Democrats are disappearing from elected office in the six counties surrounding Allegheny County.
Just 13 Democrats combined serve as county commissioners or row officers in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties, compared to 57 Republicans. Only about a decade ago, nearly three times as many Democrats — 38 — served as commissioners or row officers in those counties, representing more than half of the 70 officeholders.
It’s not just that Democrats aren’t winning as many races. In many cases, they’re not even trying. Democrats mustered just three candidates for 17 row offices in primary races across the six counties this year, while Republicans fielded more than two dozen. No Democrats are on the ballot for row offices in Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Democrats from the six counties are even harder to find in Harrisburg. Just one of the 20 state representatives in the six counties today is a Democrat, while none of the area’s six state senators is.
“It’s bleak,” said Michelle McFall, who has chaired the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee since 2022.
“There was not a path for a Democrat to win this year,” McFall said of the situation in Westmoreland, where no Democrats are running for clerk of courts, coroner, district attorney, prothonotary or register of wills. “Moving toward 2027, when we have the next set of row offices up, we are going to work with leaders on addressing this to find a full slate of candidates that can make a serious challenge.”
As a whole, the six counties surrounding Allegheny are home to more than 1.1 million people, making the area nearly as populated as Allegheny County, which is home to more than 1.2 million people. They are polar opposites politically.
State records show that 55% of Allegheny County’s registered voters are Democrats, 29% are Republicans and the rest belong to another party or are unaffiliated. In the six surrounding counties, 52% of voters are Republicans, 35% are Democrats, and the rest belong to another party or are unaffiliated.
Just a decade ago, about half of the six counties’ registered voters were Democrats, records show. In raw numbers, there are about 81,000 fewer Democrats and 127,000 more Republicans today than there were a decade ago.
What happened?
McFall and other political observers attributed the partisan reversal to a number of factors, including a decline in blue-collar manufacturing jobs that had been held by workers in unions historically aligned with Democrats and a decline in the political clout of the unions themselves.
They also cited effective messaging and candidate recruitment by Republicans, the emergence of the MAGA movement behind Republican Donald Trump and demographic changes. In Westmoreland County, for instance, the median age stood at 35.1 years in 2000 but is 47.1 years today, and studies show older voters are more likely to vote Republican.
Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz said he believes the “leftward shift” of the Democratic Party also has turned off traditional or more conservative Democrats — driving many to switch parties.
“It would take a major recalibration by the Democratic Party to reel people back in. It seems like their priorities are not necessarily matching the things that are impacting people at the kitchen table,” Bretz said.
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas, the only Democrat holding countywide office in Westmoreland, doesn’t believe the shift is permanent.
“Politics is cyclical. For 60 years, Democrats won with ease here. I am convinced that Republicans won’t win with ease for the next 60 years if (Democrats) do the things we need to do,” Kopas said.
Although many political pundits said disaffected working-class voters whom Democrats once relied upon helped propel Trump to victory last year, Kopas said, “We need to remind people that we are the party that stands for regular folks, ensuring there is a viable safety net and union worker rights. We are the party that cares. Far too often I think we get off message and get ourselves in battles that don’t matter.”
As for the dearth of elected Democrats outside Allegheny County, Kopas said, “You can’t force someone to run. We need good candidates who are willing to put in the work and understand the challenge in front of them. I would sooner have no one on the ballot instead of just a name or placeholder.”
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Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi, a Democrat, echoed Kopas.
“It’s an uphill climb now for Democratic candidates in Washington County. It used to be if you had a ‘D’ behind your name, you were probably going to get elected. Now it’s the other way around,” he said. “But a good, hardworking (Democratic) candidate can still win.”
Maggi was very much aware of the former Democratic advantage when he decided to seek elected office for the first time, running for sheriff, in the 1990s.
“Years ago, I changed from Republican to Democrat to get elected,” said Maggi, who served as Washington County’s sheriff for six years and is now in his sixth term as a county commissioner.
Today, Maggi and Coroner Tim Warco are the only Democrats to hold countywide offices in Washington County, with Republicans holding the 10 other positions. In early 2016, the opposite was true — with Democrats holding 10 of the positions and Republicans just two.
Maggi said it’s not uncommon these days to see former Democrats holding or running for office as Republicans.
“Sometimes, people’s politics truly do change,” Maggi said. “Other times, people do the math. To govern, you have to get elected first.”