Date set for special election to fill Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey's former legislative seat

Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler announced Monday that a special election will be held April 5 to fill the state House seat vacated by now-Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.

Cutler is also expected to call for a special election to fill the seat vacated by Jake Wheatley, who will be Gainey’s new chief of staff.

Gainey, 51, of Lincoln-Lemington, was in his fifth term in Harrisburg, while Wheatley, 50, of the Hill District, was in his 10th.

Gainey became Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor when he was sworn in last week and soon after named Wheatley as his chief of staff.

Special elections are typically held on the same day as the next primary or general election, said Mike Straub, a Cutler spokesman. The ongoing redistricting process complicated that.

In the May primary election, voters will be voting based on new, redistricted maps that reflect the 2020 census. That means the geographic areas comprising those districts will be slightly different.

In the special election, voters will be choosing candidates to represent the 24th (Gainey’s former district) and 19th (Wheatley) districts as they are currently laid out. Gainey’s district includes part of Pittsburgh and neighboring Wilkinsburg, while Wheatley’s district also includes part of Pittsburgh.

“This special election is to complete the term under the current, or old, map,” Cutler said of the special election to replace Gainey. “Therefore, holding the election on its own unique date, and not coinciding this special election with the primary, eliminates potential confusion for voters.”

Having a special election is imperative because, without one, people living in the two legislative districts would have no representation until early next year, said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow in residence for political affairs at Millersville University.

It is unclear when the special election to fill Wheatley’s seat will be held.

Holding the special election the same day as the primary could boost voter turnout, said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

“Turnout would be much higher if it’s with the primary, because people are coming for various reasons,” Borick said.

On the other hand, with the May 17 primary still more than four months away, Borick said it would be beneficial for the people of the legislative districts to have the special election sooner.

“The benefit is that the seat will be filled sooner and the people will have a representative,” he said.

With Gainey and Wheatley leaving the state legislature, the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus is losing two prominent members.

“We’ve been taking some time to build the Black Caucus. I would imagine we’ve had more members in this term — or the last couple terms — than we’ve ever had,” said state Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, who serves as the vice chair of the 31-member caucus. “In Pittsburgh, we just lost two of our most important members.”

The caucus could lose more Western Pennsylvania members if Lee wins her bid for U.S. Congress and state Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, wins his bid for lieutenant governor.

The caucus loses “a lot of institutional knowledge” with the departures of Gainey and Wheatley, the longest-serving Black member of the state House, Lee said. But it’s also “a very exciting time” to see leaders of the Black Legislative Caucus take important leadership roles in other levels of government, she said.

“Ed and Jake were great defenders of Western Pennsylvania, making sure our interests and the interests of Black neighborhoods out here were represented,” Lee said.

She said she hopes the candidates who fill their former seats also will be people of color who will join the caucus.

“We do have a significant Black population in this region that are often underrepresented in our legislative bodies, so to lose those seats would be a tremendous loss for Pennsylvania,” Lee said.

Two Wilkinsburg women who are Black have announced plans to run for Gainey’s former seat.

NaTisha Washington, 30, serves as the environmental justice organizer for the statewide community advocacy group One PA and also owns two consulting companies.

Washington said her campaign is focusing on issues such as education, safe school environments, affordable housing, revamping vacant properties and environmental concerns, including water and air quality.

“All injustices have been a priority for me,” Washington said. “My goal was always to improve my community and communities like mine.”

Washington said she was inspired to run for office by young Black leaders such as Lee.

“I didn’t see a lot of younger Black minority women in these positions, so seeing that and understanding more about the political world helped me find the passion I’ve had all my life,” said Washington, who launched her campaign in November.

Ashley Comans has served on Wilkinsburg’s school board and worked with nonprofits and community organizations focusing on supporting the city’s youth, education and other social justice matters.

Her campaign website said she is focusing on issues such as education, equitable maternal and child health care, health care for all and housing as a human right. She did not return requests for comment from the Tribune-Review.

Gainey has not yet endorsed a candidate to run for his seat. Additional candidates could come forward.