PA-SD37: Dems recommend Pam Iovino, GOP nominates D. Raja

Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania's 37th state Senate district convened their committees in the South Hills on Sunday to choose their nominees for the April special election, setting up a match-up between a Navy veteran and a well-connected GOP stalwart.

In the morning, Democratic committee members recommended former Navy officer Pam Iovino to be their party’s torch-bearer. Hours later, Republican conferees chose Allegheny County Republican Committee chairman D. Raja to be theirs.

The special election on April 2 will decide who represents the district covering Allegheny County's western and southern suburbs and Peters in Washington County. The winner will serve in the seat that Guy Reschenthaler vacated until it's up for election in 2020.

On the Democratic side, it only took one ballot for Ms. Iovino to win the committee members' endorsement over emergency physician Bob Solomon. Of 246 committee members present at the meeting, Ms. Iovino was selected by 137. The threshold to win was 124.

In her pitch to the committee members before the vote was taken, Ms. Iovino said she would fight for "quality, affordable, accessible" health care, protect seniors and support public schools.

"We need to send up to Harrisburg for Governor Wolf to have one more ally, someone he can trust, to fight for the things we care about," Ms. Iovino said.

Democrats expected the vote to go to multiple ballots, but Olivia Benson — community engagement director at the Women and Girls Foundation — dropped out of the race during her speech to the committee. She said she is mounting a run for auditor general in 2020.


https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2019/01/27/Democrats-Pennsylvania-37th-state-senate-district-recommend-Pam-Iovino-nomination/stories/201901270186