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Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. late last year.
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DA Stephen Zappala hits the airwaves and reconsidering John Weinstein's TV advantage

Megan Guza/Post-Gazette

DA Stephen Zappala hits the airwaves and reconsidering John Weinstein's TV advantage

Plus other news from the Allegheny County campaign trail.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is joining the campaign season TV ad wars.

The 25-year incumbent’s reelection campaign lined up about $60,000 in broadcast and cable commercial time starting Tuesday and running through early next week, according to AdImpact, which tracks political advertising.

A group backing challenger Matt Dugan in the May 16 Democratic primary has also booked about $53,000 in TV advertising during the same period. The Pennsylvania Justice & Public Safety PAC, which began airing an attack ad against Mr. Zappala in late March, will have spent about $167,000 on the air by next week, according to AdImpact.

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Campaigns can add to, reduce or cancel ad reservations. The Zappala campaign declined to comment Monday, including on the focus of its TV advertising.

Allegheny County's chief public defender Matt Dugan, left, and his opponent in the May 16 Democratic primary, incumbent District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.
Adam Smeltz
A pro-Matt Dugan poll shows he's got his work cut out for him in the DA's race

The pro-Dugan ad accuses Mr. Zappala of betraying “our values” and highlights racially charged allegations against his office. The PAC is tied to a national group supported by billionaire liberal donor George Soros that has helped elect progressive prosecutors across the country.

Mr. Dugan, Allegheny County’s chief public defender, challenged Mr. Zappala to debate him late last week — a familiar campaign season tack. Challengers and candidates in weaker positions tend to issue debate challenges to pressure incumbents or better-positioned rivals into the ring. Mr. Dugan is widely seen as mounting the strongest challenge Mr. Zappala has faced. Private polling has shown Mr. Zappala in a “very strong position” and likely “able to withstand any attacks” from Mr. Dugan and his supporters, a person familiar with the Zappala campaign strategy has said.

A polling memo circulated by Mr. Dugan’s campaign to potential donors showed Mr. Zappala with an initial 30-point lead that could narrow to a virtual tie. No Republicans are running for DA.

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In other election-related news:

John Weinstein’s advertising advantage looks thinner by this measure

Democratic candidates for Allegheny County executive continue to pump money into their TV ad budgets, with County Treasurer John Weinstein leading the pack. As of Monday, his campaign had spent some $640,000 on commercials, according to AdImpact.

That’s more than double the outlays of the next-highest spender, trial lawyer and former County Council member Dave Fawcett. The campaigns for state Rep. Sara Innamorato and Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb had spent about $148,000 and $31,500, respectively.

But money spent isn’t the only measure of impact. Gross ratings points, or GRPs, are more a useful gauge, said J.J. Balaban, a Democratic strategist and longtime ad maker with experience in Western Pennsylvania campaigns.

Allegheny County executive forum organized by PublicSource and NextPittsburgh Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Point Park University's Center for Media Innovation.
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The race for Allegheny County executive got testy at a Point Park forum

GRPs measure how often a target audience has seen an ad, Mr. Balaban said. If a campaign logs 100 points for a particular ad, intended TV viewers theoretically have seen the commercial once, he said. While different ads and placements cost different amounts, points help campaigns establish their actual impact.

By that metric, the gap between the Weinstein and Fawcett campaigns is narrower: 1,681 to 1,155 broadcast GRPs as of Monday, according to AdImpact. Ms. Innamorato’s campaign counted 538, while Mr. Lamb’s had zero (his spending has been solely on cable).

With just four weeks until primary election day, candidates are entering “crunch time,” Mr. Balaban said. At this stage, he said, it’s common for campaigns to book ads week by week as their fundraising continues.

This is “when voters are paying the most attention,” Mr. Balaban said. “Whoever is able to communicate the loudest will benefit. That doesn’t mean they win.”

Doven urges merger for VisitPittsburgh

Allegheny County Council candidate Joanna Doven is pressing for VisitPittsburgh to merge with the Sports & Exhibition Authority.

The region’s largest tourism group, VisitPittsburgh concentrates too much on leisure travel and doesn’t adequately account for millions of dollars in hotel tax money it receives each year, according to an audit released Thursday by County Controller Corey O’Connor.

VisitPittsburgh officials decried the report as inaccurate and “politically motivated.” In a statement Friday, Ms. Doven, a former VisitPittsburgh board member, asked county leaders “to initiate an immediate merger so that we don’t waste one more taxpayer dollar.”

The SEA, a facilities authority of Pittsburgh and the county, owns public venues including the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Acrisure Stadium and North Shore Riverfront Park.

“We need an immediate reset, and that will only happen if leaders find a way to withhold their public funding now,” Ms. Doven said. She called it odd that VisitPittsburgh wouldn’t disclose detailed staff compensation information, even though the group receives taxpayer funding.

VisitPittsburgh opted not to provide those specifics on the advice of legal counsel, President Jerad Bachar said last week, noting that the agency is a private nonprofit. He said he offered to disclose the information if he could be guaranteed it would stay private.

Mail ballots are on their way

Voters who have requested mail and absentee ballots from the Allegheny County Elections Division should begin receiving them late this week, according to the county.

As of April 12, almost 93,500 voters in the county had requested a mail ballot for the May 16 primary election. That includes 78,923 Democrats and 14,549 Republicans, the county said. May 9 is the deadline to request a mail ballot.

Meanwhile, May 1 is the voter registration deadline for the primary. It’s also the deadline for registered voters to notify the county Elections Division of a new address, a name change or a new party affiliation. Information on those processes is available online.

Adam Smeltz: asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz

First Published: April 17, 2023, 8:50 p.m.
Updated: April 18, 2023, 10:00 a.m.

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