In many cases, the local political parties have already chosen their nominees for the November General Election, so many candidates are running uncontested in the primary.
The top primary vote recipient from each party has traditionally become the general election nominee.

Running uncontested for the state House of Representatives in the 61st District, which includes part of Plymouth Township, are Democrat Frank Custer and Republican incumbent Kate Harper.

Custer is a public relations consultant with experience in the private and public sectors. He once served as senior adviser and press secretary to former Congressman Joe Hoeffel and has worked as a committee member for the Montgomery County Democratic Committee. He holds a bachelor's in journalism from Temple University.
Harper was first elected state representative for the 61st District in November 2000, and has been re-elected three times. She is chair of the state House subcommittee on aviation and vice chair of the state House ethics committee. She holds a law degree from Villanova University.

Running uncontested for the state House of Representatives in the 148th District, which includes Conshohocken Borough, Whitemarsh Township and part of Plymouth Township, are Democratic incumbent Mike Gerber and Republican Matthew Maguire.

Gerber has served two consecutive terms in the Pennsylvania state House. He is a deputy majority whip for the state House and chairs the state House energy and transportation subcommittees. He holds a law degree from Villanova University.

Maguire's educational, occupational and political background were not available at press time.
Running uncontested for the state House of Representatives in the 149th District, which includes West Conshohocken Borough, is Democrat Tim Briggs. Republican Lynne Lechter is running as a write-in candidate and needs 300 votes to get on the General Election ballot in November.
Briggs practices municipal and real estate law and has served as an adviser to State Sen. Connie Williams, State Rep. Daylin Leach and former Congressman Joe Hoeffel. He holds a law degree from Temple University.
Lechter is a consumer fraud lawyer, businesswoman and past instructor at Villanova University and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. She has served on a number of board and committees including the Board of Trustees of Montgomery County Community College. She holds a law degree from Villanova University.

Running uncontested for the state Senate in the 7th District, which includes Whitemarsh Township, are Democratic incumbent Vincent Hughes and Republican Marc H. Perry.

Hughes was a Pennsylvania state representative from 1987 to 1994. He was first elected to the state Senate in November 1994 and has held the 7th District seat since his inauguration. He is minority chair of the state Senate committee on public health and welfare and secretary of the state Senate's minority caucus. He attended Temple University.

Perry, a defense attorney, formerly served on the zoning board and board of commissioners in Springfield Township as a Democrat. He holds a doctoral law degree from Boston College.

Running uncontested for the state Senate in the 17th District, which includes Plymouth Township and the boroughs of Conshohocken and West Conshohocken is Democratic State Rep. Daylin Leach.

Leach is in his second consecutive term in the Pennsylvania state House, where he is secretary of the judiciary committee. Before that he was a practicing attorney for 17 years. He holds a law degree from the University of Houston.

Running on the Republican ticket are Lance Rogers and Lisa Paolino. Rogers, a township commissioner in Lower Merion, has the support of the Montgomery County Republican Committee.

He holds a master's of government administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Northwestern University.

Paolino, an Internet marketing consultant, has been vice chair of the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners since 2003. She has been a member of the board since 1999, when she became the first woman ever to hold the position. She holds a bachelor's from Villanova University.
Running uncontested for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 6th District, which includes parts of Whitemarsh and Plymouth townships, is Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach. Gerlach is in his third consecutive U.S. House term. He sits on the House finance and transportation committees. Before Congress, he served four years in the state House and eight in the state Senate. He holds a law degree from Dickinson College.

Bob Roggio will be uncontested on the ballot for the Democratic nomination in the 6th District race for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Roggio, a former business executive and Army reservist, has the endorsement of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee. He was a volunteer coordinator for Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and a field representative for Sen. Robert Casey's 2006 senatorial campaign. He holds a bachelor's from Pennsylvania State University.

Running uncontested for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 7th District, which includes the boroughs of Conshohocken and West Conshohocken, are Democratic incumbent Joe Sestak and Republican W. Craig Williams.
Sestak was elected to his first U.S. House term in November 2006. His House committee memberships are in the areas of education, labor and armed services. Before Congress, Sestak served in the Navy for over 30 years and reached the rank of vice admiral. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master's and doctoral degree from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Williams, a Gulf War veteran with the Marines, was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice and a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He also has served as an adviser to the U.S. Solicitor General, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of the Vice President, the Department of State and the National Security Council. He holds a law degree from the University of Florida and a master's of law degree from Columbia University.

Running uncontested for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 13th District, which includes parts of Whitemarsh and Plymouth townships, are Democratic incumbent Allyson Y. Schwartz and Republican Marina Kats.
Schwartz is in her second consecutive term in the U.S. House and is a member of the House ways and means and budget committees. Before Congress she served in the Pennsylvania state Senate for 13 years. She holds a master's of social work degree from Bryn Mawr College.
Kats emigrated from Kiev, Ukraine, in 1979. She is president and owner of a law firm specializing in personal injury suits and has the endorsement of the Montgomery County Republican Committee. She is also a real estate entrepreneur and a talk radio host. Kats holds a law degree and master's of law degree in trial advocacy from Temple University.

The Democratic presidential candidates are Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

The Republican presidential candidates are Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped out last month.
Gubernatorial elections will not be held for Pennsylvania this year. Gov. Edward Rendell's term expires in 2010.
U.S. Senate elections will not be held for Pennsylvania this year. Sen. Arlen Specter will be up for re-election in 2010. Sen. Robert Casey will be up for re-election in 2012.
To search for candidates in your zip code, visit the Project Vote Smart Web site at www.votesmart.org.