Field narrows in 38th District race
Michelle Boyle suspends campaign
The field of Democrats hoping to challenge state Sen. Randy Vulakovich in November shrunk by one Tuesday, as nurse and activist Michelle Boyle suspended her campaign.
Ms. Boyle threw her support behind Lindsey Williams, a staff attorney at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, at a gathering Tuesday night in Ross.
“I am grateful to witness how hard Lindsey is fighting for my daughters to receive the best possible quality public education,” Ms. Boyle said in a statement. “I trust Lindsey and am convinced she will do what is right by Pennsylvania’s working families.”
Ms. Boyle had previously been backed by Service Employees International Union Healthcare PA, and Ms. Williams, of West View, said she was “incredibly honored to have the support of a fellow union woman” in the statement. She cited union issues as a key concern during an earlier interview with the Pittsburgh PostGazette.
“Advocating with teachers is advocating for your children, because teachers are advocating for small class size, for extra para-professionals in the classroom,” she said. “Those are things that make your kid’s education better. As our schools go, our communities go.”
Ms. Williams is seeking to represent the 38th District, which includes some East End Pittsburgh neighborhoods, some northern suburbs and some Allegheny Valley
communities. As Ms. Williams describes it, the district’s makeup reflects the dangers of relying on local tax revenue as a primary source for school funding. “You have districts like Pine-Richland that are doing really well, and you have other districts that are really struggling,” she said. “It’s still funded very inequitably.”
A native of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton area, Ms. Williams said she has “union in my blood,” with a father who belongs to an operating engineers local and other relatives who belong to a transit workers union. Her own work history includes stints at a nonprofit for whistleblowers uncovering corruption and a communications job with the Teamsters.
Mr. Vulakovich of Shaler, the Republican incumbent, is a former drugeducation police officer. He was elected to the Senate in a 2012 special election after serving in the state House.
Before Ms. Williams can challenge him, however, she may have to outlast at least one other Democrat in the race: Highland Park consultant Stephanie Walsh.
The two women appear evenly matched, at least financially: Ms. Walsh started the year with $33,185.30 in her campaign warchest; Ms. Williams had $34,145.13, although she contributed slightly more than $5,000 of that herself.
Mr. Vulakovich was sitting on just over $113,000 at the end of last year.
The Democrats will compete this weekend for the endorsement of party leaders, a potentially key sign of party strength.