Primary results in Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Delaware Counties bring new faces and familiar names

In Montgomery County, Democratic Commissioners Valerie Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence Jr. easily won bids to keep to keep their seats, while Republican Joe Gale, an incumbent, and Fred Conner were in the lead for the two GOP seats, followed by Gale’s brother, Sean Gale, unofficial returns showed.

Mark Macekura, from the election board, feeds a paper ballet into a new scanner in February. Montgomery County used new voting machines in Tuesday's primary.Read moreDAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer

by Katie Park

Updated May 21, 2019, 11:29 p.m. ET

Published May 21, 2019, 10:20 p.m. ET

A mix of incumbents and newcomers was poised to win party nominations for key county offices across Philadelphia’s suburbs on Tuesday night.

In Montgomery County, Democratic Commissioners Valerie Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence Jr. easily won bids to keep their seats, while Republican Joe Gale, an incumbent, and Fred Conner held a late lead for the two GOP seats, followed by Gale’s brother, Sean, unofficial returns showed.

Lawrence’s nomination marked the first election he has won for county commissioner. He was initially appointed in January 2017 to fill the remaining term of Josh Shapiro, who left to become state attorney general.

Melissa Schwartz Sterling, Virgil B. Walker, and Henry Hilles III clinched the Democratic nominations for Montgomery County Court. Matthew Hovey, Gregg Richman, and Robert A. Zigmund were polling in that order on the Republican ticket.

In Chester County, Josh Maxwell and Marian Moskowitz were ahead in the race for two Democratic nominations for commissioner. Incumbents Terence Farrell and Michelle Kichline faced no opposition.

Democrats Kelly Eckel, Stephanie Klein, Rick Lowe, and Nusrat Rashid were leading in the race for judgeships on Delaware County Court. On the Republican ticket, Steven Gerber, Beth Naughton Beck, Wendy Roberts, and George B. Dawson were poised to win their party’s nominations.

“There’s a lot of change in the air in Delaware County,” said Colleen Guiney, chair of the Delaware County Democratic Committee.

In Bucks County, Republicans Denise Bowman, Grace Deon, and Allen Toadvine were pulling ahead in nominations for County Court, according to unofficial results.

Bret Binder and Analisa Sondergaard won the Democratic bids for Chester County Court. The Republicans will be represented by Andrea Cardamone and Charles Gaza.

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Also in Chester County, Democrats Fredda Maddox and Republican Jim Fitzgerald won their party’s bids for sheriff. Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, the county’s first female sheriff and an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, announced last year that she would not run for the sixth time amid the county’s changing political demographics and allegations that money for the sheriff’s K-9 unit was misused for several years.

Democrat Michelle Vaughn was leading Lisa Longo in the nomination for register of wills in Chester County. Terri Clark, a Republican, was unopposed.

“We are very pleased that women ruled the day," said Marsha Peltz, vice chair of the Chester County Democratic Committee. "We let the voters decide. They did their homework. And the results are, we think, an incredible slate for the fall.”