Democrat Sara Innamorato wins Allegheny County executive race
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Democrat Sara Innamorato was elected Allegheny County executive on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old Innamorato and Republican Joe Rockey were running to replace current Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who is term-limited after 12 years in office. Fitzgerald is a Democrat.
At her election headquarters in Millvale at Mr. Smalls, Innamorato took the stage at around 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday and thanked her supporters. Innamorato will become the first woman to hold the office.
"I know as a congresswoman, along with Senator (John) Fetterman and (Bob) Casey and Congressman Chris DeLuzio, we can bring that federal money back here to Allegheny County," Innamorato said.
Rockey said he called Innamorato on Tuesday night to concede. He added that he congratulated her.
"I wish her and Allegheny County the absolute best as we move forward," Rockey said from his election headquarters at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh. "We congratulated her on a well-run campaign, but that doesn't diminish the campaign that we ran. I'm very proud of what we've done."
Rockey needed Democrats to vote for him and more Republicans to vote than usual. In a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one, Innamorato needed to keep most Democrats with her to win.
Throughout his campaign, Rockey, a former businessman and moderate Republican, focused on what he felt were the three major issues facing Allegheny County: public safety, jobs and property taxes.
Former state Rep. Innamorato's key initiatives included fighting for people on the margins, creating a safer community by cutting down on blight and creating stable high-quality housing for all.