Strassburger’s campaign held big advantage with volunteers
Network plays major part in special election victory in District 8
She had a six-figure campaign fund. She had big-name endorsements. Her rivals in the East End knew at least that much.
But Erika Strassburger, now the city councilwoman-elect in Pittsburgh District 8, held another advantage in her door-bydoor, call-by-call canvassing operation before Tuesday’s special election, according to campaign details disclosed Wednesday.
Ms. Strassburger, 35, of Squirrel Hill, who won with 64 percent of the vote, counted about 250 volunteers and three paid staff members, her campaign told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That dwarfed her closest rival, Sonja Finn, 38, of Point Breeze, whose campaign reported about 50 volunteers and two paid employees.
“It was a really large, volunteer-driven operation,” Strassburger campaign consultant Matt Merriman-Preston said. “That’s a real testament to Erika, the work she did, the networks that she had. There was just a tremendous amount of people in the district who know her, trust her, like her and believed in her.”
Her support overwhelmed Ms. Finn, who claimed 28 percent of the nearly 5,000 votes cast. Rennick Remley and Martin Healey garnered about 7 percent and 1 percent, respectively.
The men had an estimated 20 campaign volunteers between them, although Mr. Healey, 54, of Shadyside, also had a couple of paid employees. Mr. Remley said the scope of the Strassburger operation, which included support from Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, both Democrats, made her impossible to beat.
“That was calling-all-cars, twisting-all-screws turnout,” said Mr. Remley, 35, of Squirrel Hill, the lone Republican in the race.
Democrats filled out the rest of the field. Ms. Strassburger and Mr. Healey ran as independents after Ms. Finn won the party nomination in a January committee vote — an early victory that helped drive her campaign, Finn campaign manager Tracy Royston said.
“She was very genuine in wanting to represent the people and wanting to represent all of the people,” Ms. Royston said. “I think that is something that the [Democratic] committee picked up on and that they also shared.”
Yet voter turnout Tuesday hovered around 15 percent. That the Democratic nominee lost in District 8 — a Democratic stronghold — signals a broader shift in the party, said Jennie SweetCushman, a political science professor at Chatham University.
“There is increasingly more energy around the farther left of the party. My belief is that they are a loud minority in the party,” said Ms. Sweet-Cushman, who volunteered for and contributed to Ms. Strassburger.
Ms. Sweet-Cushman said those voices are amplified in District 8, a politically active area comprising Shadyside and parts of Squirrel Hill, Oakland and Point Breeze.
It appears the farther-left segment positioned Ms. Finn for the nomination, although she and Ms. Strassburger have similar policy goals for the city, Ms. SweetCushman said.
“The narrative around Erika not being the Democratic candidate is technically true, but most people in the district, as the results show, are an Erika Strassburger kind of Democrat,” the professor said.
Mr. Peduto, who used to hold the District 8 council seat, himself fell short of a Democratic committee endorsement in 2005.
“There is certainly a faction within the committee in the East End that hasn’t supported me and doesn’t support me, so it’s really not surprising that Erika wasn’t able to get the [committee] votes,” he said earlier.
On Tuesday night, the mayor said Ms. Strassburger ran “a perfect campaign” that “presented ideas to problems.” He credited her for the “strongest grassroots campaign” in the race.
His political committee gave $5,000 to her campaign, contributing to a haul of about $143,000, according to finance disclosures filed with the city. Mr. Remley notched the second-biggest tally, at nearly $39,000, recent disclosures show. They run only through late February.
Former District 8 Councilman Dan Gilman sparked the contest in January when he gave up the council seat to work as Mr. Peduto’s chief of staff. Ms. Strassburger, who was Mr. Gilman’s chief of staff in the council office, is expected to be sworn in April 5.
“Hard work is a hallmark of what I’ve always done and the team I’ve been a part of in the District 8 office,” she said. “I would expect no less, and I don’t think my [campaign] team expected any less of me.”