Allegheny County DA Candidate Turahn Jenkins Says LGBTQ People are Sinful

This afternoon, candidate Turahn Jenkins met with representatives from the LGBTQ community to discuss concerns about his affiliation with a church that has a stated belief that homosexuality is sinful. These concerns were part of a dialogue that took place earlier in the week on my Facebook timeline. I’ve confirmed with four sources that Mr. […]

Why Campaign Staff & Supporters Have to Ask Hard Questions About Religious Liberty and LGBTQ Identity

Note: I wrote this yesterday (Thursday) and was waiting to hear a report out from today’s meeting between candidate for DA Turahn Jenkins & LGBTQ community members before posting. That meeting took place. I will report what I learn in another post. ~ Sue One pressing question for me at this moment in time, in […]

Q&A with Lisa Boeving-Learned, Candidate for PA State House District 8

Lisa reached out to me to ask for inclusion in this series. She made me realize that my call-for-Q&As should specify that it is not limited to Pittsburgh. I was struck by her passion for progressive solutions in our rural communities. Lisa grew up in Pittsburgh, moved away for her adult life, and has since […]

Q&A with Kareem Kandil, Candidate for PA State House District 30

Kareem reached out to me in response to my call for Q&A’s with candidates challenging incumbents. This series is designed to highlight the folks who heeded the call to resist by running for elected office. Kareem is running for Pennsylvania State House in the 30th district, a North Hills District outlined in the image below. […]

Q&A with Will Anderson, Candidate for PA State House District 24

This is the next in a series of blog posts about individuals challenging incumbents or running non-traditional races in Pennsylvania. Will’s campaign reached out to me after I posted a call for respondents. He is running in the primary against a Democrat State Rep in the 24th district. Will has documented his years of community […]

Q&A with Sara Innamorato, Candidate for PA State House District 21

I’ve known Sara for about a year, mostly through Facebook and shared interests in organizing. I know that she worked with New Voices Pittsburgh, a venerable progressive organization, and had co-founded She Runs to bring electoral tools to women in the region. Then I read about her decision to challenge Dom Costa and her partnership […]

Q&A with Amber Sloan, Candidate for Allegheny County Democratic Committee

A friend of mine stepped up to run for office, specifically for a seat at the table of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.  Amber is a powerful voice in the City, especially in her home neighborhood of Homewood. Read her AMPLIFY profile here We’ve been featuring candidates for various offices, but this is our first […]

Q&A with Summer Lee, Candidate for PA State House District 34

Summer Lee for PA

The first encounter I had with Summer Lee was when she reached out to me in 2017, asking to meet with me to discuss LGBTQ issues that were on her radar. I learned she is an attorney and children’s advocate, she’s been deeply involved in the efforts to push back against police and staff brutality against students in […]

Q&A with Aerion Andrew Abney, Candidate for PA State House District 19

A few years ago, I answered a knock on my door in Manchester and met this energetic young man who was running for a committee seat. His enthusiasm was contagious and we became Facebook friends. I’ve followed his career and continue to admire his enthusiasm, his leadership in Manchester, and his passion for service. Aerion […]

Confessions of a Rick Santorum Intern

Rick Santorum internship

Yes, I was an intern in then-Congressman Rick Santorum’s DC offices for six months during 1991. Me. Most of you know this. Some of you don’t. This internship and the photo it generated are perhaps one of the most enduring legacies of this blog. 27 years after the fact, it is still a salient and […]