Search ErieReader.com
DonateBest of Erie40 Under 40TicketsAdvertiseDistributionIssuesAboutContactEventsNewsletter
Close
Donate!
Best of Erie 2025
40 Under 40
The Reader Beat
Tickets
Newsletter Signup
Erie Reader Business Quarterly
City Guide
Events
Opinion
Features
Issues Archive
Events Calendar
Advertise
More
Arts & Culture
Business
Columns
Community
Environment
Film
From the Editors
Gem City Style
Local, Original Comics
Music Reviews
News & Politics
Recipes
Sports
Theater
Distribution Locations
About Us
Contact Us
Issue Archives
Internship Opportunities
Write for Us
Share:
Feature StoriesNews and Politics

2022 Primary Election Results

State and local contests find candidates going into November

by Erie Reader Staff
View ProfileRSS Feed
May 18, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Jessica Hunter

Pennsylvania's primary election was held Tuesday, May 17, 2022, determining the nominees in many statewide races. 

At the executive level, Democrat Josh Shapiro will face Doug Mastriano for governor of Pennsylvania. The current PA Attorney General, Shapiro ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. State Senator Mastriano has been referred to as far-right candidate who is not only backed by Trump, but attended the "Stop the Steal" rally that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

In the race for US Senate, Lt. Governor John Fetterman received a clear victory over Conor Lamb, as well as Malcolm Kenyatta, and Alex Khalil, receiving nearly 60% of the vote. For Republicans, the results are unclear at the time of this writing, with tv personality Mehmet Oz having a 0.2% lead over Dave McCormick (both around 31%), and Kathy Barnette garnering a quarter of the votes. McCormick fared better than Oz in Erie County, as well as much of western and central Pennsylvania.

Austin Davis (Dem) and Carrie Lewis DelRosso (Rep) emerged as the candidates for Lieutenant Governor. 

FishUSA co-founder, Democrat Dan Pastore will go on to face the incumbent Mike Kelly (who ran unopposed) to represent Pennsylvania's 16th District in congress, after winning handily against Richard Telesz.

For Pennsylvania's state house, Republican Jake Banta bested five other challengers to face off against Democrat Clelsea Oliver, who ran unopposed. 

State representatives Patrick Harkins, Bob Merski, Ryan Bizzarro, and Brad Roae ran unopposed in the primary. In November, Bizzarro will face Republican Joe Kujawa, while Roae will run against Democrat Nerissa Galt. Both Harkins and Merski will find themselves unopposed in the general election.

The top five candidates (in order of vote totals) for members of the PA Democratic committee were Tyler Titus, Kristy Gnibus, Christine Mitchell, Cindy Purvis, and Michael Keys. The Republican State Committee saw Dan Laughlin, Brenton Davis, Karen Alex, Tim Kuzma, Ryan D. McGregor, and Regina Smith receive the most votes. 

In Erie County, 28,318 Democrats voted at a 33.48% turnout rate, while Republicans saw 25,244 voters at a rate of 37.27%.

Around 43% of Democrats utilized mail-in ballots, while just over 10% of Republicans did the same. 

The 2022 general election will be held on Tuesday, November 8. 

For a full county-wide breakdown, visit eriecountypa.gov.

Featured Events

Today Tomorrow This Weekend

Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: Molly McNett, Fiction

Literary Arts
Oct. 15th, 6 PM

Movie Night For Adults: Beetlejuice

Movies
Oct. 15th, 6 PM to 8 PM

Green Jello (Jellÿ ) + JOE NAMELESS

Music
Oct. 15th, 7 PM

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?

Performing Arts
Oct. 15th, 7:30 PM

THE LEVER: A Tethered Immersive Production

Performing Arts
Oct. 16th, 6 PM to 9 PM

Submit Your Event   View Calendar

October 2026: Halloween
Erie Reader: Vol. 16, No. 10
View Past Issues
In This Issue
Erie Reader Best of Erie City Guide 2023-2026

Popular This Week

COVID-19 Cases Rise Slightly In Erie County, Across Country

xRepresentx, Vice, Counterfeit, Cop Torture at BT

Ludacris Shows Behrend Some Southern Hospitality

Best of Erie 2014 Finalists

Hangin' Out at the South Pier

Related Articles

Justin Wagner: The Democratic Candidate of District 16

by Alana Sabol10/12/2026, 3:00 PM
Wagner faces off against Rep. Mike Kelly in November midterms

We Haunt Eerie Days

by Gretchen Gallagher-Durney10/9/2026, 8:00 AM
One platform to promote best of the season

Fright at First Sight: Why We Are Drawn to Fear for Fun

by Jonathan Burdick10/7/2026, 8:00 AM
Local horror buffs share their childhood gateway scares and current favorites

Complete the Cycle: Brother's Keeper Returns to Erie

by Larry Wheaton10/5/2026, 8:30 AM
30 years later, Mike Ski and Chris Bazan reflect on Erie's formative scene

Global Summit XVIII Features Lineup That Questions Nation's Past and Future

by Chloe Forbes, assistant director of publications at the Jefferson Educational Society10/1/2026, 8:00 AM
America's semiquincentennial offers time for introspection

A Lesson in Choosing from the Nation's Former Mom-in-Chief

by Chloe Forbes9/25/2026, 8:00 AM
Michelle Obama comes to Erie on Oct. 12th for a conversation at the Erie Insurance Arena
Member of Reporters Shield
© 2026 Great Lakes Online Media
PO Box 10963  //  Erie, PA 16514
Editorial Standards Terms of Use Privacy Policy