Allegheny County voters will cast ballots in special elections Tuesday to fill three empty seats in the state House — key races that will determine which party controls the chamber.
The vacancies in the 32nd, 34th and 35th House districts stem from the Oct. 9 death of State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, and the November elections of former State Reps. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, to higher offices. Ms. Lee was elected to the U.S. House, while Mr. Davis is now lieutenant governor.
If Democrats retain those state House seats, the lower chamber will flip to a razor-thin Democratic majority — 102 to 101 — for the first time in more than a decade. Republicans have a two-seat majority in the meantime, following the general election in November.
The majority party “has almost complete control of the chamber,” said Michael Nelson, a professor who studies state politics at Penn State University. “It determines what bills advance through committee, what bills are voted on and the type of amendments that will receive a vote.”
All three districts are heavily Democratic, giving the party the edge to keep the seats.
Here’s what to know before the Feb. 7 special elections.
Which Pennsylvania House districts have special elections?
The 32nd district, formerly represented by Mr. DeLuca, includes Penn Hills, Oakmont, Verona and part of Plum.
The 34th, Ms. Lee’s former district, includes Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Forest Hills, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Wilkins, Wilkinsburg and parts of Pittsburgh’s East End.
Mr. Davis’ former seat, in the 35th district, represents Clairton, Duquesne, McKeesport, South Versailles, Homestead, Liberty, Lincoln, Munhall, Port Vue, Versailles, West Homestead, Whitaker, White Oak and part of West Mifflin.
Each district has between 61,500 and 65,000 residents, according to state data. Democrats outnumber Republicans in all three.
Why are the special elections happening now?
When Mr. DeLuca died in October at age 85, it was too late to remove him from the November general election ballot. In the event of a candidate’s death, state law says a replacement candidate can’t run after ballots have already started printing. County officials sent ballot information to the printer on Sept. 28, a spokeswoman told the Associated Press, about two weeks before Mr. DeLuca’s death.
He posthumously received about 86% of the vote.
In the other two districts, Ms. Lee and Mr. Davis ran for reelection last year while also campaigning for higher offices. Both announced resignations from the General Assembly in December after they won their other races, triggering the special elections in their districts.
Ms. Lee and Mr. Davis took office as a member of Congress and as lieutenant governor, respectively, this month.
Who are the special election candidates?
Local political parties pick their candidates for special elections, rather than voters nominating candidates in a separate primary election.
In the 32nd district, Democrat Joe McAndrew, the Penn Hills Democratic Committee chairman, is running against Republican Clayton Walker of Verona to succeed Mr. DeLuca.
Mr. McAndrew emphasizes raising the minimum wage, investing in renewable energy and supporting union jobs. Mr. Walker, an Army veteran, entrepreneur and pastor of the Mustard Seed Church, positions himself as a Second Amendment defender and small-government advocate.
In the 34th district, Democrat Abigail Salisbury, a Swissvale lawyer and borough council member, is running against Republican Robert Pagane of Wilkins to succeed Ms. Lee.
Mr. Pagane, a former longtime law enforcement officer, supports cutting taxes, especially for the elderly, and improving communication between residents and police. Ms. Salisbury, a former First Amendment law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, prioritizes preparedness for climate change and support for public education and entrepreneurs.
In the 35th district, Democrat Matthew Gergely, chief revenue officer for the McKeesport city government, is running against Republican Don Nevills of Clairton to succeed Mr. Davis.
A former McKeesport city administrator who has worked in the local school district, Mr. Gergely says he has a record “creating well-paying union jobs and supporting our local economy.” Mr. Nevills, a Navy veteran and small business owner, argues against “government overreach” and prioritizes better infrastructure and tackling food and fuel costs.
What’s at stake in the special elections?
In addition to determining party control, the special election winners could soon help choose a new House speaker.
Republicans and Democrats elected State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, to the top job last month, in a surprise compromise that broke a logjam after weeks of uncertainty over who would run the chamber. And in an interview Monday, Mr. Rozzi told the Associated Press that he won’t necessarily step aside after the special elections to support the Democratic leader, State Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, as speaker.
Ms. McClinton, who had celebrated her impending speakership late last year after the election results, told the AP she “would be honored” to be speaker and will “trust my colleagues will make the best decision to move Pennsylvania forward.” Speculation has centered on whether she or another candidate may try to oust Mr. Rozzi from the speakership after the special elections.
The winners are expected to take office later in February.
What do I need to know about voting in the special elections?
On Tuesday, 246 polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote, according to the county Elections Division.
The deadline to request an absentee or mail-in ballot has already passed. The deadline to return those ballots is 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters may drop off completed absentee and mail-in ballots at the Ross Street entrance of the County Office Building, between Fourth and Forbes avenues in Downtown Pittsburgh, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday; and 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday.
With narrow exceptions, a voter may return only his or her own absentee or mail-in ballot — not the ballots of others — and must place the ballot in the inner secrecy envelope provided. Voters should not mark the secrecy envelope, but must sign and correctly date the outer declaration envelope.
For those voting in person, polling-place information is available via https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/pollingplaceinfo.aspx. The county has posted special-election information at this page: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/elections/special-elections.aspx.
The Elections Division can be reached at 412-350-4500.
Adam Smeltz: asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz. The Associated Press contributed.
First Published: February 6, 2023, 12:41 p.m.
Updated: February 7, 2023, 10:43 a.m.
