Update @ 5:55 p.m. State elections officials say Republican gubernatorial candidate Newt Gingrich's campaign has filed papers to qualify for the Pennsylvania ballot.
The status of the former House speaker and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had been unclear earlier Tuesday, when neither of them showed up on the list of filers hours before the 5 p.m. deadline.
Elections officials say the Gingrich campaign filed its petition. They say Paul's petitions have not been filed but that it's possible they are still waiting to be processed. A Paul campaign spokesman could not immediately be reached.
The filings set the stage for the state's April 24 primary. They also confirm expectations of nomination fights for U.S. Senate, state attorney general, state auditor general and several congressional districts.
The presidential hopefuls top the list of candidates facing a deadline for getting their names on Pennsylvania's primary election ballot.
Campaign spokesmen for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul said they will file by Tuesday's deadline. Fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have already filed their nominating petitions, as has President Barack Obama.
Politics
Scores of state and federal offices are up for election, including president, Congress, the state's three elected row offices and most seats in the state Legislature.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has filed to run for re-election, as have at least four prospective GOP challengers: Steve Welch, Tom Smith, Sam Rohrer and Mark Scaringi.
State lawmakers have until the end of Thursday to file their petitions. The extension was granted when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the redrawn 2011 legislative maps, changing boundaries for the 203 state house and 50 state senate seats. A federal judge later ruled that the 2012 election should be held using the 2001 legislative map.
The Pa. primary is set for April 24.
