Voters in the Keystone State will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in several important primaries, including the presidential race, the race for Sen. Bob Casey’s (D-Pa.) seat and several House races. that are followed closely.

Although President Biden and former President Trump are not expected to face any major primary challenges, their respective primaries will be closely watched as both are likely to see protest votes.

Some Democrats are organizing a vote against Biden over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, with advocates urging voters to cast an “uncommitted” write-in vote. Meanwhile, Trump could continue to see protest votes in the form of votes cast by his former rival Nikki Haley.

Pennsylvania will play a critical role in whichever party takes the White House this fall and wins the majority in the Senate.

Here’s what you should know about the Pennsylvania primary:

Biden and Trump face possible protest votes

Presidential candidates from both parties are likely to face a protest vote of some kind on Tuesday, but it’s unclear which candidate could lose more support.

Advocates in Pennsylvania are running a write-in campaign on the Democratic side urging primary voters to write “uncommitted” as a way to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The coalition organizing the write-in campaign, PA Uncommitted, is pressing the White House to establish a permanent ceasefire in Gaza immediately, in addition to ending US aid to Israel and offering more humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. . The group is seeking to get more than 40,000 votes cast for the “uncommitted” write-in vote.

The president has already seen other protest votes held in states such as Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It remains to be seen how those protest votes will translate in November, although in Wisconsin, advocates saw more protest votes cast than the margin by which Biden won the state in 2020.

Meanwhile, Trump is likely to see some type of protest vote in the Keystone State, where Republican voters choose to back Haley or one of his other former Republican rivals. Similar protest votes have taken place in states such as Arizona, Michigan and Georgia, crucial to whichever party wins the White House.

It’s also unclear how those Trump protest votes will translate in November.

The Casey-McCormick battle will become official

The Senate primaries are almost over at this point.

Casey does not face any Democratic challengers in the primary, giving him a clear path to the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick also faces no challenger on the Republican side, all but clinching the Republican nomination.

The Pennsylvania Democrat is seeking his fourth term in the upper house and it is likely to be the most contested race he has faced yet.

Casey won his last Senate re-election bid in 2018 by 13 percentage points against Republican Lou Barletta.

One of Casey’s main challenges this cycle is performing in a presidential election year in which Biden has low approval ratings.

Still, the nonpartisan election hurdle Cook Political Report has rated Casey’s seat as “leaning Democratic,” giving him the lead in the race for now.

Summer Lee faces trial for her criticism of Israel

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) is seeking re-election in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, where she faces a primary challenger, Edgewood Councilwoman Bhavini Patel.

The politics of the war between Israel and Hamas have overshadowed much of the race. Lee and a handful of progressives urged the Biden administration for an immediate ceasefire in the days after the conflict began. Lee has criticized Israel, but also condemned the initial Hamas attack on October 7.

Patel claimed in an interview with The Washington Post that Lee “completely ignores his entire district” and “clearly picked a side” in the conflict.

“I think it’s important that any call for a ceasefire recognizes that there are still hostages being held,” Patel told the Post.

Unlike last cycle, when Lee faced excessive spending by pro-Israel groups such as a group aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Democratic Majority for Israel, neither group is reported to be participating in his primaries. in this cycle. He also enjoys the backing of Democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and prominent groups like Planned Parenthood Action Fund. .

“Congresswoman Summer Lee enters primary day in an extremely strong position to be re-elected as the Democratic candidate,” Lee’s campaign said in a race status memo Tuesday.

Still, Lee is still dealing with some outside expenses. Republican megadonor Jeffrey Yass has contributed money to a political group, the Moderate PAC, that has attacked Lee on air.

There are other notable primaries

In addition to Lee, Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R) in the state’s 1st District; Susan Wild (D) in District 7; and Scott Perry (R) in District 10 are running for re-election and face varyingly competitive primaries on Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick, a moderate, faces anti-abortion activist Mark Houck in the Republican primary in the district, which is just north of Philadelphia and includes Buck and Montgomery counties.

Meanwhile, three Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Wild in the eastern Pennsylvania House seat: state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R), small business owner and veteran Kevin Dellicker and Maria Montero, former executive director of the Pennsylvania Latino Commission in addition to the Pennsylvania Women’s Commission.

A half-dozen Democrats are also looking to take on Perry this November, including former local news anchor Janelle Stelson, Navy veteran Mike O’Brien, former PBS station WITF top executive Blake Lynch, City Council member from Harrisburg Shamaine Daniel, veteran Rick Coplen and businessman John Broadhurst.

There are signs of lower voter participation

Pennsylvania’s primary elections are seeing lower voter turnout, according to local media outlets in the state.

The Philadelphia Inquirer noted in its live blog that Center City and Delaware County in the Philadelphia area have had low voter turnout. The Post-Gazette’s live blog noted a lack of voter enthusiasm in the Pittsburgh suburb of Ambridge, while The Morning Call’s live blog reported that few voters had cast ballots in South Whitehall Township in western Pennsylvania.

Other states in the country have also noted lower than expected primary participation in this electoral cycle.