The biggest special election in the Pittsburgh suburbs since, well, last year, is set to take place April 2.
Former state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler (R) now serves in Congress. Republicans want to hold his Senate seat, while Democrats are looking for a pickup. Both parties want to set an early narrative about what kind of cycle 2020 is shaping up to be.
Raja, businessman and Allegheny County GOP Chair, faces Democratic candidate Pam Iovino, a Navy veteran.
The 37th district has switched hands from the GOP to the Democratic Party numerous times during this decade alone. Democrat Matt Smith bested Raja for this seat in 2012 by a 5 point margin. The GOP took the seat back after Smith resigned to take over as President of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce in 2015. Reschenthaler won a special election in 2015 by 6 points and cruised to a victory the following year by 20 points.
A win for the GOP basically ends the Democratic party’s hopes to regain a Senate majority in 2020.
With the seat up for grabs and both party’s looking for bragging rights in a moderate district, who should be the next state Senator for the 37th District?
The poll will close at 12 pm on Friday, March 29.
Reader Poll: Who should be the next state Senator for the 37th District?
- D. Raja (50%)
- Pam Iovino (50%)
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12 Responses
Pathetic, stupid choice for the Republican Party. Raja will lost a seat the Republicans have no business losing.
Bottom line: Pam Iovino cares about the people of Western PA. Raja cares about the Energy Companies & the profits they can make in Western PA.
Yea. He totally doesn’t care about people…
That assertion is so stupid. I dont like the guy, but you are an idiot if you dont see how moronic that statement is.
Raja’s history of putting the screws to his workers by illegally not paying overtime, and his history of importing visa workers instead of hiring PA residents does not go over well. the Rs had no one else; this guy is bottom of the R barrel.
They DID have someone else. This guy just brought his own money.
If your assertions are correct, why isn’t he fined or penalized for his illegal employment practices?
Why would a win in this seat end the Dems hopes for a majority in 2020? The seat is going to be up one way or the other in 2020.
Raja is awful. Shame to the Republicans for nominating this loser.
I think for I will win this flip because we need more women in the state senate and is to get the Zackrey’s back into the majority as well.
If Hillary had won this would be 100% Raja’s seat but instead we have Trump and all the negative business stories. Scott Wagner ran into the exact and I mean exact same situation. Bad climate to be running for office as an R with a long business history…Bottom line 2019 not a good year for R business types–Pam wins big.
Mediocre small businessmen who milked the system for KOZ’s, LERTA, taxpayers paying for their infrastructure etc, are finally falling out of political favor. The “we’re the job creators” lies are finally coming clear to the middle / working class voters. We’ve been scammed long enough by the corporate welfare kings and queens that built nothing on their own and did it mostly on the taxpayer dime – these chickens are coming home to roost.
I think for Pam will win this flip because we need more women in the state senate and is to get the Democrats back into the majority as well.
We also need more minorities in the Senate. If Raja was a Democrat he would be the greatest thing since sliced bread and we would hearing from the Democrats that everyone who even considers voting against him is prejudiced against minority groups.