Abigail Salisbury announces run for Summer Lee's vacant state House seat

Another candidate is running for a soon to be vacated state House seat in Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs in a race that is sure to attract more candidates.

Abigail Salisbury, a Swissvale borough councilwoman and a Democrat, announced on Tuesday her intention to run in Pennsylvania state House District 34, which is being vacated by Congresswoman-elect Summer Lee.

Salisbury ran against Lee in this year’s primary for District 34, but came up short. In a Tuesday tweet, Salisbury said she is “again seeking the honor of representing the 34th District in the PA House.”

The special election dates have not been announced yet, but I am again seeking the honor of representing the 34th District in the PA House. District residents are invited to my drop-in campaign launch at Bombay to Burgh in Swissvale from 6-8:30pm on Nov 29th!

— Salisbury for PA (@SalisburyforPA) November 19, 2022

District 34 includes Pittsburgh neighborhoods Homewood, Point Breeze, and Regent Square, as well as Braddock, Churchill, Edgewood, East Pittsburgh, Forest Hills, Rankin, Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, and Wilkins Township.

According to her campaign website, Salisbury’s priorities are bringing resources back to the district, supporting entrepreneurs, investing in public education, and funding infrastructure that can adapt to climate change.

In addition to serving on Swissvale’s council, Salisbury runs a law firm in Downtown Pittsburgh and is the former director of JURIST.org, a legal news and commentary organization hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s law school.

She joins Edgewood borough councilwoman Bhavini Patel, another Democrat, in running for the District 34 special election.

With Lee vacating the District 34 seat, a special election will be held sometime in 2023. Before a special election is held, political parties will select nominees, usually through a nominating session.

The Allegheny County Democratic Committee selects nominees through a session where only committee members that live within the district meet and vote.

Because the makeup of District 34 is so overwhelmingly Democratic, it’s likely whoever wins the Democratic committee nominating session will prevail in the special election.

Salisbury might have a leg up in the nominating session process. She won the District 34 endorsement from the Democratic committee in 2022, which is very similar to the committee’s nominating process.

A special election date has not yet been set.