Rick Santorum's suspension of his presidential campaign might have removed a key drawing card to today's election, but registered voters still should cast ballots.
Santorum ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination nearly two weeks ago virtually assuring Mitt Romney will be the GOP standard-bearer. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul still technically are in the race, but neither are seen as a serious challenger at this point.
But there are a couple of hotly contested races that will add some intrigue to today's elections.
Locally, state Rep. Rick Geist is squaring off against Penn State Altoona professor John McGinnis for the Republican nomination for the 79th Legislative District. It's been a rough and tumble campaign with lots of harsh words from both sides.
In parts of Cambria County, incumbent U.S. Reps. Mark Critz and Jason Altmire are locked in a battle on who will be the Democratic nominee for the new 12th Congressional District. The two Democrats saw their districts merged during the redistricting process as a result of the 2010 Census.
Other races on today's ballot include U.S. Senate, where five Republicans and two Democrats are on their party's respective ballots.
And in statewide row offices, two Democrats are squaring off for the nomination for attorney general, while two Republicans are competing for the Republican nod for auditor general.
While the big race will be in the fall, there still are enough races to keep today's primary interesting. And we encourage local residents to head to the polls and make their selections known.
