Locked in tight race, Costa seeks write-ins from GOP

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Locked in a fight for his own party’s nomination, Democratic state Rep. Dom Costa appears to be seeking the Republican nod, too.

A Costa campaign mailer reviewed Wednesday night by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette urges GOP voters in the 21st House District to write in the former Pittsburgh police chief when they turn out for primary elections Tuesday.

Securing the Republican nomination would assure Mr. Costa, of Stanton Heights, a place on the November general election ballot, even if he loses the Democratic nomination to rival Sara Innamorato of Upper Lawrenceville. Her campaign shared an image of the Costa mailer with the PostGazette.

The Costa campaign did not immediately respond to Post-Gazette inquiries. Finance disclosures showed the Costa and Innamorato camps with roughly $55,000 and $51,600 on hand, respectively, as of April 30. Both sides have run television commercials amid a slew of campaigning.

“It’s not surprising that he’d raise enough money to run TV. What is surprising is that a first-time challenger also would raise enough money” for the commercials, said Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Republican political consultant based in Harrisburg.

Ms. Innamorato, whose backers include the Democratic Socialists of America in Pittsburgh, raised around $100,000 overall as of April 30. Her contributors include the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and Pittsburgh Councilwoman Deborah Gross, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Mr. Costa, who was first elected in 2008, raised around $130,000 since last year, the disclosures show. His contributors include Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s political committee, Teamsters and police unions and committees for lawmakers such as state Reps. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont.

“On one hand, it is deeply troubling for a 10-year Democratic incumbent to court Republicans in a last ditch effort to hold onto power,” said Ms. Innamorato, a consultant for nonprofit groups and government agencies, in a statement. “On the other hand, Rep. Dom Costa must be worried if his back-up plan is abandoning the Democratic Party. As a Democrat who is currently his constituent, I find it shocking.”