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Iovino’s win in 37th State Senatorial marks historic night for Washington County

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For the first time in its 238-year history, Washington County will be represented by two women in the State Senate.

On Tuesday night, Democrat Pam Iovino won a special election in the 37th Senatorial District, and when she takes the oath of office, the U.S. Navy veteran from Mt. Lebanon will join State Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Carroll) in the upper house of the state legislature.

Peters Township, the most populous municipality in Washington County, is part of the senatorial district that takes in Pittsburgh’s South Hills and western airport corridor. Bartolotta represents the other 65 boroughs, townships and cities that make up the 46th State Senate District.

“Thank you so much for joining me tonight!” Iovino, a retired U.S. Navy captain, exclaimed to her army of supporters. “Congratulations on what you just accomplished. SD37 is blue again, and you did that.”

She called the experience “overwhelming” and promised, “I will work tirelessly for you – as hard as all of you worked to make this happen.”

D. Raja, Allegheny County Republican Party chairman, who apparently based his concession on results from his watchers at the precincts, announced his loss before a single vote from Peters Township was tallied at Courthouse Square in county seat.

Combined with all 214 Allegheny County precincts, the unofficial results from all Peters precincts were Iovino, 33,310 to Raja’s 30,740.

The rest of Peters’ results were unavailable by the Observer-Reporter’s press time.

Iovino, director of veterans services for Allegheny County, grew up in Whitehall, a South Hills suburb, and graduated from Baldwin High School, Gettysburg College and the Naval War College.

She was an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“In a district Donald Trump won by six points in 2016, a win for Iovino would show that Democrats continue to have momentum in key races across the country as the American people advance into 2019 and towards 2020 elections rejecting Republican legislators who follow Trump’s lead,” according to a statement from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which spent more than $89,000 in the race.

Iovino thanked organized labor, and they responded in kind.

The Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council also congratulated Iovino, who held her victory gathering at the Carpenter’s Union headquarters on the Parkway West.

“Labor played a central role in determining the outcome of a closely-watched special election in Southwestern Pennsylvania for the second consecutive year.

“Like they did in the special election that elected Conor Lamb to the United States Congress, organized labor knocked on thousands of doors and made tens of thousands of phone calls to union members in support of Iovino’s candidacy,” said Mike Mikus.

Gov. Tom Wolf, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, and U.S. Reps. Mike Doyle and Lamb also campaigned on her behalf.

“My campaign was focused on listening to voters and hearing their concerns. The voters set the agenda for my campaign and for the work ahead. And I am excited to get to work,” she concluded.

A special election loomed when State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, who held the office after a special election in 2015, was elected to Congress in the newly-configured 14th District, which includes Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.

Reschenthaler resigned his state Senate seat Dec. 31, setting in motion the special election calendar, to elect someone to serve out the term.

Voters will again see the 37th Senatorial District on their ballots in 2020.

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