Primaries clear way for fight to control Pa. House
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Last EditedRP  May 20, 2010 03:20pm
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AuthorMark Scolforo
News DateWednesday, May 19, 2010 09:20:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionNearly all legislative incumbents who were on the ballot in Pennsylvania won, so party strategists and political consultants can move on to a new challenge — the fall election in which control of the state House will be very much up for grabs.

Reps. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, and John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, won their parties' nominations Tuesday despite facing public-corruption criminal charges, but Lehigh County Republican Rep. Karen Beyer lost to a 23-year-old upstart who attacked her for supporting budget deals negotiated by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and for collecting taxpayer-funded perks.

Rep. Mike Gerber, D-Montgomery, his caucus' leading campaign strategist, said he was encouraged by the results in Beyer's race, as well as the Republican primary for the Williamsport-area district currently held by freshman Rep. Rick Mirabito, D-Lycoming.

In the Williamsport race, the Republican who Mirabito beat two years ago defeated a more moderate candidate who last held the seat.

Gerber said he also was pleased with the quality of his party's winners in multi-candidate races to fill vacancies. Those races will largely determine which party claims the majority come January. Republicans are working to regain majority control of the House, currently held 104-to-99 by the Democrats, with four vacancies (three most recently held by Republicans).
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