Students shared their reactions to Pennsylvania’s Nov. 2 municipal election, which included Pittsburghers choosing Ed Gainey as the City’s first Black mayor.

Squirrel Hill attorney Steve Irwin announced on Thursday that he is joining the race to represent Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. The seat currently belongs to U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who announced on Oct. 18 that he will not run for reelection.

Ed Gainey, a progressive Democrat, will become the first Black mayor in Pittsburgh’s history after winning the general election in a landslide on Tuesday.

Holly Hickling had no intention of running for magisterial district judge prior to the May 2021 primary election. But an unopposed primary race for the seat sparked her concern for how the position would be occupied, and led her to enter the race herself.

Pittsburgh voters will be able to decide several municipal appointments — including the new mayor — when polls open for the Nov. 2 general election.

Some Pitt students work as fellows on progressive Democrat Ed Gainey’s mayoral campaign team, where they phone bank, create social media posts, help organize events and canvass door-to-door.

The College Democrats and College Republicans at Pitt have both begun work to energize western Pennsylvania voters for both local and national races, seeking to bolster voter turnout for what is considered to be one of the most important swing regions in the state, which itself is a swing state on the national level. The groups continue to hold virtual events due to COVID-19 restrictions, disrupting their typical in-person election-season activities.

It is absolutely imperative that crime victims get constitutional protection.