Newcomer challenging Rep. Doyle in primary
WASHINGTON — Tuesday’s primary contest in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District — a deeply Democratic district spanning the City of Pittsburgh, its southern suburbs and the Mon Valley — pits a Capitol Hill veteran against a political newcomer half his age.
Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, who, with nearly 26 years in Washington, is the longestserving member of Congress from Pennsylvania, has made his case for a 14th term in Congress by leaning on his lengthy record.
“I have been part of the transformation that has taken place here,” Mr. Doyle said during a debate this month broadcast by
WTAE. “Have we solved every problem in the city? No, we haven’t. And we still have a lot of things that need work. But I work on them every day as a member of Congress.”
Mr. Doyle is being challenged by Jerry Dickinson, a 33-year-old University of Pittsburgh law professor who launched his campaign in April 2019 promising a “visionary” progressive agenda mirroring that of the most liberal House members.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to put this district on the map and to use it as a bully pulpit to address these problems and these issues,” Mr. Dickinson said in an interview last Friday.
“You’re really starting to feel this energy,” Mr. Dickinson added. “People are ready for change. That’s what we’re hearing.”
Mr. Dickinson and Mr. Doyle have traded barbs more frequently in recent weeks, as the June 2 primary approached. In a series of debates this month, Mr. Dickinson pointed out what he views as longstanding shortcomings that resulted from a lack of leadership, listing issues such as poor air quality and strained relations between the police and the African American community.
Mr. Dickinson, in closing remarks during the WTAE debate, took aim at the incumbent’s remarks that he is a “workhorse” in Washington while Mr. Dickinson is a “show horse.”
“What we’re seeing with Mr. Doyle is that he is not a workhorse — he is a dead horse,” Mr. Dickinson said. “He is a back-bencher for the Democratic Party. He is not a leader.”
Mr. Doyle, who was first elected in 1994, responded he had directly aided Pittsburgh’s progression from a city still struggling from the collapse of steel to a diversified hub of health care, technology and education.
Mr. Doyle defended his record, leaning on his experience navigating committee hearings and making deals in Congress to benefit the region. He’s among the top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, chairing a subcommittee that oversees communications and technology issues.
Mr. Doyle said he has helped direct more than $650 million in federal funding to projects in the city, including dollars that helped start Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a $100 million grant for the Allegheny County Port Authority that allows the long-awaited Pittsburgh Bus Rapid Transit project to begin.
“My philosophy for my entire career is that the best way to campaign is to do your job well,” Mr. Doyle said in an interview last Thursday. “I always feel good about putting it in the voters’ hands.”
The two candidates have clashed over the intersection of progressive politics and practical need for compromise in Congress.
On energy and environmental issues, Mr. Doyle called natural gas a “bridge fuel” to take the country to a future of renewable energy. This year, the Energy and Commerce Committee put forth a climate bill that would move the country to 100% net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“It does what the scientists tell us we need to do,” he said during the WTAE debate.
Mr. Dickinson pointed to air pollution in the Mon Valley, like in communities surrounding the Clairton Coke Works. “You haven’t done enough, Mr. Doyle, you haven’t done enough,” he said during the debate.
Central pillars of Mr. Dickinson’s platform align him with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who swept into office after defeating a 10-term incumbent Democrat in New York City last year.
Mr. Dickinson supports the Green New Deal as a way to fight climate change and has called for a ban on fracking. He wants to expand affordable housing and immediately raise the minimum wage. As an African American raised in foster care, Mr. Dickinson has said he can bring a new perspective to a variety of social and racial issues.
Financial resources have gone Mr. Doyle’s way. At the end of March, Mr. Doyle, with access to funds provided by congressional committees, had nearly nine times the amount of cash on hand as Mr. Dickinson — $391,000 to $44,000, according to federal filings.
Mr. Doyle has faced primary challengers before. In 2018, he defeated a challenger, Janis Brooks, by a three-to-one vote margin.