Dems in 33rd state House race agree abortion now a hot-button topic in midterms

Both Democrats seeking nomination to the state House seat in District 33 say they would fight to protect abortion rights in Pennsylvania.

Tristan McClelland, 21, a Harrison native who lives in O’Hara, is preparing to graduate this year from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in economics and international affairs.

Mandy Steele, 44, is a small-­business owner, environmental advocate and member of Fox Chapel Council.

Both agree abortion has become a major issue for the midterm elections after last week’s bombshell report that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case that protects access to abortions.

“I believe, if the court goes through with this, it is going to be on every state legislator to protect a woman’s right to choose, and I intend to be one of them,” McClelland said.

Steele said she will “do everything in my power as a representative to protect our critical right to reproductive freedom from Day One in office.”

“We need women representatives now more than ever,” she said.

The winner of the Democratic nomination in the May 17 primary will compete against the lone Republican candidate, Ted Tomson, of Fawn in November’s general election.

The 33rd House region stretches from Fawn to Sharpsburg. It was recently redistricted to include all of Harrison, which was formerly split between two districts.

It also includes Aspinwall, Blawnox, Brackenridge, Cheswick, East Deer, Fawn, Fox Chapel, Frazer, Harmar, Harrison, Indiana Township, O’Hara, Sharpsburg, Springdale, Springdale Township and Tarentum.

The 33rd District currently is represented by Republican Carrie DelRosso of Oakmont, who is running for lieutenant governor.

Tristan McClelland

The job market and representation are the foremost issues on McClelland’s platform.

“The 33rd District is a steel town,” McClelland said. “Many years ago, the jobs provided by the steel mills, the mines and the power plants brought this area economic prosperity.”

That’s no longer the case since the effects of “free-trade deals, outsourcing and energy dependence on foreign powers has stripped this region of its economic independence.”

McClelland, endorsed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, said “we need to reinvigorate our infrastructure with funding from the state, and we must protect the jobs we have and also create more through incentives for small businesses and building up our infrastructure.”

It will take a candidate with true working-class values to bring prosperity back to the area, said McClelland, a fourth-generation Alle-Kiski Valley resident.

His great-grandfather was a steelworker who built railroad cars for Pullman Standard, and one of his grandfathers was an IBEW lineman who worked with the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council. His other grandfather was a teacher for more than three decades, and one of his grandmothers was a union registered nurse at the former Citizens General Hospital in New Kensington.

“The Alle-Kiski Valley is my story,” McClelland said.

While in high school at Fox Chapel Area School District, McClelland worked on a congressional campaign to unseat Republican Keith Rothfus. In 2019-20, he worked in the Real Estate Tax Department for Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein’s office and later in the Armstrong County Public Defenders’ Office.

He is currently a constituent services aide for Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill.

“I see how representatives can have a tangible and meaningful impact in peoples’ everyday lives,” McClelland said. “My experience of service, passion for economic justice and background of growing up in these communities will empower me to fight for all of the A-K Valley.”

Raised in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison, McClelland said that when his hometown and current residence in O’Hara became part of the same House district with an available seat, he knew he “had to step up and bring awareness to the working and middle class needs that define this district.”

“I’ve seen how legislators in Harrisburg have threatened to bust labor unions, defund our universities, concentrate economic power into the hands of the wealthy and are often more interested in political propaganda on Twitter and Facebook,” he said. “We need to start addressing our problems with substantive policy. I decided to run because the working and middle class folks of the A-K Valley deserve a legislator who stands right there beside them fighting for economic dignity and equality.”

If elected, McClelland said he will help protect workers’ rights to organize, seek protections for the environment and rally for fair wages so residents in the 33rd District have a sturdy economic foundation.

McClelland said his experience across the Valley will boost his ability to help all of the constituents.

“I have lived in this district from end to end,” he said. “I know its communities because I’ve lived, learned and worked here in the diverse communities that constitute its geography.”

McClelland also is endorsed by the Pennsylvania American Federation of Teachers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, Ironworkers Local 3, United Mine Workers of America District 2 and Teamsters Joint Council 40.

Mandy Steele

Steele is running on a platform of safe schools, women’s rights, a union-fortified economy, renewed infrastructure and renewable energy sources.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive investment and jobs to this district,” said Steele, who was elected to Fox Chapel Council in 2020.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars are about to be pumped into (Pennsylvania) through (President Joe) Biden’s infrastructure bill. That money must go somewhere.”

Steele is endorsed by the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.

Having grown up in O’Hara, she lives in Fox Chapel, where she is the chairperson of the borough’s comprehensive planning committee. Steele also co-founded the Fox Chapel Parks Conservancy, which works to protect and expand the borough’s green space.

“As a lifelong resident of this district, I know that Southwest Pa. is well-positioned to be the clean-energy manufacturing center of this country,” Steele said. “Clean-energy jobs will transform our communities and restore our once-vibrant region.

“I know what this will take, and I have the experience to drive that investment right here. We cannot miss this incredible moment in our history.”

Steele championed environmental protections, even before she was elected to council.

In 2021, she spearheaded a campaign across Allegheny County that led to the ban of toxic coal tar (driveway sealer) in 21 municipalities.

Her bipartisan efforts impacted the entire region with cleaner air and water, she said.

Steele also is the founder of a nonprofit that oversees a West African goat breeding program to fund school fees for impoverished girls.

The 33rd District deserves a “tried and true advocate for our people” who understands the complexities of the tremendous opportunity within reach, she said.

“Effective representatives must be able to listen and collaborate — skills that are honed through years of dedication and hard work and earned through life experiences,” she said.

Steele’s work in the Lower Valley began years ago when she helped rally a movement to remove “squaw,” a historical slur against Native American women, from local roads, trails and streams. Her effort included reaching out to experts across the country to learn how best to replace the name, including those from the National Congress of American Indians and the Seneca Nation, a tribe that has roots in the area.

A successful campaign renamed a main artery through the borough Hemlock Hollow Road and, now, federal officials are removing the word from across the country.

Steele also has worked to see Fox Chapel become one of the first municipalities in the state to power its borough buildings with solar energy.

She believes the area’s most urgent problems include climate change, underfunded public schools, inflation and rising health care costs.

“They can and will be solved when we create a thriving economy around good-paying, family-sustaining, clean-energy jobs,” she said. “The lasting impact I have been able to bring to my community and this region as a borough councilperson is just a start. With an increased toolbox, I will be ready to go on day one to tackle the issues weighing on all of our minds.”

Steele also is endorsed by the Young Democrats of Allegheny County, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, Represent PA, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and Clean Water Action.