A half-dozen candidates will compete Saturday for the Democratic nomination to fill out the remainder of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s term representing state House 24.
The field of contenders includes:
- Will Anderson, a longtime Democratic activist and frequent political candidate
- Lamar Blackwell, who heads the Pittsburgh office of the criminal re-entry nonprofit Center for Employment Opportunities.
- Martell Covington, a community worker and aide to state Senator Jay Costa
- La’Tasha Mayes, a longtime reproductive rights activist
- Randall Taylor, a community activist and former Pittsburgh Public Schools board member
- NaTisha Washington, an environmental-justice organizer
District 24 is a majority-Black district that stretches across Wilkinsburg and eastern Pittsburgh neighborhoods including Homewood, Garfield, Highland Park and East Liberty. Gainey vacated the seat before being sworn in as mayor in January. An April 5 special election will be held to choose who will complete the remainder of his term this year.
A key moment in that race will come this Saturday, when Democratic committeepeople who represent the district will convene at the Kingsley Center in East Liberty to choose the candidate who will be their nominee. The person they select will be the only candidate allowed to have a “D” beside their name on the special-election ballot: In a heavily Democratic district like 24, that is a powerful advantage.
Candidates who sought the endorsement were required to file a letter of intent and a $1,000 filing fee by 4 p.m. Tuesday: The party says the fee offsets the cost of staging the event.
That April 5 election will be held within the current district boundaries which Gainey was to represent. A separate election for the full two-year term may feature different district boundaries thanks to an ongoing redistricting process: Some candidates eligible to run for the seat now may not be able to seek the full term.
