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Matt Dugan, left, the Democratic nominee for Allegheny County district attorney, and right, incumbent DA Stephen A. Zappala Jr.
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The first TV ads in the race for Allegheny County DA are a study in contrasts

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The first TV ads in the race for Allegheny County DA are a study in contrasts

Incumbent DA Stephen Zappala and Democratic nominee Matt Dugan are striking very different tones on the airwaves

With less than six weeks left before the Nov. 7 general election, both candidates for Allegheny County district attorney have hit the airwaves. But the tone each candidate is striking couldn’t be more different. 

In Democratic nominee Matt Dugan’s first TV ad, which aired Wednesday, Mr. Dugan warns a woman “not to party too hard” for her birthday and pleads with an older woman on a motorized scooter to “slow down.”

“I’m just trying to keep you safe. I want to keep everyone safe,” Mr. Dugan says in the ad. “It’s why I’m running for district attorney.”

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Mr. Dugan — the county’s progressive former chief public defender who beat incumbent DA Stephen A. Zappala Jr. in the May Democratic primary — promises in the ad to “tackle” issues like crime and gun violence while also expanding prevention and treatment programs. 

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, left, and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., right.
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“My opponent refuses to take responsibility for his office or the consequences of his policies, always blaming others,” Mr. Dugan wrote in a social media post with the ad. “As your next district attorney, I pledge to keep our community safe - and that’s a responsibility I’ll never forget.” 

By contrast, Mr. Zappala — who gets a general election rematch against Mr. Dugan after he won enough Republican write-in votes to be the GOP nominee — went ominous in his first television ad aired last week. It features security footage of crime in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. 

The 30-second spot, in which Mr. Zappala warns that “the same extremists who created” crime in Philadelphia and San Francisco “want Pittsburgh to be their next social justice experiment,” is similar to numerous Republican ads targeting Democrats on crime.

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Both ads are the candidates’ first of the general election.

Mr. Zappala’s campaign is paying for its airtime directly, while Mr. Dugan’s ad campaign is being funded by  the Pennsylvania Justice and Public Safety PAC, a progressive group that paid for almost his entire primary campaign and that was funded entirely by the liberal billionaire donor George Soros.

The group, which spent almost half-a-million dollars airing ads for Mr. Dugan in the primary, has spent about $64,000 on airtime for the general election, according to AdImpact, which tracks political advertising. 

Mr. Soros, based in New York City has backed progressive candidates in local races for prosecutor across the country, including Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner. It remains unclear if Mr. Soros is still providing all of the PAC’s funding.

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Mr. Zappala’s campaign has spent about $160,000 on TV bookings so far, according to AdImpact.

In other election news:

Debate season is here

Mr. Dugan and Mr. Zappala will participate in a one-hour debate on Oct. 12. It will be aired at 8 p.m. on KDKA and streaming on CBS News Pittsburgh. 

In the race for county executive, Democrat Sara Innamorato and Republican Joe Rockey will debate one-on-one for the first time Thursday evening. It will be aired on KDKA at 7 p.m.

The two will face off again in a live debate on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. That debate, which will air on WTAE, is being hosted in conjunction with the League of Women Voters, which also hosted candidate forums during the primary election. 

Hallie Lauer: hlauer@post-gazette.com

First Published: September 27, 2023, 6:13 p.m.
Updated: September 27, 2023, 8:25 p.m.

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