McAndrew secures Democratic nomination for 32nd District state House seat
State Rep. Joe McAndrew, who became a member of the state House in a special election last year, survived a challenge by Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
With 100% of precincts counted, McAndrew of Penn Hills received 6,779 votes over Calabrese’s 2,822, according to unofficial results.
McAndrew represents the 32nd District, which includes Penn Hills, Oakmont, Verona and parts of Plum. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by about two to one in the 32nd District, meaning McAndrew likely will serve another term.
He chalked up his electoral success to voters’ desire “to see our region grow” and the work of a one-seat Democratic majority in the house.
“I understand why Mayor Calabrese decided to run, but I look forward to working with her in her role as mayor of Penn Hills,” McAndrew said.
Likewise, Calabrese said she’ll collaborate with McAndrew going forward.
“I do recognize how difficult it is to beat an incumbent, but I did want to give people a choice,” Calabrese said. “I called Joe (Tuesday) night, congratulated him and told him I’d like to work with him the way I worked with Tony DeLuca.”
DeLuca, who represented the district for 40 years, died in October 2022, one month before the election. DeLuca still won, triggering a special election.
McAndrew, 33, became his party’s nominee to succeed DeLuca, beating out Calabrese and six other candidates in an Allegheny County Democratic Committee contest. He defeated Republican Clayton Walker in the February 2023 special election.
No candidates were on the Republican primary ballot for the 32nd state House seat. A total of 540 write-in votes were cast.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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