May 19, 2010 By Jennifer Harr 3 min read

In Fayette and Greene counties, unofficial primary results show that Democrats chose Dan Onorato as the nominee for governor and Republicans chose Tom Corbett. The counties also voted the same in the U.S. Senate race, picking Democrat Joe Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey.

Choices in the two counties seemed, as of deadline, to mirror the choices of the rest of the state in those races, meaning Sestak overtook the nod from Arlen Specter, the longest serving senator in the state’s history.

Onorato received 55 percent of the votes in Fayette County with 83 percent of the county’s 98 precincts reporting. He received 58 percent of the vote in Greene County with all 44 of that county’s precincts reporting.

Onorato, chief executive of Allegheny County, has a record for reform in his current post. He has eliminated row offices in that county, and talked about cutting down the size of the legislature

The nearest vote getter in both counties was Auditor General Jack Wagner, with 35 percent of the vote in Greene and 38 percent in Fayette.

State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel were also running for the Democrat party’s nod.

Corbett overwhelmingly swept both counties, receiving 85 percent of the vote in Greene County and 84 percent in Fayette. State Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks County, was also running for the nomination.

Corbett, the state attorney general, is responsible for charges filed in Bonusgate, and subsequent investigations that uncovered alleged use of staffers for campaign work in Harrisburg.

Among those he’s charged are state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, who also ran this election cycle and faced opposition from Greene County Commissioner Pam Snyder and coalminer Tony Brnusak.

Corbett is also one of the state attorneys general to mount lawsuits against the healthcare bill.

Sestak received 57 percent of the votes in Fayette County and 52 percent of the votes in Greene County.

Sestak, who came to the area several times during his primary campaign, gave up his seat as a U.S. Representative for the state’s 7th Congressional District to run. Sestak is also a retired Navy Admiral who served on President Clinton’s National Security Council.

Specter ran on a platform of tackling tough issues.

He cast the deciding vote in supporting the president’s economic stimulus plan.

Specter recently switched parties from Republican to Democrat.

In the general election, it appears that Sestak will go head-to-head with Toomey, who nearly beat Specter in the 2004 primary election.

Toomey, a former Lehigh County congressman, received 79 percent of the vote in Fayette County and 78 percent of the vote in Greene County.

Peg Luksik was also running for the nomination.