Allegheny County special election race will determine control of Pa. state House

A special election Tuesday in Allegheny County will prove pivotal in determining who controls the state House, where both Republicans and Democrats now have 101 members.

Shaler Republican Erin Connolly Autenreith will face Lawrenceville Democrat Linsday Powell in Tuesday’s special election race in the 21st House District, which includes Shaler, Etna, Reserve, Millvale and Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Troy Hill, Polish Hill, Spring Hill and parts of East Allegheny, Bloomfield and Stanton Heights.

The special election is being held to replace former state Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, who stepped down to focus on her run for Allegheny County executive.

It’s the second time this year that the balance of power in the state House rests on the results of special elections in Allegheny County. In February, Democrats swept three special elections to give themselves a 102-101 majority in the state House until Innamorato resigned.

Democrats hold a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans in the 21st House District. Mail-in voting has already shown a large advantage for Democrats, who had returned 3,319 ballots compared to 493 for Republicans as of 10 a.m. Monday.

Powell, 32, is a director of workforce strategies at InnovatePGH and has experience working for Democratic lawmakers in Congress and the state legislature. She has focused her campaign on advocating for affordable housing, increasing investment in childcare and addressing student debt.

If elected, Powell would become just the third Black woman from the Pittsburgh area to hold a seat in Harrisburg.

Autenreith, 65, is a realtor and chair of the Shaler Republican committee. Her campaign has focused on education and jobs, telling the Tribune-Review last month that she wants to increase job training and apprenticeships in schools.

Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday at 79 precincts across the 21st District.

Allegheny County election officials said all mail-in votes should be counted and tabulated shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. Officials expect in-person vote results to start rolling in between 9 and 9:30 p.m.