2023 Allegheny County District Attorney election

2023 Allegheny County District Attorney election

← 2019 November 7, 2023 2027 →

Candidate Stephen Zappala Matt Dugan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 189,230 178,653 Percentage 51.4% 48.5%

District attorney before election Stephen Zappala Democratic Elected District attorney Stephen Zappala Republican

The 2023 Allegheny County District Attorney election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the district attorney of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Incumbent Democratic district attorney Stephen Zappala ran for re-election to a seventh consecutive term but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Matt Dugan, a public defender. Zappala then won the Republican nomination after receiving over 9,000 write-in votes in the primary. He went on to defeat Dugan in the general election, with 51% of the vote. ^[1]

Democratic primary

Through the primary, Dugan was seen as the more progressive candidate. ^[2] In his launch, Dugan criticized the rising violent crime in the county, stating that "they've had the opportunity to comment and offer solutions" in previous years. ^[3]

Candidates

Nominee

• Matt Dugan, public defender ^[4]

Eliminated in primary

• Stephen Zappala, incumbent district attorney ^[5]

Endorsements

Matt Dugan

Local officials

• Ed Gainey, mayor of Pittsburgh (2022–present) ^[6]

Organizations

• Service Employees International Union Local 668 ^[7]

Political parties

• Allegheny County Democratic Committee ^[6]

Results

Democratic primary ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Matt Dugan	94,974	55.62
	Democratic	Stephen Zappala (incumbent)	75,575	44.26
	Write-in		196	0.11
Total votes			170,745	100.00

Republican primary

No candidate filed to run in the primary, but Zappala won the nomination after receiving over 9,700 write-in votes. He officially accepted the nomination in late June. ^[9]

Results

Republican primary ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Write-in		11,857	100.00
Total votes			11,857	100.00

General election

Endorsements

Stephen Zappala (R)

Statewide officials

• Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey (1994–2001) ^[10]

Political parties

• Allegheny County Republican Party ^[11]
• Forward Party ^[11]

Debate

2023 Allegheny County District Attorney debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Democratic	Republican
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Dugan	Zappala
1 [12]	October 11, 2023	KDKA-TV	Ken Rice	CBS	P	P

Results

2023 Allegheny County District Attorney election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stephen Zappala (incumbent)	189,230	51.38
	Democratic	Matt Dugan	178,653	48.51
	Write-in		380	0.10
Total votes			368,263	100.00

References

1. Lyons, Kim (November 7, 2023). "Zappala wins Allegheny County District Attorney race". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
2. Burness, Alex (November 8, 2023). "Anti-Reform DA Survives in Pittsburgh Region After Switching to GOP". Bolts. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
3. Ward, Paula Reed (January 19, 2023). "Allegheny County Chief Public Defender Matt Dugan announces run for district attorney". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
4. Potter, Chris (January 19, 2023). "Matt Dugan, Allegheny County's chief public defender, to challenge Zappala for DA". WESA. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
5. Mayo, Bob (December 16, 2022). "Zappala running for reelection as Allegheny County district attorney". WTAE. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
6. Potter, Chris (April 18, 2023). "Allegheny County district attorney: A guide to the 2023 Democratic primary between Dugan and Zappala". WESA. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
7. "2023 Primary Endorsed Candidates". SEIU Local 668. May 16, 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
8. "MAY 16, 2023 2023 MUNICIPAL PRIMARY". Allegheny County, PA. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
9. Miller, Natalie Reid (June 28, 2023). "Zappala accepts Republican nomination for Allegheny County DA". WPXI. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
10. Wolfson, Charlie (September 28, 2023). "Why Andrew Yang and George Soros are bringing national heat to the Allegheny County DA race". Pittsburgh's Public Source. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
11. Zenkevich, Julia (August 17, 2023). "Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announces affiliation with centrist Forward Party". WESA. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
12. Fisher, Jonathan (October 12, 2023). "KDKA+ hosts Allegheny County district attorney debate between Stephen Zappala and Matt Dugan". CBS News. Retrieved 14 December 2025.