In an ad trumpeting her 23 years of Navy service, Pam Iovino, the Democratic candidate in a special election for western Pennsylvania’s 37th Senate District, hit the air waves with a 30-second TV spot on Friday.
The ad continues to mention her work as an assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs under President George W. Bush. She was approved by a Republican-controlled Senate in November 2004. In the job, she managed the department’s congressional affairs.
Iovino is attempting to flip the district, a wealthy suburban seat to the south of Pittsburgh. It was formerly held by now-U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who resigned Jan. 1 to represent the 14th Congressional District in southwest Pennsylvania.
- READ MORE: A full rundown of upcoming special elections this spring
- WATCH: Raja launched his own TV ad Thursday
Iovino will face Republican candidate D. Raja, the local party chair, in a special election April 2. Democratic stakes for the race are high. Leadership sees flipping the seat as the first step to a Senate majority in 2020.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.