Parties pick state lawmakers to be lieutenant gov candidates

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

Voters in both parties chose Pennsylvania state representatives Tuesday to be their nominees for lieutenant governor this fall and some prominent GOP leaders in the General Assembly found themselves in tight races.

Republicans elected state Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso to run in November with their choice for governor, state Sen. Doug Mastriano. Democrats gave their nominee for governor, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, his choice for second-in-command, Rep. Austin Davis.

DelRosso, who is in her first term in the General Assembly, prevailed in a nine-candidate race, while Davis easily beat state Rep. Brian Sims, whose energetic campaign could not overcome Shapiro’s endorsement of Davis. Both DelRosso and Davis are from Allegheny County.

Davis, a resident of McKeesport, has been a state representative since 2018 and is a former executive assistant to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a prominent elected Democrat. DelRosso is a former borough council member who runs a public affairs and marketing company.

In Pennsylvania, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are not paired on the primary ballot, but do run as a ticket in the fall.

The lieutenant governor is the chair of the Pardons Board and is the presiding officer during state Senate sessions.

As votes were still being counted late Tuesday, the Republican chairmen of the powerful Appropriations Committee in both state legislative chambers were in very tight races — Sen. Pat Browne, of Lehigh County, and state Rep. Stan Saylor, of York County.

Another veteran Republican House member from York County, Rep. Keith Gillespie, also was in a close contest.

In another very competitive primary, state Rep. Summer Lee, D-Allegheny, was neck-and-neck with attorney Steve Irwin for an open congressional seat in the Pittsburgh area.

Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday also cast ballots in primary contests for 17 congressional seats. The state’s delegation to the U.S. House had been 18 — nine Democrats and nine Republicans — before one delegate was lost because of 2020 Census numbers.

In the state House, three races pitted incumbents against each other in districts where the primary winner is likely to take the oath of office in January.

Northwest of Harrisburg, Rep. Perry Stambaugh was running well ahead in the GOP primary against Rep. Johnathan Hershey. Southwest of Allentown, Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie had a large lead on Rep. Gary Day. And in Philadelphia, Democratic Chris Rabb won the primary against Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald.