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Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., has easily turned aside a primary challenge from former Senate aide Evan Feinberg in Pennsylvania's 18th District.

The Associated Press called the race for Murphy after 10 p.m. With 88 percent of precincts reporting, Murphy led Feinberg 63 percent to 37 percent.

Though fairly conservative in many respects, Murphy has built a rapport with unions and voted for the Employee Free Choice Act, more commonly known as "card check," in 2007. That inspired powerful conservative groups like the Club for Growth to take a look at challenging Murphy this cycle, and Feinberg was expected to give Murphy a tough fight early on.

But despite some endorsements from conservative standard-bearers like his ex-bosses Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., Feinberg failed to gain traction with donors or the electorate. The Club for Growth never supplied further help beyond an exploratory anti-Murphy ad buy in January, and other outside groups dropped the race when it became clear that Feinberg's candidacy was fizzling.

Murphy will face Democratic Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi, who ran unopposed in his primary, in the general election.