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Voters in 4 states set primary matchups for November midterms

By Ray Downs

May 16 (UPI) -- Midterm primaries in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Idaho and Oregon cast their ballots Tuesday night, giving a peek at the candidates who will be up for several Congress and Senate seats in November.

In Pennsylvania, six women won their primary challenge, including four Democrats and one Republican, making it all but certain that the state's all-male congressional roster will end in November.

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Three of the Democrat women -- Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan -- will run in Philadelphia-area districts, where Republicans are expected to lose. And Scanlon will be running against a woman -- Republican Pearl King.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost a special election Democrat Conor Lamb two months ago in an election he was expected to win, lost again in the Republican primary against 35-year-old state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler.

Reschenthaler will face Democrat Bibiana Boerio in the November election.

In Pennsylvania's Senate primary, incumbent Democrat Bob Casey ran unopposed. He will face four-term Rep. Lou Barletta, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump in a state that unexpectedly voted for the president during the 2016 presidential election.

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And in the gubernatorial primary, incumbent Democrat Tom Wolf ran unopposed and will face Republican Scott Wagner.

In Oregon, incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, easily won her primary challenge by carrying every county and 82 percent of the Democratic vote. She will face Republican Knute Buehler in the November election.

In Oregon's five congressional races, four incumbent Democrats -- Kurt Schrader, Peter A. DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici -- and one Republican -- Greg Walden -- easily won their primary challenges.

Schrader will face Republican Mark Callhan, DeFazio will face Republican Arthur Robinson, Bonamicci will face Republican John Verbeek and Blumenauer will face the Independent Party's Marc Koller in a district where a GOP candidate did not run.

Walden will face Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner.

In Nebraska, incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer won her primary with 76 percent of the vote. She will face Democrat Jane Raybould.

In the state's three congressional districts, all held by Republicans, the incumbents won their primaries. Republican Reps. Adrian Smith, Don Bacon and John Fortenberry will face, respectively, Democrats Paul Theobald, Kara Eastman and Jessica McClure.

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In Idaho, the governor's face will not have an incumbent for the first time in 10 years, according to The New York Times.

Paulette Jordan won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Brad Little.

On the congressional side, incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Simpson will face Democrat Aaron Swisher.

And in the state's open congressional race, Christina McNeil won the Democratic primary. She will face the Republican primary winner, Russ Fulcher.

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