The Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s race will be a battle between two Allegheny County residents following Tuesday’s primary.
Austin Davis, a McKeesport native and state representative for the 35th District, easily took the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor. The Associated Press called the race for Mr. Davis around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Mr. Davis had garnered about 63% of the overall vote. His competition, state Rep. Brian Sims and Montgomery County banker Ray Sosa, took home 25% and 12% of the overall vote, respectively.
On the Republican side, state Rep. Carrie DelRosso, of Oakmont, received her party’s nomination, according to the Associated Press. She ended up with about 26% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, beating out the likes of retired police officer Teddy Daniels and former state Reps. Jeffrey Coleman and Rick Saccone. Mr. Saccone was second with about 16% of the vote, with Mr. Daniels third at just over 12%, former state legislative aide Clarice Schillinger fourth with just under 12% and Mr. Coleman fifth at 10%.
The victory brings Mr. Davis one step closer to becoming Pennsylvania’s first ever Black lieutenant governor if he wins the November general election. He already has the distinction of being the first Black candidate to win a majority-white state legislative district in Western Pennsylvania.
Because of that, he called his nomination a “historic moment” Tuesday night.
“I believe the ticket of Josh Shapiro and Austin Davis is a ticket that has proven to wake up everyday with the spirit to go get it,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. “[They are] a ticket that wants to make sure they’re doing what’s right to move Pennsylvania forward.”
Ms. DelRosso’s win is yet another feather in the cap of a politician who keeps pulling up relatively unexpected feats of electoral success.
“Feeling great,” Ms. DelRosso told the Post-Gazette Tuesday night. “Looking forward to winning in November and being part of a ticket to make sure we do win in November. I worked hard to be on this ticket, and I’m very, very proud to be winning.”
Mr. Davis is the son of a hairdresser and bus driver who has been representing Pennsylvania’s 35th District — covering Clairton, Duquesne and McKeesport through South Versailles and part of West Mifflin — since 2018.
Despite candidates for governor and lieutenant governor not running on the same ticket in Pennsylvania, Mr. Davis still picked up an early endorsement from Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who ran unopposed and won the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday.
Mr. Davis emphasized that the endorsement from Mr. Shapiro created a “partnership” between the two.
Mr. Shapiro tested positive for COVID-19, he announced the morning of the election, so his brother Adam Shapiro made some remarks on his behalf Tuesday night.
Adam Shapiro said his brother “never shied away from a fight” and would continue to fight for Pennsylvanians.
“This election is the most consequential election of our lifetime, and to win we must come together, united as a party, as we head into the fall,” Mr. Davis said. “Pennsylvanians want leaders who care about problems like theirs and understand the problems that keep them up at night.”
Problems like women’s rights and voting restrictions, Mr. Davis said.
“We cannot let the other side win; too much is at stake,” he added.
Ms. DelRosso’s claim to fame prior to this win was her 2020 victory over Democrat Frank Dermody in the 33rd District. It was an impressive showing for Ms. DelRosso against Mr. Dermody, who was the House Minority Leader and the district’s incumbent since 1991.
She was drawn out of the 33rd District in the Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s new maps, which would have forced her to run in the 32nd District against longtime incumbent Democrat Tony DeLuca. Instead, she opted to run for lieutenant governor.
“I was the underdog in that race,” she said, referring to her campaign against Mr. Dermody. “I did win that race by a point and a half. Unfortunately, I got redistricted out of my seat by the establishment. … I decided to run for lieutenant governor, and now I’m going to do it at the top of the ticket.
“I’m going to take Pennsylvania to the next step.”
Unlike Mr. Davis, Ms. DelRosso was not endorsed by the front-runner in her party’s gubernatorial race. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who won the Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, backed Mr. Daniels, whose chances at winning his race might have been negatively affected when his wife recently filed a temporary protection-from-abuse order against him that a judge ultimately dismissed on May 6.
Also on the Republican ballot for lieutenant governor were former state Rep. Russ Diamond, Northampton County Councilman John Brown, New Castle Mayor Chris Frye and businessman James Jones; none of them had more than 10% of the vote as of Wednesday morning.
Staff writer Julian Routh contributed. Hallie Lauer: hlauer@post-gazette.com; Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com
First Published: May 18, 2022, 4:19 a.m.
Updated: May 18, 2022, 4:31 a.m.
