Martell Covington launches bid for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s former state House seat
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Martell Covington, a legislative aide to state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, announced Wednesday that he will run for a seat in the state House.
Covington, of Homewood, is vying to fill the seat vacated by Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. A special election on April 5 will determine who finishes Gainey’s term in the 24th district, which includes part of Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg.
Covington is running in both the special election and the subsequent primary race.
Martell Covington, a legislative aide for State Sen. Jay Costa, announced today he is running for the PA House seat Ed Gainey vacated when he became mayor.
A special election for the seat will be held April 5. pic.twitter.com/k2HMJf4NCk
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) January 12, 2022
“I grew up in a family of community organizers,” he said. “I want to leave a mark on this community.”
Covington’s family founded the Community Empowerment Association, a culturally targeted social service organization based in Pittsburgh. Covington launched his campaign from the Community Empowerment Association site in Homewood.
Covington said his desire to serve the community was strengthened during recent years, as he watched people in his community — and within his own family — die of covid-19 and gun violence.
He said the experiences have informed his campaign platforms, which emphasize public health and safety.
“The neighborhoods with the lowest life expectancy rates in the city are in this district,” Covington said.
The covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black residents, he said, bringing to the forefront the need for better investments in public health.
Covington said he would like to address maternal and infant mortality rates and increase access to mental health resources.
“We have to invest in our lives,” he said. “We have to invest in our people. This is why I’m running.”
If elected, Covington said he also would push for more investment in education, equitable jobs and environmental justice efforts. Another focus, he said, would be fighting gun violence.
Covington, who has volunteered in the community and performed community outreach through his role in Costa’s office, “has advocated for community members before and throughout the covid-19 pandemic,” said Morgan Overton, president of the Young Democrats of Allegheny County.
Overton said Covington has “years of lived experience” through his involvement in the district, which would enable him to be “a champion of the people.”
As a Black man, Covington said, he could help diversify representation in Harrisburg.
Covington, 34, serves as the vice president for the Young Democrats of Allegheny County and coaches youth sports. He graduated from Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Howard University.
Two Wilkinsburg women — NaTisha Washington, the environmental justice organizer for One PA, and Ashley Comans, who has served on Wilkinsburg’s school board and with other community groups — also have announced their bids for Gainey’s seat.