Marino won 41 percent of the vote, besting Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira’s 31 percent and Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk’s 28 percent. It was a primary that the party had largely allowed to play out unfettered, and while no candidate significantly separated himself from the pack in fundraising or organization, Marino’s name recognition from his time as U.S. Attorney and his support within the local party infrastructure proved to be enough.

His campaign did not return messages seeking comment late Tuesday night, but Democrats quickly set about the task of discrediting him, once again bringing up his close business and personal relationship with the legally troubled casino magnate Louis DeNaples.

“The numbers in the Republican Primary speak for themselves,” Shripal Shah, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, said in a statement. “Tom ‘Casino’ Marino barely survived his own primary because he is a flawed candidate whose values are out of step with the 10th District. The more that voters get to know Tom ‘Casino’ Marino, the more they will realize that he’s the wrong bet for Pennsylvania.”

Carney took a softer tack, again allowing his party to stay on the attack for him.

“I look forward to a vigorous debate about the issues facing our region and the differences I have with my opponent over how best to keep our country safe and keep our economy on track for a full recovery,” the the second-term congressman said in a statement. “I am proud to be one of the most fiscally conservative Democrats in Congress and to have amassed among the most independent records. I have always put our region above any political party.”

The race is currently ranked No. 7 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

Derk, a Snyder County Commissioner, started airing a radio ad in the northeast Pennsylvania district last week. In the 60-second spot, Derk says incumbent Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) “has let Pennsylvanians down,” citing Carney’s votes for health care reform and the stimulus package.

“As a county commissioner, I balanced multimillion-dollar government budgets while never raising taxes,” Derk says. The ad also features fellow County Commissioner Joe Kantz speaking on Derk’s behalf.

Derk had just $12,000 in campaign cash at the end of March. But radio is cheap in the district, and neither of his two primary opponents had raised the kind of money needed for high-profile TV advertising campaigns. Derk faces former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino and Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira in the May 18 primary. Derk was endorsed by The Times Leader last weekend.

Click here to listen to the radio ad.

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino led his two primary opponents in campaign cash at the end of last month, raising about $37,000 in April and finishing the pre-primary reporting period with less than $56,000 in the bank, according to campaign finance data. But Marino also has about $22,000 in campaign debt, stemming from bills he still has to pay development of his Web site and production of yard signs.

Meanwhile, Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira had a relatively strong period in his own right, just surpassing his goal of $28,000 collected in 28 days. He had just under $24,000 on hand. And Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk brought up the rear, raising about $5,000 and finishing the period almost $12,000 on hand.

With less than two weeks before primary day, it seems increasingly likely that any paid media efforts by the candidates will be contained to direct mail and radio, with TV likely out of the question. In a primary that the party has largely allowed to play out, Marino is perceived by many to be the front-runner because of greater name recognition from his days as a prosecutor. But Madeira has made inroads with the conservative grassroots and Derk has stitched together a solid coalition of local party support.

The incumbent Carney raised another $43,000 during the period, and finished with almost $686,000 on hand in the cheap media market. The district is currently ranked No. 7 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

Marino is one of three candidates vying for the GOP nomination in the 10th Congressional District, along with Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk and Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira. Party leadership has allowed the primary to play out mostly unfettered, and much of the high-level GOP support has come to Marino.

“I have known Tom Marino since the early 1990′s and have always admired his honesty, integrity, and commitment to conservative principals,” Santorum said in a statement. “He earned a reputation as a tough-as-nails prosecutor during his tenure as Lycoming County District Attorney and United States Attorney for the Middle District. I am proud to support his campaign for United States Congress.”

The race in incumbent Democrat Chris Carney’s district is currently ranked No. 7 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, who also serves as Lieutenant Governor, said Marino was the best candidate in the field to take on incumbent Congressman Chris Carney (D-10). Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk and Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira are also running in the May 18 primary.

“In addition to his background,” Scarnati said in a statement, “I am very impressed with his common-sense conservative message of lower taxes, less government spending, fighting terrorism, creating jobs, and supporting traditional family values. He is the only candidate in this field who can take this message directly to the voters and beat Chris Carney.”

•Also on pa2010.com: For Republicans, a ‘baggage’ argument in the 10th

Now with that primary just a month away, some of the same questions are being raised by Marino’s fellow Republicans. They are never floated in public, reserved instead for subtle references on the campaign trail to which candidate does or doesn’t have “baggage.” But they underscore that Marino’s opponents in both parties are looking to capitalize on the fact that, shortly after reports surfaced that his office was investigating Louis DeNaples’ gaming application, Marino stepped aside as U.S. Attorney and went one to represent DeNaples. The issue has remained a nagging one for Marino, with The Morning Call reporting last week that he had misreported his income from representing DeNaples, who eventually agreed to give up his ownership stake at of the Mount Airy Casino Resort.

The references to Marino’s past come from his primary opponents in only a thinly-veiled form, such as what Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk told a GOP women’s group last month.

“I have no baggage and a proven track record of fiscal responsibility.” Derk said, according to the Wayne Independent.

“We need someone who can stand up to his negative tactics,” Derk added, referring to the incumbent. “Carney will try to tar and feather the Republican nominee.”

In a recent interview with pa2010.com, Derk emphasized that he was not calling into question Marino’s past himself. Publicly, all Republican candidates have kept their focus squarely on Carney.

“We have seen that Chris Carney will use any negative of a Republican to take attention away from the issues,” Derk said. “I do feel that I am the best candidate to be able to make sure that Chris Carney has to answer to his voting record.”

Another GOP candidate, Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira, declined to talk about Marino on the record. Madeira has been dogged in his public criticism of Carney, and Republicans’ reticence to openly attack Marino for his relationship with DeNaples is fueled by practical concerns, too—by many accounts, DeNaples remains quite popular in parts of the district.

A political insider in the district, speaking on condition of anonymity, predicted that fear of Marino’s liabilities in a general election just might be enough to steer primary voters away.

“Marino has a laundry list of baggage,” this insider said. “Republican base voters are voters that are going to want to know that they can win in November.”

Multiple attempts to reach Marino’s campaign last week were unsuccessful. Most Republican insiders consider him the front-runner in the May 18 primary, and he finished March with more campaign cash than either Derk or Madeira.

Marino, seen by many as the GOP front-runner to take on Congressman Chris Carney (D-10), raised about $110,00 since getting into the race in late January, according to campaign finance data. He finished March with about $73,000 in the bank. Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk, meanwhile, raised $18,000 during the period and finished with $11,000 on hand. And Luzerne County chiropractor David Madeira raised about $17,000, finishing with with almost $12,000 in his coffers.

Carney, a sophomore who Republicans tried to court to switch parties last year, raised another $238,000 during the quarter. He had $665,000 in cash on hand, according to his campaign finance report.

Though many high-level Republicans favor Marino, Derk has tried to show off a deeper level of local party support, something he continued to do Thursday with endorsements from state Representative Adam Harris (R-Juniata) and five current and former county commissioners in the district.

“I have known Malcolm for a long time,” Harris said in a statement. “He has the values that we desperately need in Washington. He will stand strong against government bailouts, massive government takeover bills, and will represent the people, not special interests.”

Former state Senators Charles Lemmond (R-Luzerne) and Roger Madigan (R-Bradford County) backed Marino over Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk and Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira.

“I have known Tom since his days as Lycoming County District Attorney,” Madigan said in a statement. “I have always been impressed with his honesty, integrity, and strong work ethic. I can not think of a better qualified man to serve as our next United States Congressman than Tom Marino.”

Informal vote tallies that emerged after the caucus meeting Saturday did not include votes for a congressional endorsement, but the timing of Marino’s statement seemed intended to deflect at least some attention from Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira’s former campaign roll-out. Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk is also seeking the Republican nod to take on Congressman Chris Carney (D-10).

“Tom Marino is the right person to lead rural northeast Pennsylvania and he understands that tax and spend policies that have been supported by President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Chris Carney will not be the antidote to improve our sluggish economy,” Rose Ann Gaetano, a state committee member from Lackawanna County, said in a campaign statement.

Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Hoeffel unveiled what his gubernatorial campaign said was its first Web ad. The 53-second spot, which you can see here, seeks to highlight his record on health care.

“Unlike most of the other people in this race,” Hoeffel says, “I’m not taking any money from the big insurance companies, because Pennsylvania deserves a governor who will make the insurance companies cover our citizens, not cover their tracks with campaign contributions.”

David Madeira, a chiropractor in Luzerne County, said Thursday that he was getting into the mix. He’ll make it official Feb. 9 in a series of events across the northeast Pennsylvania District.

“Congressman [Chris] Carney likes to wave his ‘Blue Dog’ credentials,” Madeira said in a statement. “One year ago he voted for a nearly trillion dollar ‘stimulus plan’ that not only brought no stimulus, but saw unemployment jump to over 10 percent. Is this who we want representing us?”

Madeira joins U.S. Attorney Tom Marino and Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk is seeking the party’s nomination to take on the second-term Democrat.