Coach Paterno's son beats former PSU linebacker



PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The son of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno survived a crowded primary Tuesday to win the Republican nomination to tackle incumbent Democratic Rep. Tim Holden next fall.
Scott Paterno, an attorney with little experience, but a prestigious lineage, has a little less than seven months to convince voters in the 17th Congressional District that he is more than just the coach's kid.
In a victory speech just before midnight, Paterno said he was up to the challenge, and he started by reminding supporters that his dad will have battles of his own next fall.
"This election is November 2nd. He plays Ohio State on Oct. 31st. There's not a lot he's going to do," Paterno joked. "At the end of the day, I'm going to have to win this on my own."
Paterno defeated a field of five other candidates for the nomination, with the stiffest competition coming from a former Penn State linebacker who became a schoolteacher, Ron Hostetler.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Paterno won with 19,227 votes, or 27 percent. Hostetler was in second with 15,339 votes, or 21 percent.
Another close one
In another hotly contested U.S. House primary, incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Shuster fought off a tough challenge from Michael DelGrosso, whose family owns a well-known Italian food company and an amusement park.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Shuster had 42,967 votes, or 51 percent. DelGrosso had 40,784 votes, or 49 percent.
In seeking his second full term, Shuster was trying to keep alive a political dynasty in the 9th District, which stretches across parts of 15 counties in central Pennsylvania. He won a special election in 2001 when his father, former Rep. Bud Shuster, retired after 28 years in office.
DelGrosso, a Naval Academy graduate and former federal government consultant, campaigned on the need for new political blood.
Shuster will face Democrat Paul I. Politis, a semiretired businessman who sells automobile books and memorabilia, in the general election.
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