By Keegan Gibson
Managing Editor

Mt. Lebanon Township Commissioner and businessman D. Raja is actively leaning toward a run for Allegheny County Executive.

According to a source close to Raja, he will likely announce his candidacy at a press conference next week. Raja confirmed to PoliticsPA that he is considering a campaign.

“My experience is unique, and I think I could be a real help to Allegheny County,” said Raja, the co-founder of Computer Enterprises Inc. (CEI). “I have a lot of support from the grassroots, elected officials and party leadership who are encouraging me to run. At this point, I’m working this through with my family. I plan to have a decision by next week.”

An elected official and successful businessman, Raja, 45, has a very competitive profile. And in many ways, his personal history reflects the story of Allegheny County.

Born in Bangalore, India, Raja came to Pittsburgh in 1987 to pursue a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He later received an MBA with Honors from Carnegie Mellon. After graduation, Raja went to work for Lockheed Martin before co-founding CEI in the spare bedroom of his Pittsburgh townhouse in 1993. His company now employs more than 300 people.

He was elected Mt. Lebanon Commissioner – Ward 1 in 2007. Supporters credit him with cutting taxes twice since being elected. Raja lives in Mt. Lebanon with wife (Dr.) Neeta and their two daughters, Isana & Omisa.

He and his supporters believe that his business background makes him distinct from the two Democratic candidates, current County Controller Mark Flaherty and Allegheny County Council President Rich Fitzgerald.

“It’s an uphill fight, but the advantage running either Flaherty or Fitzgerald is that they’re Allegheny politics as usual. If there’s anything that the past two election cycles have shown us, it’s that voters haven’t decided if they like Democrats or Republicans, but they really don’t like politics as usual,” said the source.

Raja seems to agree.

“If I decide to run, I’m coming in with a fresh perspective on county government. That would be the difference,” said Raja.

Raja will reportedly be able to match either Democratic opponent financially. The source described Raja as having significant personal wealth and also noted that he has connections with many of the country’s politically active tech company CEOs.  For example, Raja reportedly invested $40,000-$50,000 in his commissioners’ race, an unusually high figure.

Flaherty reported around $500,000 cash-on-hand, and Fitzgerald reported almost $750,000.

“I know its going to take a lot of commitment. I know there’s cost involved. But I’m committed to winning,” Raja confirmed. “If I make the decision to run, then I am in it, and I am in it to win. So whatever it take is what I would do.”

However, unlike the self-funders of the 2010 cycle, like Meg Whitman in California and Linda McMahon in Connecticut, Raja also has a political base to pull from.

“Mt. Lebanon is one of the larger municipalities in Allegheny County, and it’s a great base for a Republican to start from since it is a swing municipality,” noted the source. “Obama and Corbett each carried it, and Sestak and Toomey split it about 50/50.”

Other Republican names have surfaced for Allegheny County Exec, including county Councilman Chuck McCullough, Tea Party leader Patricia Weaver and county Councilman Matt Drozd, are rumored to be considering runs, according to the Post-Gazette.

In any case, the GOP primary that was previously described as “murky” is about to get interesting.