By MIKE FAHER
JOHNSTOWN — Two years ago, the retirement of three veteran legislators spurred 24 local residents to jump into state House primary races.
The crowd apparently will be much smaller this year.
According to the latest information available from the state, nine local House candidates met a Tuesday filing deadline to appear on the May 18 primary-election ballot.
And four of those nine candidates are incumbents in the four legislative districts covering Cambria and Somerset counties.
The list available from the Pennsylvania Department of State was not complete by late Tuesday, as officials said they had been forced to shut down their systems due to “network maintenance.”
So a few names still may be added today. But the list so far shows primary battles in the 72nd and 73rd districts and no primary races in the 69th and 71st districts:
• In the 69th, which covers most of Somerset County and a small piece of Bedford County, Republican incumbent Carl Walker Metzgar was listed as the sole candidate who filed from either party.
In 2008, following the retirement of Republican Rep. Bob Bastian, the 69th race included seven candidates in the primary. Metzgar ended up cruising to a victory that November over Democrat Ken Warnick.
• In the 71st district, which covers 14 municipalities in southern Cambria County including Johnstown, Democratic incumbent Bryan Barbin and Republican Jim Rigby of Ferndale are the only candidates in the mix.
The 2008 retirement of state Democratic Rep. Ed Wojnaroski brought out eight candidates for that year’s primary. In November 2008, Barbin edged Rigby by 182 votes to win his first term.
• In the 72nd district, which includes parts of southern Cambria County and northern Somerset County, Democratic incumbent Frank Burns and Republicans Scott W. Hunt of Upper Yoder Township and Eric J. Keim of Cambria Township filed primary petitions Tuesday.
Like Metzgar and Barbin, Burns is serving his first term. He beat Republican Chris Voccio in November 2008, taking over a seat long held by the retiring Tom Yewcic, a Democrat.
Hunt, an Upper Yoder Township supervisor, is making his third run for the 72nd district seat.
Hunt dropped out of the race before the 2008 primary, and he lost to Yewcic in November 2006.
• In the 73rd district, Democratic incumbent Gary Haluska and Republicans Stephen J. Shuagis of Ebensburg and Michael A. Duman of Hastings will run.
The 73rd district covers northern and eastern Cambria County. Haluska, of Patton, is serving his eighth term and was unopposed in 2008.
Shuagis attempted to run in the 73rd District that year, but he withdrew prior to the primary when his nominating petitions were deemed insufficient.
In other races of local interest:
• Having already campaigned for a full year, it was no surprise that Westmont Republican Peg K. Luksik filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Arlen Specter.
Luksik will face former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey on the Republican primary ballot.
• State Sen. Richard Kasunic, a Fayette County Democrat whose 32nd district covers most of Somerset County, will have primary opposition.
Ronald L. Gallo of Connellsville, Fayette County, also filed nomination petitions Tuesday in the 32nd district. Gallo lost to Kasunic in 2006 as a Republican but is running this year as a Democrat, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
• U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, a Blair County Republican whose 9th Congressional District covers parts of Cambria and Somerset counties, was the only candidate filing for that race.
Shuster is serving his fifth term in Congress and easily defeated Democrat Tony Barr in November 2008.
