Mike Doyle, the Democrat who has represented Pittsburgh in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995, announced Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2022. Hours earlier, a state lawmaker filed to run for the seat, setting up a matchup between progressives to replace Doyle.
“I believe the time has come to pass the torch to the next generation,” Doyle said during a Monday press conference announcing his retirement plans. “This was not an easy decision, and I spent most of this year going back and forth.”
Doyle, of Forest Hills, is opting to retire rather than seek a 15th term in office as House Democrats are preparing for a grueling campaign to defend their narrow majority. Doyle’s district, Pennsylvania’s 18th, is likely to remain deeply Democratic after congressional districts are redrawn this year.
The retirement adds a new layer of uncertainty to the 2022 primary ballot; area voters are already set to choose nominees for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat and governorship. Now, there will be an open primary in Pittsburgh’s congressional district for the first time in almost 30 years. Doyle declined to endorse a candidate and said he hoped the district would “hear from a robust field of candidates.”
Though the district hasn’t had a wide open contest since Bill Clinton was president, the race to replace Doyle is already partially developed. Jerry Dickinson, a Pitt Law professor who ran against Doyle in the Democratic primary in 2020, announced another run earlier this year. And state Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive from Swissvale who unseated a longtime incumbent in 2018, filed paperwork to run just hours before Doyle’s announcement Monday.
Dickinson, running on a progressive platform, collected a notable 34% of the vote in the 2020 race. He reported eye-catching fundraising numbers in the second quarter of 2021, bringing in $210,000, all from individual donors. Last week, he reported raising more than $121,000 in the third quarter.
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