Armstrong County commissioner throws hat in the ring for former state Rep. Pyle’s seat

Armstrong County Commissioners Chairman Don Myers is the second candidate to seek the Republican Party nomination to fill the seat of state Rep. Jeff Pyle.

Pyle cited health reasons in announcing his retirement last week.

Pyle was in his ninth term representing the 60th District, which includes parts of Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties.

Voters will choose who will fill Pyle’s seat to finish out his term in a special election May 18.

But before that, Republican and Democratic committee members in the 60th District will vote among themselves Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, on their nominee.

The Democrats have several candidates interested, according to the party chairs in Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties.

For the Republicans, there are at least two nominees, Myers and Pyle’s longtime chief of staff Abby Major.

In addition to her work with Pyle, Major served as an Army intelligence analyst and was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005.

Pyle endorsed Major on Monday.

Myers, 51, a lifelong resident of Armstrong County, is a former educator and owner of East Coast Glocks, a firearms and accessories store in Ford Cliff.

He positions himself as a fighter and said Pyle’s seat must be won.

“This is not something that can be handed off,” Myers said in a press release issued Tuesday.

“As commissioner, you realize very fast that the fight is in Harrisburg on the front line,” Myers said. “We have lived through this pandemic and have seen the abuse of power from our governor.”

Armstrong County Elections Director Marybeth Kuznik said political parties have until Sunday to nominate a candidate to fill Pyle’s former seat.

The winner of the special election will be sworn in after the special election is certified and then serve out the remainder of Pyle’s term. The seat would be up for grabs again in the 2022 election.