Associated Press calls Summer Lee winner over Steve Irwin in 12th Congressional District race

Election Night on Tuesday produced a neck-and-neck race between state Rep. Summer Lee and Pittsburgh lawyer Steve Irwin in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, but after outstanding votes were counted a few days later, Lee emerged victorious.

After Tuesday, Lee led by less than half a percentage point. But there were still in-person ballots to be counted, as 26 precincts within the district didn’t return their memory sticks properly.

On Friday, those precincts were counted and they increased Lee’s lead up to 740 votes, according to unofficial results. Lee leads with 41.8% of the vote, and Irwin is behind her with 41.1% of the vote.

The Associated Press called the race Friday evening.

The Lee campaign had already declared Lee victorious earlier in the week.

“We built a movement in Western Pennsylvania that took on corporate power, stood up for working families, and beat back a multimillion-dollar smear campaign,” Lee said in a statement.

The 12th district comprises Pittsburgh and suburban Allegheny County communities, as well as Westmoreland County communities such as Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Sewickley Township and parts of Hempfield.

It is considered a solid Democratic district, and whoever wins the primary will be heavily favored to win in the general election.

Irwin conceded in a tweet Friday evening. He commended Lee.

Thank you, #PA12. pic.twitter.com/jW6nbsvchM

— Steve Irwin (@SteveIrwinPA) May 21, 2022

“She ran a formidable campaign, one that reflected her determination to make progress for people and give a voice to the voiceless.

“She will be an outstanding member of Congress and an inspirational leader for our region.”

Three other candidates competed in the 12th District Democratic primary. University of Pittsburgh law professor Jerry Dickinson found himself in a distant third place with 10.8% of the votes counted, followed by nonprofit head Jeff Woodard with 4.8% and entrepreneur William Parker with 1.5%, the Department of State tallies showed.

Lee’s victory means she is very likely to become the first Black woman from Pennsylvania elected to Congress.

The 12th District has a Republican opponent in the general election — Plum Council president Mike Doyle (no relation to current U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle) — but the district is a strong blue district, and forecasters don’t rate it competitive for Republicans.

Regardless, Doyle criticized Lee in a statement following her win.

“In order to restore sanity in Washington we cannot send extremists to represent us in DC. Summer Lee is an extreme, self-avowed socialist who will join the far left of her party and get nothing done for our region,” Doyle said.

The primary race for the 12th District split factions of the Democratic Party, with progressives backing Lee and more mainstream Democrats supporting Irwin.

Lee, a progressive firebrand, was the early front-runner in the race, with polling giving her a significant advantage. She racked up support from local progressives like Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, and also from national figures like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The race appeared to tighten a bit after attack ads against Lee flooded the Pittsburgh market, mostly funded with millions of dollars from a pro-Israel super PAC. Those ads also boosted Irwin, who had also garnered the support of establishment Democratic officials like Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who is retiring and vacating the district seat.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee supported Lee in her race. Its co-founder, Stephanie Taylor, said Lee’s victory shows the progressive movement growing within the Democratic Party.

“Summer Lee’s victory continues a sea change in the Democratic Party away from corporate Democrats and weak liberals — toward bold progressives who are connected to their communities and willing to fight for the people,” Taylor said.