Westmoreland's political future could hinge on outcome of 58th District special election

A harbinger of Westmoreland County’s political future, with the 2020 presidential election looming, could be the March special election to fill Justin Walsh’s former House seat.

The outcome of the race to replace Walsh, a Rostraver Republican who now is a county judge, might be a predictor of local Republican strength or the ability of Democrats to compete in a district that until 2015 has been solidly blue.

“Any special election is a bellwether for upcoming events,” said Kerry Jobe, the chairman of the county’s Republican committee.

In the past week, each local political party nominated candidates to represent Pennsylvania’s 58th District. It’s an area that includes Adamsburg, Arona and East Huntingdon as well as parts of Hempfield, Jeannette, Madison, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, North Belle Vernon, Penn Borough, Rostraver, Sewickley, Smithton, South Huntingdon, Sutersville and West Newton.

Walsh resigned in December after winning election to serve as a Common Pleas Court judge.

Robert Prah Jr., 38, of Rostraver, was chosen as the Democrat’s candidate. He is the director of Military and Veterans Affairs at California University of Pennsylvania. A former Army infantryman and current officer in the Army Reserve, Prah is a former Smithton mayor and councilman.

Eric Davanzo, 43, of South Huntingdon, is the GOP candidate. The union carpenter is making his first run for public office.

They are vying for what political leaders insist is a contested seat in a toss-up district. Democrats hold a nearly 4,500 edge in voter registration, according to the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau. Democrats account for 19,656 of the district’s 39,172 registered voters. As of Friday, there are 15,190 registered Republicans in the 58th District.

“This is going to be a great opportunity for voters to take a stand and show Westmoreland County does care about Democratic values,” said Annie Briscoe, a executive board member of the county’s Democratic committee.

Both Jobe and Briscoe said that because of the tight time-frame and relatively close registration numbers, the special election is likely to come down to which candidate and political party gets its voters to the polls.

While the outcome could provide a clue to November, both warned that voter turnout in March is expected to be a fraction of the presidential race, which averages 70% to 80%.

“This will be a whole different ball of wax,” Jobe said.

The race between Prah and Davanzo is one of four special elections in Pennsylvania to fill vacant seats in the House, where Republicans hold a 107-92 edge. Democrats picked up 14 seats in 2018 to narrow the gap. They last held the majority in the state House in 2010.

The 58th District special election could also include a third candidate. Yough School Board President Ken Bach, who lost in his bid to secure the Democratic nomination, said he has since switched his party registration to Libertarian and is attempting to get on the ballot as a third-party candidate.

Bach said he needs to file nominating petitions with 300 signatures by Monday to win a spot on the ballot.