Centered in the Monongahela Valley and encompassing parts of the South Hills, the 45th District has struggled to keep pace with the post-steel recovery seen elsewhere in the area. It still houses the region’s last remaining fully integrated steel mill and awaits the impact of the Mon-Fayette Expressway. The seat will become vacant at the end of the year due to the retirement of Jim Brewster, who has represented the district since 2010. Brewster has backed state Rep. Nick Pisciottano as his replacement, but first Pisciottano will have to fend off challenges in the spring and fall.
Further reading:
“A Democratic shake-up in the Mon Valley may bring new faces but familiar names to political office” (Chris Potter, WESA)
District map:
Democrats
Nick Pisciottano
Although he’s serving just his second term in the state House, Pisciottano has deep family roots in the area and already is making a name for himself in state government. He chairs Allegheny County’s House delegation and has been part of a generational shift in Mon Valley leadership. In Harrisburg, he has emphasized labor interests and economic development.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: West Mifflin
Education: B.A., Accounting, B.A., History, Washington & Jefferson College; M.A., Data Analytics & Policy, Johns Hopkins University
Current occupation: State representative; accountant
Related experience: State representative for HD38 since 2021; Allegheny County House Delegation Chair since 2022; auditor at a global big 4 accounting firm (2012-2020)
Supporters/endorsements: State Sen. Jim Brewster, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, state Sen. Jay Costa, Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council, Young Democrats of Allegheny County, United Steelworkers, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers
Links: Website | Facebook | X | Instagram
Total fundraising (as of 4/8/24):
Total raised (2024): $102,123.22 (plus $131,939.76 from 2023)
Total spent (2024): $138,987.14
WESA Candidate Survey
What should be the state legislature's top priority in the next term, and how would you address it?
Every year, I spend a day teaching 9th grade civics students, and I explain that most of their daily interactions with the government is predicated on policy set by the state government. Harrisburg gets less press than D.C., but its impact on everyday life is immense. As such, it's hard to specify any single goal as the most important, but I believe we should be focused on good schools, safe communities, and opportunities for every Pennsylvanian. That means investing in public education, ensuring local communities are free of violence and crime, and growing the economy so that every child has the opportunity to succeed in Allegheny County and across Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's system for funding public education has been found to violate the state's constitution, and there are perennial complaints about school district property taxes. What approaches do you favor to address those concerns, and what changes, if any, should be made to funding for alternatives to traditional public schools, such as charters and private schools?
While it has long been clear that Pennsylvania had failed to equitably and appropriately fund our schools, recent court decisions have affirmed that the state bears a greater responsibility to fund public education and to be sure that funding is equitably distributed. Local funding and property taxes will always be a part of the balance, but the state and federal governments’ portion should not be so low that only the wealthiest school districts can make up the deficit. The money that districts currently send to charter schools only exacerbates these issues, and it’s clear Pennsylvania’s antique charter school law is in desperate need of reform.
This year, the governor is pressing to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, an issue that may well still be on the table when the winners of this year's election take office. Are you in support of legalization, and if so, who should be allowed to sell marijuana?
Nearly every surrounding state has fully legalized the recreational use of marijuana — it’s past time for Pennsylvania to do the same. We are leaving a major source of tax revenue to our neighboring states. There are numerous models of rolling out legalization in other states that we can use as templates, but any commercial solution must prioritize small business, equity, and community benefits to earn my support.
Pennsylvania's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate compact to limit greenhouse-gas emissions, is tied up in court and opposed by many in the energy sector. Should the state participate in RGGI going forward? And what other legislative or regulatory steps, if any, do you support to limit those emissions?
While RGGI is stuck in the courts with an uncertain future, there are better solutions that are more effective in reducing carbon emissions that the General Assembly could focus on. Pennsylvania needs to do a better job of leveraging the federal funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in green jobs, expand electrification programs across the state, modernize public infrastructure to become more environmentally friendly, grow our clean energy production sector, and other programs that invest in our communities while also creating jobs and developing new green technology for the next generation of renewable energy production.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, there have been discussions both about limiting abortion access and expanding it. What changes, if any, would you favor to the state's current abortion laws?
Abortion should be a safe, legal, and accessible choice in Pennsylvania. We need to do more to protect that choice, especially following the Dobbs decision.
Makenzie White
White was the first candidate to jump into the race in the 45th District, having declared her bid before Brewster announced his retirement. The Brentwood resident is a staunch progressive focused on environmental concerns and issues of equity, and she said she hopes to build on the success of other young progressives who’ve transformed local politics in recent years.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Brentwood
Education: B.S., Social Work, Franciscan University of Steubenville; M.S.W., M.P.H., University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Social worker, public health consultant
Related experience: Licensed social worker, public health professional, and community organizer who has spent her career throughout District 45. Now works in environmental public health, supporting communities impacted by oil and gas development. Sits on Brentwood planning commission and Brentwood Democratic Committee.
Supporters/endorsements: Run for Something, 314 Action, as well as a host of local and community leaders
Links: Website | X | Instagram
Total fundraising (as of 4/8/24):
Total raised (2024): $20,957.76 (plus $639.57 from last year)
Total spent (2024): $14,715.82
WESA Candidate Survey
What should be the state legislature's top priority in the next term, and how would you address it?
As a public health professional and social worker, I am a strong advocate and champion for reproductive rights and protecting the right to choose. Having worked in mental health and in disability services, I have seen firsthand the impact access to proper reproductive healthcare makes on people's lives. The continued attack on abortion access and reproductive rights is not slowing down, and we need to act quickly to ensure these rights are enshrined and protected in our state not only for Pennsylvanians but for those of surrounding states that may come here for care now due to restrictions in their home states.
Pennsylvania's system for funding public education has been found to violate the state's constitution, and there are perennial complaints about school district property taxes. What approaches do you favor to address those concerns, and what changes, if any, should be made to funding for alternatives to traditional public schools, such as charters and private schools?
It was clear long before this court ruling that our communities of color have suffered the most from the critical underfunding of our public education system. This court ruling gives us an unprecedented opportunity to correct this. We cannot be satisfied with simply increasing funding, we must ensure we center the communities that have been disproportionately affected by the lack of funding and have been locked into underfunded school districts by racist red-lining policies. It is not enough to get more funding: We also must address the current allocation issues, so as we bring in more funding we ensure we don't make the same mistakes.
This year, the governor is pressing to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, an issue that may well still be on the table when the winners of this year's election take office. Are you in support of legalization, and if so, who should be allowed to sell marijuana?
As a social worker I have worked with individuals whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Our system of mass incarceration is not working — and systemic racism has led to an institution which targets and unfairly imprisons people of color and puts a penalty on poverty. The war on drugs single handedly targeted communities of color disproportionately. The legalization of marijuana is a pivotal next step in the larger issue of criminal justice reform and decriminalizing drug use. There are other states that have already made this move, and we should look to them as examples in terms of implementation.
Pennsylvania's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate compact to limit greenhouse-gas emissions, is tied up in court and opposed by many in the energy sector. Should the state participate in RGGI going forward? And what other legislative or regulatory steps, if any, do you support to limit those emissions?
As an environmental organizer I believe the state participating in RGGI is absolutely a priority. We have some of the worst air quality in the country, and that is showing up in our lives with high rates of asthma and cancer and it is being seen more heavily in Black and brown communities and those of lower socioeconomic status. I believe a just transition to cleaner, sustainable energy is not just necessary but the time is now and PA has a unique position as a leader in energy generation for the nation to lead on this transition.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, there have been discussions both about limiting abortion access and expanding it. What changes, if any, would you favor to the state's current abortion laws?
We must work quickly to codify and enshrine abortion rights here in PA. Abortion is healthcare, and a lack of access to abortion will only lead to unnecessary deaths as a result from unsafe abortions being performed. These deaths have also been shown to disproportionately affect rural communities and communities of color, where maternal mortality rates are already too high. The same protections should be applied in any attempts to restrict abortion access in the future. Things like mandatory waiting periods, unnecessary regulations on providers, or bans on certain types of procedures or medications only serve to harm our most vulnerable populations across the commonwealth.
Republicans
Jen Dintini
In a district with a decidedly Democratic edge, Dintini is campaigning as a pro-labor moderate whose campaign motto is “common-sense solutions, not extreme politics.” Her companies employ union labor, and her platform speaks about both public safety and the importance of providing access to mental health services. It similarly stresses the importance of fully funding education as well as “fully empower[ing] parents.” Senate Republicans, who had been recruiting a challenger for Brewster’s seat, have embraced her entry into the race.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Plum
Education: University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Owner of security companies Am-Gard Inc and 3G Security Solutions
Related experience: Dintini is a member of the Plum schools parent-teacher organization and is active in business groups
Supporters/endorsements: State Senate leadership including GOP Majority Leader Joe Pittman and President Pro-Tempore Kim Ward.
Links: Website | Facebook | X
Total fundraising (as of 4/8/24):
Total raised (2024): $100,775
Total spent (2024): $82,777.05
WESA Candidate Survey
Dintini did not respond to the WESA Candidate Survey.
Kami Stulginskas
While party leadership lined up behind Dintini, Stulgsinskas has emerged as a dark-horse candidate after weathering an effort by local Republicans to challenge the validity of her petitions — her spot on the April ballot was upheld by a Commonwealth Court judge. In 2023, she ran as the lone Republican seeking a seat on Munhall’s borough council but finished a distant fourth.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Munhall
Education: n/a
Current occupation: Consultant
Related experience: Stulginskas chairs the Steel Valley committee for the local Republican Party.
Supporters/endorsements: Stulginskas' main campaign contributor has been the Steel Valley Republican Committee, which she chairs
Links: n/a
Total fundraising (as of 4/8/24):
Total raised (2024): $2,500
Total spent (2024): $1,549.50
WESA Candidate Survey
Stulginskas did not respond to the WESA Candidate Survey.
