Democrat Sara Innamorato rolled to a historic win Tuesday night over Republican Joe Rockey in the hotly contested race for Allegheny County executive.
She will replace Rich Fitzgerald, who has served as the county’s top elected official for the past 12 years, and become the first woman to hold the post.
Innamorato had collected 51.1% of the roughly 364,000 votes counted as of about 11:20 p.m. compared to 48.8% for Rockey, according to unofficial results. More than 99% of the county’s precincts had reported results at the time.
The Associated Press called the race for Innamorato just before 10 p.m. Innamorato’s campaign team declared victory about a half-hour later. Soon after that, Rockey conceded.
“I wish her and Allegheny County the absolute best as we move forward. I congratulated her on a well-run campaign, but that doesn’t diminish the campaign we ran,” Rockey told campaign supporters just after 10:30 p.m. at an event at the Wyndham Grand in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Innamorato took the podium shortly before 11 p.m. at Mr. Smalls in Millvale, where the atmosphere turned celebratory as the outcome became clear.
“I am confident that together we can build an Allegheny County for us all,” Innamorato told supporters.
She said she hoped to work with her Democratic allies in Washington and Harrisburg to bring substantial investments to Allegheny County.
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“I know we are going to do great things, and I know I am going to ask a lot in that budget next year,” Innamorato said.
Innamorato talked about building a coalition of allies including labor unions, environmental groups, abortion access advocates, and local liberal and progressive activists.
“We had to form that coalition, our campaign was built on the idea that everyone deserved to be seen and heard. That basic promise of building an Allegheny County for all. That is my North Star,” she said.
She said she thanked Rockey for running a strong campaign and keeping her on her toes.
Mail-in and absentee ballot results posted shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. showed Innamorato leading by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Mail-in voting has skewed heavily Democratic since 2020.
As results from polling places started coming in, Rockey narrowed the lead. But the lead turned out to be insurmountable.
Innamorato, 38, of Lawrenceville, is a former state legislator who championed progressive policies throughout her campaign, though she moved to the center on issues such as policing and the Israel-Hamas war.
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Her campaign focused on improving county services to address homelessness and public safety, boosting affordable housing and improving public transportation.
Rockey, 58, of Ohio Township, is a retired PNC Financial Services Group executive and first-time political candidate. The self-declared centrist focused his campaign on improving public safety, as well as lobbying for more jobs and economic growth in Allegheny County.
The campaign featured more than $2.5 million in spending, the most expensive race in Allegheny County and the second-most expensive race in Pennsylvania this election cycle behind a race for a Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat, according to political ad tracker AdImpact.
Republicans significantly outspent Democrats, mostly on advertisements, and were also boosted by at least $230,000 from outside groups funded by a conservative Philadelphia billionaire.
Innamorato said she hoped to counter Republicans’ heavy spending through support from labor unions, environmental groups, criminal justice advocates and other liberal groups, along with the efforts of a large group of canvassers and volunteers.
Fitzgerald served for 12 years and had been heralded by both candidates for providing economic stability and supporting large infrastructure projects such as the $1.5 billion terminal project at Pittsburgh International Airport.