West Mifflin Rep. Pisciottano announces run to replace McKeesport's Brewster in PA Senate

Less than a day after longtime State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, announced his retirement, the Mon Valley district has attracted a would-be successor.

State Rep. Nick Pisciottano, D-West Mifflin, announced Thursday that he is running for Pennsylvania State Senate District 45, which covers Allegheny County’s Mon Valley, as well as eastern and southern suburbs such as Plum, Monroeville, Brentwood, Baldwin, and Castle Shannon.

Brewster has held the seat since 2010.

Pisciottano, 34, has served as a state representative in nearby House District 38 since 2020. Before that, he worked as an accountant. He graduated from West Mifflin High School and earned degrees from Washington & Jefferson College and Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University.

“I went into public service to make sure the next generation has the opportunity to succeed here like I did,” he said in a prepared statement. “That means good schools for every kid, safe communities, and good jobs that pay a fair wage.”

He cited his experience on the House transportation committee and as a board member of Pittsburgh Regional Transit. Like Brewster, Pisciottano supports the expansion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway and believes it will create new economic opportunities in the Mon Valley.

Pisciottano has already garnered the support of many local Democrats, several labor unions, and Brewster, who endorsed him. He shares similar priorities as Brewster, and said he will focus his campaign on public safety, boosting public education, and jobs.

“From his first day as a state representative, it was clear Nick cares about the future success of our region as well as serving the best interests of his constituents,” said Brewster.

Pisciottano will not run simultaneously for his House seat, which is permitted by Pennsylvania law. Instead, he endorsed Democrat John Inglis, a West Mifflin borough councilman, who announced Thursday that he is running for House District 38.

Though both Senate District 45 and House District 38 became more friendly to Democrats after redistricting in 2022, Republicans are not conceding the seats.

In a statement, the Republican Committee of Allegheny County accused the Pisciottano campaign of colluding with Brewster, calling the move the “Mon Valley politics of yesterday.”

Republicans do not yet have a candidate for Senate District 45, but said the seat is in play because the GOP’s Allegheny County executive candidate Joe Rockey carried the district last year.

“We look forward to a robust campaign that presents a new path forward for the Mon Valley,” said the committee. “Not the same politics of the past that Pisciottano represents.”