Chris Potter

3 days ago | wesa.fm | Julia Maruca |Chris Potter |Tom Riese |Julia Zenkevich

Judicial races don't generate much buzz, but this year what they lack in intensity they make up for in volume. A total of eight seats on the Allegheny County's Common Pleas are up for grabs, thanks to a slew of retirements this year, and 22 candidates are seeking to fill them. Combined with an earlier eight-seat contest in 2021, well over one-third of the county's bench will have turned over in just the past four years.

6 days ago | wesa.fm | Chris Potter

This is WESA Politics, a weekly newsletter by our political reporters providing analysis about Pittsburgh and state politics. If you want it earlier — we'll deliver it to your inbox on Thursday afternoon — sign up here. Some of the people defending democracy most vocally right now, ironically enough, are the same ones who face the steepest struggle at the polls. Take Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who faces a formidable challenge in the May 20 Democratic primary from County Controller Corey O’Connor.

1 week ago | wesa.fm | Chris Potter

Former Congressman Conor Lamb and state Rep. Lindsay Powell were warmly received Wednesday night at a town hall in Swissvale’s Pittsburgh Mennonite Church, but they weren’t really the officials people wanted to see. Many of the questions posed at the “Empty Seat Town Hall” were addressed, at least in theory, to Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick.

2 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Chris Potter

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said he sympathized with Pennsylvanians who are fearful of the economic impact of tariffs, and he acknowledged that the Trump administration had made some missteps in its first few months. But during a telephone town hall Wednesday night, he largely defended the administration’s record and asked voters to give the White House more time before evaluating the results.

2 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Chris Potter

Mayoral contender Corey O’Connor built on an already-significant financial advantage over incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey last month — and he got an assist from a new player in Pittsburgh’s May 20 Democratic primary. Common Sense Change, an outside spending group, reported raising $264,500 in the first three months of the year and spending nearly half of that to help O'Connor. Its efforts are being spearheaded by longtime Pittsburgh Democratic political consultant Mike Mikus.