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Voters to decide nominees for state offices Tuesday

Voters will have the opportunity Tuesday to decide the winner of the Democratic primary race for the state auditor general's office, while the state attorney general and treasurer races feature unopposed candidates.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the incumbent Democrat from Philadelphia County, and Republican candidate Heather Heidelbaugh, a Pittsburgh attorney, are seeking their party nominations, but face no opposition.

In the primary for the treasurer's office, Democratic incumbent Joe Torsella of Montgomery County and Republican candidate Stacy L. Garrity of Bradford County are seeking their party's nominations unopposed.

Auditor general

In the auditor general race, incumbent Democrat Eugene DePasquale is not running for reelection, but instead is making a bid for the state's 10th Congressional District. Six Democratic candidates and one Republican are running for their party's nominations.

Democratic candidate H. Scott Conklin of Centre County has served in the state House of Representatives since 2007, representing the 77th District. Before that, he was a Centre County commissioner from 1999 to 2006.

He lost a 2001 special election for Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional District to former U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster. Conklin won the 2010 gubernatorial primary to become the nominee for lieutenant governor and joined former Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato on the Democratic ticket. They lost to Republicans Tom Corbett and Jim Cawley.

Before elected office, Conklin owned a carpentry business from 1989 through 2007, and now owns Conklin's Corner Antique Mall. He and his wife, Terri, have a son.

Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb of Allegheny County is also seeking the Democratic nomination. After unsuccessfully running for the nomination in the 2005 Pittsburgh mayoral primary, Lamb won the controller's office nomination and the election in 2007 and took office in 2008. He unsuccessfully sought the nomination for state auditor general in 2019.

He served as the Allegheny County prothonotary in 2000 after the death of former Prothonotary Michael Coyne, and was elected to a full term in November 2003. He served as the deputy prothonotary from 1992 to 2000.

Lamb is an instructor at Community College of Allegheny County and serves on the boards of the Kane Foundation, the Catholic Youth Association and Downtown Pittsburgh YMCA. He is a member of the Board of Fellows of the University of Pittsburgh's Institute of Politics. Lamb graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in 1984 before receiving a law degree from Duquesne University and a master's degree in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He married his wife, Jill, in 1995.

Another Democratic candidate is Tracie Fountain of Dauphin County. A certified public accountant who was born in Pittsburgh, Fountain worked in the auditor general's office for 29 years, most recently as the appointed audit bureau director before resigning to seek the nomination.

In her work, Fountain directed school audits, state-aided audits, Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association audits, liquor audits and Children and Youth Services audits. She also worked as a field supervisor and technical training manager. She earned an undergraduate degree from Drexel University.

Rose “Rosie” Marie Davis, a Democratic candidate from Monroe County, is seeking the nomination. Born in Oklahoma, Davis is a certified public accountant and the vice chairwoman of Smithfield Township's board of auditors.

She has worked in financial management consulting and is a member of the finance committees of the Shawnee Valley Owners Association and the Monroe County NAACP. Davis has a bachelor's degree in accounting and political science from Texas Woman's University.

Nina Ahmad, a small-business owner from Philadelphia County, is running for the nomination.

Born in Bangladesh, Ahmad moved to Pennsylvania at age 21 and earned a doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a medical fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University. She worked as a molecular biologist and owns a small business. She is married and has two daughters.

Ahmad served as president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for Women and continues to serve as a national board member. She served as a deputy mayor for public engagement under Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and launched the city's Commission for Women. She also served under President Barack Obama as a member of the National Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,

Christina M. Hartman of Lancaster County is also seeking the Democratic nomination. She worked as a consultant of operational and strategic planning, fundraising and management at nonprofit and trade organizations. She also worked with international development and humanitarian organizations. She managed federally funded projects and staff in multiple offices. Hartman unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2016.

She has a bachelor's degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master's degree in international political economy and development from Fordham University. She is a member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 1937.

The lone Republican candidate is Dauphin County Controller Timothy DeFoor.

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