Democrat Pam Iovino will be the new senator for Pennsylvania’s 37th state Senate district.
Republican D. Raja conceded the race at about 9:30 p.m., when unofficial vote tallies showing Iovino leading by almost 4,000 votes with more than 87% of precincts reporting.
With all 214 Allegheny County precincts reporting, Iovino tallied 53% of the vote, winning by more than 4,000 votes.
Washington County totals have not yet been reported.
Iovino, 62, of Mt. Lebanon is a retired Navy captain appointed to a top U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs post by former Republican President George W. Bush.
Raja, 53, also of Mt. Lebanon, is the chairman of the Allegheny County Republican Committee and chief executive of an IT consulting firm based in Robinson.
An Iovino victory, means Democrats have 22 seats on the 50-seat state Senate, the most since 2014 and a boon for Democrats seeking to close in on the GOP’s majority control of the chamber in 2020.
The 37th District includes much of Allegheny County’s southern and western and suburbs, among them Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, Bridgeville, Moon Township, Upper St. Clair, Sewickley, Jefferson Hills, and Peters Township in Washington County. Results from Peters Township were not immediately available.
