Live election results:
What’s at stake? Historically a Democratic stronghold, House District 45 flipped for the Republicans in 2014 with the election of Jason Ortitay, who has held the seat ever since. The district sits southwest of Pittsburgh along the Interstate 79 corridor and splits Allegheny and Washington counties. After beating a Democratic challenger by more than 10 points in 2018, Ortitay’s hold on the district swelled two years later. (The incumbent pulled in about two-thirds of the vote in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2022.) House District 46 includes Oakdale, South Fayette Township and part of McDonald in Allegheny County and Canonsburg, Cecil Township, Chartiers Township, Houston, Mount Pleasant Township, North Strabane Township and part of McDonald in Washington County.
District map:
Jason Ortitay
Ortitay has represented the 46th House District for nine years. He stepped into politics after studying business, working in the banking industry and founding a cheesecake company that he said had raised more than $100,000 for charities. The Republican’s share of the district vote has increased with each election; he faced no challenger in 2022. His campaign website highlights legislative accomplishments of improving literacy and mental health programs in schools, funding park upgrades and repairing infrastructure in his district.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Cecil Township, Washington County
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Robert Morris University; MBA, Stetson University
Current occupation: Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 46
Related experience: State lawmaker since 2015, serving on House committees for Transportation, Education and Consumer Protection. Ortitay is the Republican chair of subcommittees on special education and highways/bridges.
Supporters/endorsements: Pennsylvania Association of Realtors; state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business Inc.; state Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals
Links:Website | Facebook | YouTube
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/1/24):
Total raised (2024): $17,095.00 (2023 ending cash balance: $27,398.75)
Total spent (2024): $ 27,453.10
Further reading:
“Allegheny County lawmakers plan bipartisan effort to raise home care wages” (Sarah Boden, WESA)
“New department of disability rights could knock down bureaucratic barriers, supporters say” (Ben Wasserstein, WESA)
“Pa. schools won’t be required to adopt the ‘science of reading’ next year” (Maddie Hanna, Philadelphia Inquirer)
WESA Candidate Survey
Ortitay did not reply to the WESA Candidate Survey
Alex Taylor
Taylor has worked in health care support roles since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a political science degree. His campaign website says, if elected, he would push for legislation that protects the environment, fully funds schools, reforms gun laws, lowers medication costs and defends women’s reproductive rights. Taylor has previously supported campaigns but has not run for office himself until challenging Ortitay.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Canonsburg, Washington County
Education: B.A. in Political Science and an international studies certificate, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Current occupation: Patient care technician, Canonsburg Hospital
Related experience: Has worked on campaigns for Congress, State Legislature and local magistrate: canvassing, phone banking, sending mailers and poll watching, according to his social media accounts. In his health care role, he’s handled inpatient and in-home patient care and bill collections from insurers.
Supporters/endorsements: He’s endorsed by climate and environmental groups, Planned Parenthood, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the state AFL-CIO and CeaseFire PA
Links: Website | Facebook | X | Instagram | LinkedIn
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/1/24):
Total raised (2024): $761.68
Total spent (2024): $98.46
WESA Candidate Survey
State policies can help determine the local economy's health – by adjusting tax rates, imposing or relaxing regulations, and so on. What policies do you think Harrisburg should pursue to improve the state’s economic performance?
Taxes could play a role in assisting with the economic health of the Commonwealth, by closing loopholes that larger corporations have easier access to than small businesses. Harrisburg should pursue policies that look to even the playing field, and make it so that every citizen and business no matter their economic standing is unable to shirk their economic duty by closing loopholes that aren't available to everyone.
Pennsylvania’s approach to education funding, which relies heavily on local property taxes, has long been criticized for burdening homeowners and for creating gaps between rich and poor communities. What should the legislature do to address those concerns, and are there other reforms you think are needed to improve the education students receive?
Pennsylvania just passed their budget to address this concern. The new education funding apparatus would pool together resources and distribute them among the school districts based on need. Poorer districts would get more assistance and richer ones less. All schools should get the funding they need to nurture the minds of their students effectively and produce the next great generation. Further reforms to our public education system should be that no public money should go to anything non-academic (i.e. not toward new sports fields, uniforms for athletic programs.) All the money should go to updating textbooks, building repairs, and staff raises where warranted, as our public educators are under-paid.
Nearby states have legalized the adult recreational use of marijuana, and there have been proposals to do so in Pennsylvania, possibly through new distributors or through existing state stores or medical-marijuana dispensaries. Do you support legalization, and if so, who should be allowed to sell the product?
I support legalization for recreational use for two reasons: it would take something off the plates of our law enforcement as about 45% of all PA possession charges are marijuana-related, and second, it could boost tax revenue and create a new industry within the commonwealth. Those who could sell marijuana products would have to be licensed by the state. I think the PLCB should oversee sellers, who should be licensed by the state to sell from a brick and mortar where sales can be monitored and product kept safe. This would allow regular citizens and farmers to get in on the new economic boom in Pennsylvania.
Arguments over voting provisions – such as mail-in balloting, “drop boxes” and voter verification requirements – have become a part of the electoral landscape. How well do you think our election systems work now, and what if any changes to our state voting laws would you support?
Our election systems are as secure and efficient as they have ever been. Mail-in ballots should be honored so long as the ballot itself is properly filled out and the person submitting it went through all the proper channels and procedures to get it and return it. I wouldn't change a thing about how our voting laws are right now.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, there have been discussions in state capitals across the country about whether to limit abortion access or expand it. What changes, if any, would you favor to the state's current abortion laws?
I want what every father wants for his daughter. I want my daughter to be able to make her own decisions about her healthcare. As the current law allows for her to make this decision I wouldn't make any changes other than an amendment to PA's Constitution to enshrine a woman's right to choose as a right in the commonwealth.
