A race for the Pennsylvania 29th Senatorial District seat is the only local senate race on the General Election ballot this year. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The race is between Republican Sen. David Argall and Democratic challenger John Zugarek.

The 29th District includes all of Carbon and Schuylkill counties, and parts of Luzerne County, including Bear Creek, Buck, Dennison, Foster and Hazle townships, the City of Hazleton and the boroughs of Bear Creek Village, Freeland, Jeddo, Penn Lake Park, West Hazleton and White Haven.

Argall, of Lake Hauto, assumed representative duties in the district under its redistricted alignment two years ago, when he was not up for reelection.

The situation is a bit unusual in that Argall has represented Carbon County for the past two years, even though he never received a vote for the position from Carbon County voters. That’s because the county was moved to the district from the 14th Senatorial District under the redistricting process that took effect in 2023.

Argall was in midterm of a four-year stint at the time and was not up for reelection, and began representing Carbon because the state moved the district boundaries.

He is seeking his fifth four-year term in the senate, having been first elected in a 2009 special election following the death of Sen. James J. Rhoades.

Zugarek, of White Haven, is a professor at Marywood University, Scranton, and a councilman in White Haven Borough. He previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the state House of Representatives.

Other senators

Three other state senators currently represent parts of the Times News coverage area. They were elected to four-year terms in 2022 and began them on January of 2023 so are not up for reelection at this time.

They are Sen. Rosemary Brown, who won the 40th District seat to succeed Sen. Mario Scavello, who retired; Sen. Nicholas P. Brown, the officeholder in the 14th District; and Sen. Jarrett C. Coleman, who won the 18th District seat.

The 40th District includes all of Monroe County and part of Lackawanna County.

The 14th District includes parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties, including Lehigh Township and Walnutport Borough.

The 16th District includes parts of Bucks and Lehigh counties, including Heidelberg, Lowhill, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg townships, and the Borough of Slatington.