Live election results:
What’s at stake: Democrat Davon Magwood is challenging freshman Republican state Rep. Jill Cooper in her bid for a second term representing the Pennsylvania state House 55th District. The 55th includes the northern Westmoreland County cities of Arnold and New Kensington (plus a section of Lower Burrell), six boroughs and five townships plus part of a sixth.
The district population has declined for decades; Murrysville is an exception. The municipality, where Cooper lives, saw its population drop slightly in 2022 but overall has attracted residents with well-regarded public schools and green spaces while grappling with such growth pressures as zoning and water supply (the latter due to natural gas extraction). Currently, just under half of registered voters are Republican; 37% are Democrats.
District map:
Jill Cooper
Cooper got into office in 2022 by defeating a longtime incumbent in the first statehouse primary after district boundaries changed and then winning 62% of votes in the general election that year. Long involved in the GOP at every level, Cooper pushed for later school start times during her first term and helped launch a bipartisan “Meet Me in the Middle” caucus as one of four co-chairs. She also refused her pay during budget impasses in 2023 and 2024 — and advocated for automatic mandatory pay freezes for all legislators and the governor and lieutenant governor whenever there’s a budget stalemate in Harrisburg.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Murrysville
Education: B.S., Grove City College
Current occupation: Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2023-present)
Related experience: Executive director, Murrysville Economic and Community Development Corp. (2017-2019); chair, Westmoreland County Republican Committee (2012-2014)
Supporters/endorsements: None provided by candidate
Links: Website | Facebook
Total Fundraising (reported as of 10/28/24):
Total raised (2024): $47,371.81 (2023 ending cash balance: $33,697.20)
Total spent (2024): $55,910.10
Further reading: “Energy 'off the charts' at Republican National Convention, Westmoreland attendees say” (Patrick Varine, TribLIVE)
WESA Candidate Survey
Cooper did not respond to the WESA Candidate Survey.
Davon Magwood
Davon Magwood’s comedy was political long before he launched his write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination for the 55th state House District, skewering Westboro Baptist Church and the likes of Ann Coulter. But he says his interest in politics started earlier. He co-founded his high school’s “Youth & Government” Club after listening to family stories about participating in sit-ins in the South. Now a father of three, Magwood says he could do more for his community — such as bringing a supermarket to a food desert — as a state representative: “That means more than me calling as a regular citizen for a meeting with Aldi corporate.”
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: New Kensington
Education: Schenley High School
Current occupation: Kitchen manager
Related experience: Judge of elections (2018-2023)
Supporters/endorsements: Run For Something, AFL-CIO
Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram
Total fundraising (reported as of 9/30/24):
Total raised (2024): $610
Total spent (2024): $215.13
Further reading: “New Kensington's Davon Magwood looks to go from comedy clubs and restaurant kitchens to the state House” (Tawna Panizzi, TribLIVE)
WESA Candidate Survey
State policies can help determine the health of the local economy — 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?
To improve Pennsylvania's economy, I would push to lower the Corporate Net Income (CNI) tax and invest in expanding broadband access and improving transportation infrastructure. I also want to focus on vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities, which are crucial for upward economic mobility, by increasing them and tailoring them to industry demands in partnership with community colleges. Warehousing, logistics, renewable energy and carpentry all would make sense as sectors to focus on. And we need to address the urban-rural divide to ensure balanced economic growth across the state.
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?
Just as the state lottery benefits senior citizens, we should earmark a specific sales tax to fund Pennsylvania’s public schools (if/once legalized, recreational cannabis for adults could work). Doing so would allow us to decrease our reliance on property taxes to fund public education, as that tends to exacerbate disparities between wealthy and less affluent districts.
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 the legalization of recreational cannabis for adults in Pennsylvania. It’s an important issue and has to be handled thoughtfully. We should avoid selling it through the state Liquor Control Board, as some have suggested, and instead create a separate entity to independently set up guidelines and then oversee the distribution and sale of cannabis. Again, we can earmark a portion of state sales taxes generated to help fund public schools to decrease reliance on local property taxes and the subsequent exacerbation of socioeconomic inequality among districts.
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?
I was an election judge for several years and believe our current election systems are secure and function well, though there is room for improvement. Mail-in ballots and drop boxes have increased accessibility and voter participation in Pennsylvania, but we need to expand that so it’s consistent across the state and available to voters in all counties. For that and early voting, Washington state could be a good model. We also need to be thoughtful about voter ID requirements to avoid disenfranchising eligible voters. The goal of any change should be to make it easier for eligible voters to cast their ballots.
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?
As a staunch advocate for reproductive rights, I’d push to codify Pennsylvania’s existing laws in the state constitution. That way, no matter what happens nationally or how the balance of power might shift in Pennsylvania’s state government, a woman’s right to the healthcare she needs is protected in our state. This is a core value for me, instilled by my mother. She became pregnant with me when she was a teenager. She had the option and support to make her own decision to continue with the pregnancy. That experience showed her how private and individualized these decisions are and left her strongly pro-choice.
