Software engineer Paul Steenkiste is doing something no one has done in more than two decades: challenging state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, in a primary or general election.

Fontana, 76, has gone unopposed since being first elected to the state Senate in a contested special election race in 2005. Steenkiste, making his first foray into politics, is challenging Fontana for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary.

No Republicans are on the ballot in the 42nd Senatorial District, which includes a large portion of Pittsburgh and more than a dozen suburbs to the south and west of the city.

Fontana said he has been able to work across the aisle to get results during his more than 20 years in Harrisburg. If reelected, he said he hopes to work with colleagues to pass reforms related to property assessments, education and economic development.

“I feel like I can put one more term in and get a lot accomplished,” Fontana said.

Fontana serves as chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, which oversees the Pennsylvania State Police and the state Liquor Control Board. He also sits on three other committee and chairs the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

Fontana’s campaign had more than $400,000 in available cash as of May 4, according to state records. Steenkiste had $942 in his campaign account as of May 4, and had spent about $7,800 on his campaign this year, records show.

Steenkiste, 31, of Lawrenceville, said he wants to bring a fresh perspective to what he considers an inactive state legislature. The decisions made in Harrisburg deserve to be made by people who know what it is like to live and work in Pennsylvania, Steenkiste told TribLive.

Steenkiste graduated from Stanford University in California with a master’s degree in computer science before returning to Western Pennsylvania to work as a software engineer.

Steenkiste said he intends to leverage his experience in the technology sector to ensure communities are protected from the influx of data centers and AI facilities.

“Right now we don’t have anyone with the technical expertise in Harrisburg,” Steenkiste said. “If our state is going to face the challenges of data centers and AI, then we need somebody who understands what is happening behind the scenes.”