U.S. Sen. Bob Casey won’t face an opponent in the Democratic primary election.
During a hearing Monday in Commonwealth Court, Will Parker, Casey’s only opponent in the April 23 primary, suddenly conceded he lacked enough signatures on nominating petitions to stay on the ballot.
Parker, a Pittsburgh resident, needed 2,000 voters to sign the petitions to get on the ballot.
Two Democratic voters from Philadelphia and another from Pittsburgh said he had far fewer than 2,000.
They said he filed 136 pages of petitions with many pages of signatures filed twice.
They also questioned if all the pages were presented to the Department of State before the Feb. 13 deadline for filing.
After Parker conceded he lacked enough signatures, a Commonwealth Court judge ordered him removed from the ballot. He was the only challenger to Casey.
Casey and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick, a Republican, are the major party candidates. They are heavily favored to win their parties’ nomination at the primary.
Parker is the first of three challengers to Casey or McCormick knocked off the ballot.
Republican voters have challenged the nominating petitions of two McCormick primary opponents -- Joseph Vodvarka, of Robinson Township in Allegheny County, and Brandi Tomasetti, of Lancaster Township in Lancaster County.
A Commonwealth Court judge is expected to hear the challenge to Vodvarka’s petitions Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. A hearing on the challenge to Tomasetti is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m.
