President Trump ally Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., secured the Republican nomination Tuesday when he won the primary contest for the Pennsylvania Senate seat currently held by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
Trump supported Barletta, who has been a member of the House since 2011, and officially endorsed him in February. Barletta was expected to win Tuesday’s primary against state Rep. Jim Christiana.
The Associated Press called the race for Barletta after 52 percent of precincts had reported their numbers. At that point, Barletta had obtained 59 percent of the votes, while Christiana only had 41 percent.
Barletta will run against Casey, who was elected to the Senate in 2006, in the general in November.
Elsewhere in the Keystone State, Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone conceded to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler in his campaign for a House seat. The loss comes months after Saccone was bested in a special election for a different Pennsylvania House seat by Democrat Conor Lamb.
Nebraska, Idaho, and Oregon also held primaries on Tuesday ahead of the 2018 midterms.
