Special Election Preview: State House 32nd District

HD-32 candidates Joe McAndrew and Clayton Walker

“Super Tuesday” in Allegheny County takes place on February 7 with three special Pennsylvania House elections that will determine the majority party in the chamber for the 2023-24 session.

You will recall that Democrats won 102 of the 203 House races in November, only to lose two seats to resignation for higher office for Summer Lee and Austin Davis, along with the October passing of long-time state Rep. Tony DeLuca who was re-elected posthumously.

With the election of Republican Lynda Culver to the state Senate in yesterday’s 27th District special election, there is now a vacancy in the 108th House District, leaving the seating chart in Harrisburg at 100-99 in favor of the GOP.

Now you understand why the three Allegheny County special elections in the 32nd, 34th and 35th Districts are so important.

In the 32nd District, the Democratic candidate – Joe McAndrew – will take on GOP candidate Clayton Walker. The seat had been occupied by DeLuca since 1983.

McAndrew, a long-time fixture in the local Democratic party from Penn Hills, looks to advance a more worker-friendly and progressive agenda. He has served as the Executive Director of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and more recently with the PADems as a member of Congressman-elect Chris Deluzio’s campaign team. McAndrew currently serves as chair of the Penn Hills Democratic Committee.

He told a League of Women Voters survey that “I will prioritize policies that will place every-day working Pennsylvanians before corporations. Expanding rights of all Pennsylvanians including women’s rights and codifying rights of the LGBTQ+ community. I will support stronger unions and raising the minimum wage for our workers. I will work in sensible ways to generate avenues to work together with other legislatures to achieve these goals.”

Education: University of Dayton
LinksWebsite | Facebook | Twitter
Major endorsements: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Clean Water Action and Planned Parenthood

Walker, a resident of Verona, is a health care customer service representative who also serves as pastor of The Mustard Seed (Christian) Church in Monroeville. He has staunchly conservative views on issues such as gun rights and the Republican Committee of Allegheny County hails him as an Army veteran and “a firm defender of the 1st and 2nd Amendments, specifically a proud voice for religious protections and freedoms.”

He is a Black Republican in a district that is becoming more diverse — it is over one-quarter Black — and he says concerns about education motivated him to get into the race. Walker has strode a cautious line on abortion and transgender athletes in school sports. He said that forcing a pregnancy that threatens the life of a woman would be “inhumane.”

Walker did not respond to a League of Women Voters questionnaire about other priorities.

Party: Republican
Experience: Walker is a U.S. Army veteran. This is his first run for office.
Education: University of Pittsburgh
LinksWebsite Facebook | Twitter
Major endorsements: Gun Owners of America


 

Voter Registration
Democrats:
27,996 | Republicans: 12,321 | Libertarian: 173
No Affiliation: 4,036 | Others: 1,776 | TOTAL: 46,353

 

32nd House District
ALLEGHENY County

Total population: 64,205

Part of ALLEGHENY County consisting of the TOWNSHIP of Penn Hills and the BOROUGHS of Oakmont, Plum (PART, Districts 01, 02, 03, 07, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21) and Verona.

2 Responses

    1. None of these elections were ever in doubt. The GOP tried to delay them until May in hopes of getting some amendments through. Not to be.





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