With a decisive win of his party's nomination secure, Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe couldn't help but muse that it would be nice to lock up both party nominations for his November election bid for a sixth two-year term.

"I've got a lot of good Democratic supporters who share my conservative family values and who believe that government should live within its means. I certainly would feel blessed if it turns out that way,'' he said of the possibility that write-in votes would give him a Democratic nod on top of the GOP nomination he won Tuesday. No Democrat ran for his seat in the primary.

In the days preceding the primary, Rep. Metcalfe asked Democratic voters in southern Butler County's 12th Legislative District via a mass mailing and telephone campaign to write in his name on their blank ballot.

His Republican opponent, Robin Redding -- a former friend and political ally -- had not sought any help from the Democrats.

"I am a conservative Republican. I am who I am. Of course, I recognize that not all voters in the 12th District are exactly like me, and I appreciate any and all support I received, but I didn't actively seek write-ins,'' she said following her Tuesday loss.

Elections Bureau Director Regis Young said it will be days before the write-in votes are tabulated and the results finalized. Preliminary results indicated close to 1,000 were cast.

Rep. Metcalfe said he saw no irony in his 11th hour bid for Democratic support, despite the fact that he has in the past publicly decried Butler County Republican committeemen who "used their public office to support Democrats."

"The battle that has played out within the Butler County Republican Party is between liberals and conservatives. It's not Democrat versus Republican. There are a lot of conservative Democrats out there who support me. I've tried to work within the county Republican Party to make sure that it is controlled by a majority of conservatives. The liberal Republicans [of the county committee] have tried to use their influence to elect liberal Democrats to defeat conservative Republicans,'' he said.

As for the support that Ms. Redding received from elected Republican officials throughout Butler County, Rep. Metcalfe commented: "The taxpayers outnumber them!"

In the days just before the election, Ms. Redding's supporters launched an e-mail campaign with support from local officials including Butler County commissioners Jim Kennedy and Dale Pinkerton; Cranberry supervisors Dick Hadley, John Skorupan, John Mililus and Bruce Mazzoni; Mars Mayor Dick Settlemire; Seneca Valley school board members Joe Scalamogna and Dean Berkebile; and Pat Stirling, of the Republican state committee.

Mr. Kennedy said he remained willing to work with Rep. Metcalfe but said he has been "very disappointed with what he's done for Butler County the past 10 years. I'm proud of the support I gave Robin Redding because I believe that he hasn't brought back to Butler what is ours. But my door is always open to him. I just hope he decides to come in. He is the only state legislator [for Butler County] who hasn't."

Mr. Mazzoni said he and other Cranberry supervisors put their muscle behind Ms. Redding in the hopes that she would work harder for local causes.

"He's not been behind us. There's grant money out there that's taxpayer money that we want to bring back to this area,'' he said. He added that he hoped Rep. Metcalfe would shift positions and show his good faith by working with state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, to "bring home" a $3 million state grant for the Graham Park construction project.

Though it will be days before Tuesday's preliminary results are certified, Rep. Metcalfe appeared to secure the GOP nod by a nearly 2-1 margin, capturing about 62 percent of the GOP votes cast compared with 38 percent for Ms. Redding. The number of write-ins on the Democratic ballot totaled 894 as of yesterday morning.

Tuesday's primary marked the first time in a decade that Rep. Metcalfe, 45, of Cranberry, had competition on his party's ballot. He has carved out a legislative reputation as an ultra-conservative who is passionate about such unlikely state issues as "the alien invasion" of illegal immigrants and a legislative decree outlawing same-sex marriage. He has proposed a voter referendum for property tax increases and the banning of teacher strikes.

Ms. Redding, 39, of Cranberry, a homemaker and former research chemist, pegged her challenge on his "divisiveness" and what she called his failure to bring home the bacon to his district, which covers southern Butler County.

She said she enjoyed the campaigning process, despite her loss. When asked whether she would she do it again in two years, she replied, "It's a strong possibility.''