Innamorato claims Democratic nomination in 6-way race for Allegheny County executive

State Rep. Sara Innamorato declared victory Tuesday night in the crowded Democratic primary race for county executive, unofficial tallies showed.

With more than 169,000 votes tallied and 98% of precincts reporting results, Innamorato had collected 37.6% of the votes counted compared with 29.5% for John Weinstein, 19.8% for Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb and 9.7% for former Allegheny County Councilman Dave Fawcett, according to the Allegheny County Elections Division.

Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Theresa Sciulli Colaizzi (2.1%) and activist William Parker (1.1%) were in a distant fifth and sixth place in the Democratic race, the tallies showed.

Weinstein had claimed an early lead in the race just after polls closed and the county posted results from mail-in vote counting. But Innamorato overtook Weinstein as results from polling places started to come in and her lead grew throughout the night.

“Our government should be a force of good in people’s lives, and if we don’t see that happening, it is our duty to vote and change that,” Innamorato told a crowd of more than 200 supporters at Trace Brewing in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood.

Sara Innamorato is the first woman elected to Allegheny County Exec, an office created in 2000. At at speech in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, she praises her allies Congresswoman Summer Lee and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. pic.twitter.com/lKZmLvLVZ8

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) May 17, 2023

She talked about her desire to create a “region where all can thrive” and said support from unions, progressive groups, Black-led organizations, environmental advocates and LGBTQ and Jewish groups helped propel her to victory Tuesday night.

Innamorato thanked the other five candidates in the Democratic race. The candidates in second and third place, Weinstein and Lamb, both conceded Tuesday night.

If she wins in November, Innamorato would become the first woman elected as Allegheny County executive, an office created in 2000.

In the Republican primary, former PNC executive Joe Rockey was the only candidate for the GOP nomination.

Tuesday’s nominees will face each other in the November election. Democrats hold a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans in Allegheny County.

The winner in November will replace incumbent Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who is term-limited and will leave office at the end of 2023.

In the Democratic race, the candidates sparred on several issues, including alleged ethics violations and public safety priorities. But they also shared many priorities in common, such as wanting to boost affordable housing and workforce development.

The campaign attracted record-setting campaign spending.

The top four candidates — Fawcett, Innamorato, Lamb and Weinstein — raised more than $3 million through May 5, and the race also attracted millions of dollars more in spending by outside groups looking to influence the contest.

Polls showed a relatively close race early in the campaign, but Innamorato claimed a lead in early May.

She appeared to gain momentum as service workers unions and environmental groups threw their support behind her, adding to the efforts of her large number of campaign volunteers working to spread her platform with voters.

But the other top candidates had plenty of campaign money to spend, and flooded the airwaves with TV ads.

Weinstein was the top fundraiser of the race, and he was on TV for the longest period.

Innamorato, 37, of Lawrenceville, was first elected as a state representative in 2018, in a wave with other progressive candidates. She has advocated to boost the county’s Department of Human Services to provide for the region’s most vulnerable residents and called for more enforcement of air pollution rules.