Allegheny Co. Dems Choose Candidate For Late Rep. Tony DeLuca's Seat

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA — The Allegheny County Democratic Committee has selected Joe McAndrew to run for the last state Rep. Tony DeLuca's seat in an upcoming special election. McAndrew is committee's former executive director and current Penn Hills Democratic Committee chair.

McAndrew was one of eight candidates vying for a spot on the ballot. The others were Nick Futules, Allegheny County Council vice president; Pauline Calabrese, Penn Hills mayor; Erin Vecchio, Penn Hills School Board president; Frank Pecora, Penn Hills council member; Tracey Holst, Oakmont council member; Oakmont attorney Lois Vitti and Louis Leon, a former DeLuca aide.

DeLuca, who represented the 32nd Legislative District since 1983, died of lymphoma in October. He was 85.

It was too late to remove his name from the ballot in the November election, and he easily won re-election with more than 21,000 votes. He had no Republican opponent. Green Party candidate
Queona Livingston received 3,490 votes.

DeLuca's district includes Penn Hills, Verona, most of Plum and Oakmont.

Special elections will be held in two other Allegheny County legislative districts next year, as Democrats Summer Lee and Austin Davis last week resigned their seats. Lee was elected to Congress last month and Davis will be the state's next lieutenant governor.

All three special elections are scheduled to occur on Feb. 7.