Pittsburgh Mayor, State Supreme Court Retention Races Lead Western Pennsylvania Ballot on Nov. 4

Pennsylvania voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and in Western Pennsylvania the most closely watched local contest is the race for Pittsburgh mayor. Retention bids by three state Supreme Court justices are also drawing considerable public attention and money. Voters can find their polling place through an online tool run by the state, and county election pages offer further details, including sample ballots in Allegheny County.

The mayor's office is open because incumbent Ed Gainey lost the Democratic primary in May. Democrat Corey O'Connor, the Allegheny County controller, faces Republican Tony Moreno, a former Pittsburgh police officer. In a debate that aired Sunday morning, the two agreed the city faces serious challenges but offered different plans for public safety, city finances and affordable housing. Earlier campaign reporting showed O'Connor with a large fundraising advantage, and the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Republican committees declined to back Moreno. He is trying to become the city's first Republican mayor in nearly a century.

Statewide, three Democratic Supreme Court justices are on the ballot for retention. Such contests usually draw little notice in Pennsylvania, but millions of dollars have come in from both sides this year in a fight over control of the court. Democratic-leaning groups backing the justices appear to have raised and spent far more than the Republican-backed groups seeking to remove them. The justices first won their seats a decade ago in what was then the most expensive judicial race in American history, and they had hoped this campaign would be calmer.

Separately, the state's highest court heard arguments in Philadelphia on Sept. 10 over whether voters must handwrite a date on the return envelopes of mail ballots. A lawyer for Republican groups warned the justices that dropping the requirement could set off a wave of election law challenges.

In Allegheny County, both candidates for sheriff say the election will serve as a referendum on incumbent Kevin Kraus. Eight Court of Common Pleas seats are open, and 13 candidates appear on the ballot, though three are not actively campaigning. All 13 are registered Democrats. Overall, the county's Democratic edge is large: even if every registered voter turned out and Republicans united with independents and third-party voters, Democrats would still win by nearly 90,000 votes.

Many municipalities have their own contests. Aspinwall voters will choose a mayor from Democrat Scott Zimmermann and Republican Joe Noro, and Fox Chapel's mayoral race pits councilman Jonathan Colton against newcomer Robert Marsh. In Bridgeville, incumbent Mayor Betty Copeland, 91, who has served eight years, is being challenged by Pasquale B. DeBlasio, 62, who held the job from 2014 to 2017. Whitehall Mayor Jim Nowalk faces Republican Chris Mooney, and in Springdale, Democrat John Murray is challenging Republican Mayor Joel Anderson, who has served since 2023. Franklin Park residents will elect a mayor and three council members and vote on forming a commission to study a home rule charter.

School board races are also widespread. Eight candidates are competing for four seats on the Pine-Richland School Board, and the outcome could change control of the often divided board. North Allegheny has four open seats with only one incumbent, Paige Hardy, seeking reelection. In Bethel Park, incumbent school board member Christina Headley won both the Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary.

Westmoreland County also has races of note. Three Common Pleas judges are seeking new 10-year terms, aware of the political attention on judicial retention this year. In Latrobe, Christine Marquis is the Democratic nominee for mayor after supporters ran a successful write-in campaign for her in the primary. West Newton's mayoral race pairs veteran Mary Popovich with newcomer Robert Kepics, who are about 30 years apart in age. In Delmont, write-in votes were needed to field enough council candidates, and five are now running for four seats.

Election officials are still looking for help. Harrison and Plum are among 13 Allegheny County municipalities that need poll workers, and the county is recruiting for what is typically a 15-hour day assisting voters.