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AP: Deluzio defeats Mercuri in 17th District race

AP: Deluzio defeats Mercuri in 17th District race

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio defeated challenger Rob Mercuri, a Republican state representative, in a key congressional district that could be crucial in deciding which party controls the U.S. House.

The Associated Press tipped the race in Deluzio's favor shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the unofficial election results, Deluzio received about 53% of the vote around midnight, compared to almost 47% of the votes cast for Mercuri.

These are Allegheny County absentee, early and absentee ballots; almost all of Allegheny County; and on Election Day there are votes in all but one precinct in Beaver County.

Beaver County had not counted absentee, early or absentee ballots as of midnight.

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District includes all of Beaver County and several suburban communities in Allegheny County.

At 12:36 a.m., Deluzio posted on the social media platform X his appreciation for those who voted for him.

“THANK YOU to the good people of Western PA for once again trusting me to represent all of us in Congress. It’s the honor of my life,” Deluzio tweeted. “I was willing to risk my life for this country because America was worth fighting for. It still is.”

About an hour earlier, before the race was called, Deluzio addressed dozens of supporters gathered at the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council grounds, a union hall in Collier. He said he was confident he would win, but his Election Day soiree ended before he could declare victory.

“I feel good, but we still don’t have a race to go,” Deluzio told his supporters as he comfortably took the lead. “I think we will win.”

The Mercuri campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but Deluzio tweeted that his rival had made “a gracious and patriotic concession and I commend him for a spirited campaign.”

Deluzio said he brings to Congress the values ​​he learned as a child in the 17th District: hard work, patriotism and sacrifice.

“I will put this country first, this region first,” DeLuzio said. “I will continue to focus on work.”

In a second term, Deluzio said he wants to fight for union support and abortion access.

Deluzio, 40, of Fox Chapel, a voting rights attorney and Iraq War veteran, won the congressional seat in 2022, defeating Jeremy Shaffer, a former Ross commissioner. Deluzio replaced Conor Lamb, who did not seek re-election that year.

The Republican Party is hoping for a seat change like Deluzio's in the U.S. House of Representatives, which currently consists of 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats.

Deluzio was a vocal advocate for railroad safety in his first term following a serious train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near communities he represents.

Mercuri, 42, of Pine, has pushed measures in the state legislature to allow autonomous vehicle testing and allow people to take out mortgages remotely in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

If elected, Mercuri said he would prioritize creating more jobs and energy independence for the Keystone State.

Deluzio's “Make Stuff Here” economic agenda includes targeted tariffs on products imported from countries such as China, Russia and Iran, as well as tax credits for domestic companies that make steel and certain rare earth magnets used in cell phones, electric vehicles and MRI machines.

Deluzio, who serves on the bipartisan For Country Caucus, said his top priorities include fighting for reproductive freedoms, reducing costs and creating jobs in western Pennsylvania. He advocates for federal legislation to protect access to abortion.

Mercuri co-sponsored a heartbeat bill in 2021 that would have restricted abortion in the commonwealth once a fetal heartbeat was detected. Last month, he told TribLive that he believes abortion is a state issue and that he supports exceptions that allow abortions in cases of rape, incest or risks to the mother's life.


Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A graduate of the University of La Roche, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at [email protected].

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