37th Pennsylvania Senate battle features Nicole Ruscitto challenging incumbent Devlin Robinson
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — First-term state Sen. Devlin Robinson, a Republican, says he's earned a second term representing the 37th District that stretches across southern Allegheny County to Pittsburgh International Airport, up into the Sewickley area and north to Marshall.
"I've got eight bills passed so far through two Democratic governors. Those bills had bipartisan support," Robinson said.
"I've brought almost $60 million in funding back to the district. I stopped the toll that PennDOT was trying to implement there on the Bridgeville bridge, so I want to keep delivering for this district."
But Democrat Nicole Ruscitto says it's Robinson's votes against suburban families that disqualify him for another term.
"I just feel that my opponent is just too extreme," said Ruscitto.
"Devlin Robinson votes with Doug Mastriano 97 percent of the time on the Senate floor. There are a lot of great bills that are coming through that are laying stagnant right now and for our working class families, and for our trades and unions, labor, those bills need to get passed."
A public school teacher of 28 years and former Jefferson Hills councilwoman, Ruscitto has made reproductive rights a key issue.
"Two weeks after Roe vs. Wade fell, he voted for a constitutional ban, and I am the pro-choice candidate. He is also endorsed by PACs that are far-right extremes that don't condone any sort of abortion, even for the life of the mother," she said.
Robinson did vote for a constitutional amendment that declared there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution, but he says he opposes any changes to current state law that allows abortions until the 23rd week of pregnancy.
When asked if he's pro-life, Robinson replied, "I have always respected the law in Pennsylvania that's been on the books since 1982, and I don't favor changing that law."
"So you do not favor limitations that would make it 15 weeks or six weeks?" KDKA-TV political editor Jon Delano asked.
"I do not," Robinson replied.
For his part, Robinson accuses Ruscitto while on council of voting to raise taxes and defunding the police.
"No, I never voted to defund our police locally on our borough council. As a matter of fact, I voted 20 times to support our police," Ruscitto said.
"I never once voted to raise taxes. That is not true," she added.
"Does that include fees?" Delano asked.
"We had a raise for fees for services, but it was across the board with other boroughs as well," she said.
In recent years, this Senate seat has flipped between the parties five times, so no surprise Republicans and Democrats think this is a seat worth fighting for.