Incumbent state Auditor General Jack Wagner won a second term as the state's fiscal watchdog, defeating Republican challenger Chet Beiler.

A Democrat, Mr. Wagner, 60, of Beechview, previously served on Pittsburgh City Council and in the state Senate. He is a Vietnam veteran and has a degree in safety management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Before entering public office, Mr. Wagner served as a payroll clerk and a fleet-safety expert for an insurance company. His campaign centered on audits his office performed that exposed questionable spending practices at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and pressing for better compliance with megan's Law, which requires sex offenders to register with police when theymove into a community.

Mr. Beiler, 45, of Lancaster owns five companies, including the country's top seller of Amish gazebos. That business experience taught him sound fiscal practices and qualified him to be auditor general, he said.