Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie DelRosso claims victory in race to unseat Frank Dermody

Oakmont Councilwoman Carrie Lewis DelRosso claimed victory Tuesday night in her race to unseat state House Minority Leader Frank Dermody.

DelRosso, a Republican, had collected 51.5% of the votes counted compared with Dermody’s 48.5%, a margin of 923 votes, according to unofficial results from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

“I’m honored and humbled that the people of this district have entrusted me with the job of representing them in the Pennsylvania State House, and I promise to bring fresh ideas and new energy to the job,” DelRosso said in a statement.

DelRosso, 45, claimed victory shortly after Dermody conceded.

In a statement, Dermody said, “It has been my honor for 30 years to represent my neighbors in the 33rd District. I had hoped to continue this work for two more years, but voters in the district appear to have made a different choice.”

The Tribune-Review reported Sunday that Dermody was one of several Democratic incumbents in Southwestern Pennsylvania targeted by the GOP. The other entrenched Democrats, including state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, and 13-term state Rep. Joe Petrarca, faced an onslaught of negative television ads early in the campaign season.

Republican Party leaders said they targeted the incumbents as part of a statewide strategy that acknowledged the changing political geography of Pennsylvania. They said the so-called “collar counties” that surround Philadelphia have flipped from Republican strongholds to areas that are consistently electing Democrats. Meanwhile, they said, Southwestern Pennsylvania, with the exception of Allegheny County, has been trending Republican.

DelRosso was born in Scranton and moved to Allegheny County in 1993 to study at the University of Pittsburgh. She runs a public relations firm and served as a spokeswoman for the Penn Hills, Plum and Riverview school districts. She is in her first term on Oakmont Council.

Reached late Tuesday, DelRosso said she plans to step down as a councilwoman after the council adopts its 2021 budget in December.

DelRosso said she knocked on at least 12,000 doors during the pandemic. She commended her opponent on a hard-fought campaign.

“I wish Minority Leader Dermody the best going forward and thank him for his service to the 33rd District as well as the state,” DelRosso said in her statement.

The 33rd State House District includes Brackenridge, Cheswick, East Deer, Frazer, Harmar, Indiana Township, Oakmont, Springdale, Springdale Township, Tarentum and parts of Harrison and Plum in Allegheny County, along with Arnold and New Kensington in Westmoreland County.

“I want the citizens of District 33 to know that I will be a voice for everyone in the Allegheny Valley,” DelRosso said.

“The next two years pose many challenges,” she added. “A pandemic has hurt our economy, and government has yet to live within its means. I hope to be a voice for fiscal responsibility and common-sense government in the years ahead. My profound thanks to the many volunteers and supporters who helped as we embark on a new era for our region.”

In his statement, Dermody said he was proud of his work in Harrisburg, which he said included working to secure “more than $200 million in grant funding that leveraged over $2 billion in private investment, which created and saved more than 15,000 jobs. We established the new state-based health insurance exchange, funded improvements to hospitals, built a new Hulton Bridge, put together a package that kept thousands working at ATI in Brackenridge, and provided more state support for our schools.”

Dermody added: “For the last 10 years I’ve also been honored to serve as Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, working with colleagues on a plan For Pennsylvania that aimed to make people’s lives better. The men and women of our caucus are an inspiration to me, and I look forward to watching new leaders come forward to advance an agenda that moves Pennsylvania forward. … There are many issues facing our Commonwealth that will require bipartisan cooperation to address. I wish Ms. DelRosso the best in representing the 33rd District going forward.”