A Sewickley attorney who formerly ran for governor is in line to become the next chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, as both of his opponents have dropped out of the race.
The Allegheny County GOP is scheduled to hold an election Saturday to replace outgoing Chairman Sam DeMarco. DeMarco said last month after being named Southwest Regional director for U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, that he would step down as party chairman as soon as a replacement could be picked.
Of three candidates who filed petitions to run for chairman, only one — Jason Richey — remains in the race.
Richey, 53, is a Downtown-based partner at K&L Gates. A Hopewell native who wrestled at Allegheny College and earned a law degree from Ohio State, Richey made his first foray into politics when he entered the gubernatorial race nearly four years ago.
“I had to set up an organizational structure. We were in 34 counties and had to raise money and organize followers and make moves across the state. That makes me uniquely qualified to serve in this role” as GOP chairman, Richey said of his campaign experience.
Richey dropped out of the race after nearly a year because his campaign didn’t gain the traction it needed in what became a crowded Republican field. Ultimately, Democrat Josh Shapiro defeated Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano to win the race.
Among priorities as chairman, Richey said he wants to make sure local party committees are active and engaged across Allegheny County, adding, “We’re not everywhere in the county, and we need to be.”
He said he also will focus on working to bolster GOP voter registration numbers and recruit strong candidates for races up and down the ballot.
“We want to get out there and educate people that the Republican Party is now the party of the working class, and we’re fighting for them,” Richey said. “We’re about efficient government and economic growth. If we can unify around these principles, we can start winning more races and turning Allegheny County around.”
The other two candidates in the race for chairman — Richland’s Doug Austin and Anthony Golembiewski of Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood — notified the committee they were dropping out of the race because of “several concerns about the integrity of the process,” according to a letter they sent to other committee members.
Among their concerns, Austin and Golembiewski said in the letter that they had to sign nondisclosure agreements to obtain contact information for prospective committee voters, but the information was incomplete and the NDAs “(prohibited) us from seeking campaign assistance due to being unable to share contact information.”
They also pointed out in the letter that the election is being overseen by people “with direct ties to (committee) leadership, raising serious concerns about impartiality and conflicts of interest.”
DeMarco appointed the judge of elections for the race and endorsed Richey, the letter noted.
“It certainly wasn’t even-handed across the board,” Austin told TribLive.
Added Golembiewski: “This was a selection, not an election.”
DeMarco bristled at the accusations.
“I didn’t see their letter, nor do I care,” DeMarco said. “I know they complained about lack of transparency, but our bylaws are posted on our website. How is that a lack of transparency on our part?
“They were both going to get buried and humiliated in this race, so they dropped out. They were never serious candidates.”