Carbon County Democrats and Republicans will have their say in two Democratic statewide contests and a Republican challenge in the 17th Congressional District when they report to the polls on Tuesday for the statewide Primary Election is held. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in each of the county's 51 election precincts.

The contested races on the Democratic side are for the top two spots in Pennsylvania government, where four candidates are seeking the party's nomination for the four-year term as governor and the right to challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and Lt. Gov. James Cawley. They are unopposed in the Primary.The candidates are (in order of ballot position) former Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania Treasurer Robert M. McCord, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection Katie McGinty and U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz.Meanwhile, five persons are aspiring to join the Democratic gubernatorial nominee on the ballot as the lieutenant governor candidate. They are (in order of ballot position) state Sen. Mike Stack, former U.S. Congressman Mark Critz, Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith, U.S. Rep. Brandon P. Neuman and Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski.On the Republican side, party voters have one contested race in which to make a decision. The race exists in the 17th District where Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan, Bethlehem Township racing team owner Matt Connolly and Wind Gap pilot Matthew Dietz are the candidates, seeking the nomination that will line the winner up against incumbent Democratic Rep. Matthew Cartwright. He is unopposed in the Primary.The 17th District includes the townships of East Penn, Franklin, Lower Towamensing, Mahoning and Towamensing and the boroughs of Bowmanstown, Jim Thorpe, Lansford, Lehighton, Nesquehoning, Palmerton, Parryville, Summit Hill and Weissport in Carbon County; all of Schuylkill County; and parts of Northampton, Luzerne, Lackawanna and Monroe counties, including the townships of Chestnuthill, Polk and Ross.Uncontested racesMeanwhile, four other offices will be on the Carbon ballot, although there are no contested races on Tuesday. In two of the races, there are unopposed candidates on both tickets who will face each other in November. They include the race for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 11th Congressional District and the pending challenge for the Pa. House of Representatives seat in the 122nd Legislative District.Rep. Lou Barletta, a Republican, is the incumbent in the 11th Congressional District. He will face Democrat Andy Ostrowski in the General Election.The 11th Congressional District includes the townships of Banks, Kidder, Lausanne, Lehigh, Packer and Penn Forest and the boroughs of Beaver Meadows, East Side and Weatherly in Carbon County; all of Columbia, Wyoming and Northumberland counties; and parts of Cumberland, Dauphin, Luzerne, Montour and Perry counties.Rep. Doyle Heffley, a Republican, is the incumbent in the 122nd Legislative District. He will face Democrat Patti Borger in the General Election.The 122nd District includes all of Carbon County, except Summit Hill Borough. In the legislative redistricting, Summit Hill was removed from the district and placed in the 124th Legislative District with parts of Schuylkill and Berks counties.The 124th District comprises the townships of East Brunswick, East Union, Kline, North Union, Rush, Schuylkill, Union, Walker, West Brunswick and West Penn and the boroughs of Coaldale, Deer Lake, McAdoo, New Ringgold, Orwigsburg, Port Clinton, Ringtown and Tamaqua in Schuylkill County; the townships of Albany, Greenwich, Perry, Tilden and Windsor and the boroughs of Hamburg, Lenhartsville and Shoemakersville in Berks County; and Summit Hill.The 124th District and the 14th Senatorial District are the two other offices on the ballot, although the incumbents in those positions are unopposed. In the 124th District, Jerry Knowles, a Republican, is seeking re-election. He has no opponent on either ballot.That's the situation Sen. John Yudichak finds himself in in the 14th Senatorial District. A Democrat, he is seeking re-election to his second four-year term. No one is challenging him on either ballot.The "new" 14th District will include all of Carbon County and parts of Luzerne County, including the cities of Hazleton, Nanticoke, Pittston and Wilkes-Barre, the townships of Bear Creek, Buck, Fairview, Foster, Hanover, Hazle, Jenkins, Newport, Plains, Plymouth and Wilkes-Barre and the boroughs of Asshley, Bear Creek Village, Edwardsville, Exeter, Freeland, Hughestown, Jeddo, Laflin, Larksville, Laurel Run, Luzerne, Plymouth, Sugar Notch, Swoyersville, Warrior Run, West Hazleton, West Pittston, West Wyoming, White Haven, Wyoming and YatesvillePreviously, parts of Carbon County were in the 29th Senatorial District, which is represented by Sen. David Argall, a Republican, but, since redistricting, he will no longer represent any parts of Carbon.A total of 33,055 Carbon County residents are eligible to participate in the primary election, 18,486 Democrats and 14,569 Republicans.