At 11:15 Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, stepped up to a podium at a carpenters’ union hall in Robinson to address a crowd of supporters who were looking nervous. They’d been watching CNN election reports that showed an increasingly red map. Where was the good news for Democrats? Maybe Deluzio, a Democrat who’d been watching the tally in his battle with Republican challenger Rob Mercuri, would offer some hope.
That he could do. But Deluzio could not offer certainty. The race to represent the 17th district, which includes western and northern portions of Allegheny County and Beaver County, had yet to be called.
“I feel good; we’re ahead,” Deluzio said, as his wife, Zoë Bunnell, stood beside him. “I’m confident we’re going to win, but we’ll let the process play out.”
An hour or so later, the Associated Press declared Deluzio victorious. That was followed by news reports that Republicans had taken control of the Senate. Deluzio’s win seemed overwhelmed by Democratic losses. Questions remained about whether the Blue Wall would hold for Democrats in the presidential race. North Carolina already had turned red. It wasn’t looking very promising.
Deluzio noted that his family’s newest addition — a baby boy born just a few weeks ago — was in the back of the room, hopefully asleep. At this moment, when so many questions about the country’s direction hung in the air, Deluzio took a moment to reflect on his family.
“Being a parent reminds you of the future you want for your kids,” he said. “And we, like everyone else, want the American dream. That means your kids have more freedom and not less.”
He talked about his military service — after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, he headed off to the U.S. Naval Academy, “committed to defending our freedom.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing in this job, what I intended to do if the good people send me back for two more years,” he added. “Freedom from fear, freedom from powerful corporations ripping us off, freedom from extreme abortion bans, freedom from these outrageous attacks on our democracy. Those aren’t small fights … we’ve been in a righteous fight for the future of this country. I’ve been proud to be in it. I’ll be in it as long as I can.”
Pisciottano celebrates win of state Senate seat
The crowd at the Dravosburg American Legion waiting for state Rep. Nick Pisciottano to arrive and claim his victory in the District 45 state Senate race had dwindled by 11 p.m. Tuesday. Those who left included his wife, Molly, and son, Nico, “because it was way past bedtime.”
Pisciottano held back until he was sure he had secured the win, collecting 67,939 votes to Jen Dintini’s 60,414 with 99.65% of precincts reporting right before midnight, according to the Allegheny County Elections Division.
The West Mifflin resident and Democrat had another other reason to delay: His cousin, Democrat John Inglis, won a much tighter race for Pisciottano’s vacated 38th District seat, and he wanted to wait until that one was decided so they could celebrate together. Inglis won with 19,306 votes to Republican Stone Sobieralski’s 15,521 by the end of the night, with 100% of precincts reporting.
An emotional Pisciottano, who has served as state representative since winning the seat formerly held by Bill Kortz in 2020, started off by telling everyone that it isn’t some “special quality” that he has that led to his victory, but rather his family and friends who helped him and supported him in this “crazy, insane, totally unhinged adventure that I somehow roped John into.”
He succeeds Democrat Jim Brewster of McKeesport, who decided to retire. Pisciottano thanked him, Kortz, 35th District Rep. Matt Gergely, West Mifflin elected officials and Democratic committee members for their help. He also acknowledged his staff, campaign team and volunteers, interns and more who contributed over the past 10 months.
Pisciottano pointed to “my friends in labor who have been great to me from day one. … They have been supportive both by talking to their members and donating to my campaign.” He stressed that those contributions were important to overcome the “onslaught of billionaire money used against me.”
He cited Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who was in Harrisburg, saying, ‘[I] totally blame him for getting me into this mess. I’ll hold it against him for the rest of his life.”
He thanked Inglis for campaigning with him and acting as a sounding board. “The pressure can creep up on you in any second, and having someone to talk to about that because you are in the middle of it at the same time has been invaluable.” He said he was “super proud” of Inglis for squeaking out a victory in the primary then winning his race Tuesday. “I look forward to how successful he is going to be in the House,” Pisciottano said.
He thanked to his mother, father and brother for their “endless love and support,” then his wife and son for sacrificing so much every single day “not only during the campaign but just for me being able to do the job because I believe in doing it right.” He said that requires sacrifice and time away from them. “I am deeply grateful to them for allowing me to do this,” he said.
Pisciottano concluded with the hope that he can follow Brewster’s legacy and that he can become “worthy of the honor you guys have given me.”
Inglis finished the evening, echoing Pisciottano’s thanks to everyone. “We are shaped by the people that we surround ourselves with,” he said. “One thing I always say is good people know good people. … It makes us all better for it.”
He said, “Whether you knocked doors, shared posts, whether you donated money, came to our events, thank you so much,” acknowledging his mother and father, sisters, nieces and nephews, brothers-in-law, and girlfriend Brandi for their support.
The former two-term West Mifflin councilman who taught and worked as a counselor in the West Mifflin Area School District, said, “I am excited to get to work. I’ve always wanted to serve my community, [and] now I have that opportunity in a larger positive impact.”
This story will be updated. For full election coverage and results, visit https://penncapital-star.com.
Steve is a photojournalist and writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he is currently on strike and working as a Union Progress co-editor. Reach him at smellon@unionprogress.com.
Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.