6 still in running for state Senate seat
With less than three months until the special election for the 37th state Senate district, the candidates are schmoozing, the nominating conventions are set and the field is thinning — so much so that, in one instance, one hopeful dropped out to support another on the debate stage.
That’s how the landscape sits before the April 2 election, where a once-massive field is now a group of six — three candidates in each party — who have spent their days trying to woo the party leaders who will choose the nominees two weeks from now.
The trio of Republican hopefuls — Allegheny County Republican Committee chairman D. Raja, South Hills business owner and Marine veteran Devlin Robinson and North Fayette Supervisor Bob Doddato — have been on the phone and meeting face-to-face with their party’s conferees, who will convene Jan. 27 to choose the nominee.
The Democrats have been showcasing themselves in front of auditorium crowds, as on Saturday, when Women and Girls Foundation community engagement director Olivia Benson, former Navy officer Pam Iovino and emergency physician Bob Solomon debated in Moon.
Former state Rep. Martin Schmotzer also participated in the Democratic debate, but used his closing statement to drop out and throw his support behind Ms. Benson. It wasn’t only theatrical, but indicative of the race at large: there will be much attention over who’s supporting whom, and if Democrats will end up picking a candidate who has a shot to win in territory favorable to the GOP.
But all of the political posturing will have to conclude by Jan. 27, when the parties will hold their separate nominating events in lieu of traditional primary elections. At stake is the seat vacated by Republican Guy Reschenthaler, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and resigned his seat — which represents communities in Allegheny County’s western and southern suburbs and Peters in Washington County.
The Republican nominee will be chosen at a gathering of conferees, who are selected by the party’s committees in Allegheny and Washington counties. The list of conferees, 78 in total, was distributed to candidates and officials on Friday.
Conferees for the Republican meeting, who must be registered Republicans, are allocated to municipalities based upon the number of votes the Republican presidential nominee got there in the last election, said Dave Majernik, an Allegheny County GOP vicechair who was responsible for choosing the committee’s nominees while Mr. Raja runs.
Mr. Raja said he knows many names on the list and is working to meet with all of them face-to-face before the nominating convention — while Mr. Doddato said he’s gotten a “great response” from conferees so far over his passion for health care, education and public service.
The Republicans haven’t held formal debates and don’t have any planned, but have done a number of meet-andgreet type events showcasing the candidates individually.
At the Democrats’ convention, committee members will decide the party’s nominee. After the candidates speak, the members will vote, and the winner must garner a majority.
There are about 270 Democratic committee members in the district, but not all are likely to show. One party official said he expects the vote to go to two or three ballots.
Dozens of Democratic committee members took in the debate Saturday between the candidates, where they heard from Ms. Iovino about her 23 years in the Navy, Ms. Benson about her desire to focus on environmental issues and Mr. Solomon about his experience in health policy.
While Ms. Benson stressed her work as “an advocate for some of our most vulnerable communities,” she talked of the need to address poor air and water quality. Mr. Solomon, who asserted he isn’t a “one-issue candidate” but is the most knowledgeable on healthcare, said he would focus on helping regular people in Harrisburg.
And Ms. Iovino, who described herself as a “proven leader” with a focus on bipartisanship, said she would focus on the gap in workforce training.
Republicans have braced for the ideological battle by emphasizing their economic views. Mr. Raja said the GOP has become the party for “anybody who works and takes a paycheck home,” while Mr. Robinson — who started a small business after combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan — said he would stick up for Western Pennsylvania’s jobs.