Democrats are targeting Republican-held House seats in Pittsburgh's suburbs. Here's what the incumbents' records show

Democrats hope a strong showing by Gov. Josh Shapiro at the top of the ticket carries their state House candidates into Republican-held suburbs around Pittsburgh, WESA reported Monday. Democrats hold the chamber 103-100, and few expect control to change hands, but every one of the 203 seats is on the Nov. 3 ballot.

For voters in these districts, the question is who represents them in a House that has been decided by one or two votes on some of this session's biggest bills.

The races WESA highlighted

• District 40 (Bethel Park, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair): Republican Rep. Natalie Mihalek, who has held the seat for about a decade, faces Democrat Jon Lloyd, whom Shapiro endorsed.
• District 44 (airport-area suburbs): Republican Rep. Valerie Gaydos faces a rematch with Democrat Hadley Haas.
• District 28 (northern Allegheny County): Republican Rep. Jeremy Shaffer faces Democrat Jeremy Ferderber. Shaffer told WESA that "if you're too far extreme, you can still lose."
• District 45 (open): Democratic Rep. Anita Kulik is retiring. Democrat Brittany Bloam faces Republican James Julius.
• District 12 (Butler County): Democratic Rep. Brandon Dukes, who won a special election in August, faces Republican Scott Timko again.

Fundraising details are in WESA's report. District numbers for Shaffer and the others are from the House member directory.

What the records add

Mihalek sits on the House Energy Committee. On Feb. 2, 2026, she was one of 12 Republicans who voted against House Bill 1834, the main data center regulation bill, in a 14-12 party-line committee vote. She is a co-sponsor of Shaffer's bail bill, House Bill 2856.

Gaydos voted for Senate Bill 908, the prevailing wage expansion now known as Act 101 of 2026, which passed the House 128-75. Americans for Prosperity withdrew its endorsement of her over that vote, the Inquirer reported; our Oct. 26 article has the full roll call. She is also one of three Republican co-sponsors of House Bill 888, a Republican-sponsored bill to repeal the death penalty.

Shaffer also voted for SB 908 and also lost the group's endorsement, the Inquirer reported. He is the prime sponsor of House Bill 2856, which would change state law on the right to bail. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 14 and has five co-sponsors, all Republicans, including Mihalek and Gaydos.

Kulik, the retiring Democrat, was one of two House Democrats who voted against House Bill 1957, the proposed reproductive rights constitutional amendment, when it passed 102-101 in December 2025, according to an account of the roll call by the Pennsylvania Family Council.

Dukes was sworn in Sept. 8, according to a House Democratic release, after the Aug. 18 special election, in which he led by 88 votes in unofficial results the next morning, Spotlight PA reported. It was the first seat Democrats flipped in 17 special elections since 2023, Spotlight reported. He is the prime sponsor of House Bill 2786, which would require school districts to adopt artificial intelligence policies. It cleared the House Education Committee 14-12 on Oct. 6 and is on the House table.

Rep. Emily Kinkead, a Pittsburgh Democrat who faces a Republican challenger, sits on the Judiciary Committee. She voted yes on HB 1957 and on the death penalty repeal bill HB 888 in committee, and co-sponsored HB 1957.

A roll call records how someone voted, not why, and a few votes are a small sample.

What happens next

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to vote.pa.gov. Voters can look up their district on the General Assembly's find-my-legislator page. The current House has two more voting days, Nov. 9 and 10, according to its session calendar, before the new House is sworn in in January.