External links
- Abigail Salisbury at Ballotpedia
- Abigail Salisbury, Pennsylvania House of Representatives (official website)
Abigail Salisbury | |
|---|---|
| Member of the PennsylvaniaHouseofRepresentatives from the 34th district | |
| Assumed office February 21, 2023 [1] | |
| Preceded by | Summer Lee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ohio,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Andrew Horowitz [2] |
| Residence(s) | Swissvale,Pennsylvania,U.S. |
| Education | Case Western Reserve University (B.A.) University of Pittsburgh (J.D.,M.P.P.M.) |
Abigail Salisbury is an American politician who represents the 34th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Salisbury was born in Ohio, [3] but moved to Pennsylvania in grade school. [4] She graduated from Fairview High School in 2000. Salisbury attained a bachelor of arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in 2004 and a juris doctor and a Master of Public Policy and Management (M.P.P.M.) from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 and 2013,respectively. [3]
An attorney,Salisbury ran a low cost law firm representing nonprofits and small businesses. [4] She was also a First Amendment law professor at the University of Pittsburgh and the executive director of the university's legal news and research service. [5] [6] Salisbury previously taught international human rights law in Kosovo and Ethiopia. [5]
From 2018 to 2022,Salisbury served on the borough council of Swissvale,Pennsylvania. She served as council president during her final two years. [3]
In 2022,Salisbury challenged incumbent State Representative Summer Lee in the Democratic primary election. Despite being endorsed by the local Democratic committee,Salisbury was defeated by the incumbent. [6] After Lee was elected to the United States House of Representatives that same year,Salisbury ran in the 2023 special election to fill Lee's vacancy. [4] She defeated Republican Party candidate Robert Pagane. In conjunction with two other simultaneous special elections,Salisbury's victory affirmed Democrats' one-seat majority in the State House following the 2022 election. [7] In 2024,Salisbury faced a primary challenge from Ashley Comans,a progressive ally of Lee. [8] [9] Despite Comans outraising Salisbury and earning the endorsements of Lee,Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey,and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, [10] Salisbury defeated Comans 65%-35%. She faces no opposition in the general election. [11]
Salisbury supports legalizing marijuana and psilocybin. She identifies as pro-choice. [12] Salisbury opposes fracking and wants stricter standards for charter schools. [13]
Salisbury is Jewish. Both her and her husband are involved in their congregation. [4] She identifies as bisexual and is on the autism spectrum. [13] [14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury | 799 | 21.90 | |
| Democratic | Julie A. Grose (incumbent) | 748 | 20.50 | |
| Democratic | David Petrarca (incumbent) | 629 | 17.24 | |
| Democratic | Michele Kotula Stanton (incumbent) | 528 | 14.47 | |
| Democratic | Martin F. Busch (incumbent) | 512 | 14.04 | |
| Democratic | Sean L. Ruppert | 413 | 11.23 | |
| Write-in | 19 | 0.52 | ||
| Total votes | 3,648 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury | 1,296 | 25.09 | |
| Democratic | David Petrarca (incumbent) | 1,287 | 24.92 | |
| Democratic | Julie A. Grose (incumbent) | 1,275 | 24.69 | |
| Democratic | Michele Kotula Stanton (incumbent) | 1,248 | 24.16 | |
| Write-in | 59 | 1.14 | ||
| Total votes | 5,165 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury (incumbent) | 1,091 | 21.58 | |
| Democratic | Shawn Alfonso Wells | 1,034 | 20.45 | |
| Democratic | Joshua Miser | 640 | 12.66 | |
| Democratic | Angela D. Stribling | 598 | 11.83 | |
| Democratic | Martin F. Busch | 506 | 10.01 | |
| Democratic | Frank Berry | 489 | 9.67 | |
| Democratic | Fred Lee Quinn III | 434 | 8.58 | |
| Democratic | John Wilson | 237 | 4.69 | |
| Write-in | 27 | 0.57 | ||
| Total votes | 5,056 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury (incumbent) | 1,488 | 23.04 | |
| Democratic | Shawn Alfonso Wells | 1,415 | 21.91 | |
| Democratic | Joshua Miser | 1,315 | 20.37 | |
| Democratic | Angela D. Stribling | 1,299 | 20.12 | |
| Republican | Martin F. Busch | 487 | 7,54 | |
| No Affiliation | Brandon Mahler | 432 | 6.69 | |
| Write-in | 21 | 0.33 | ||
| Total votes | 6,457 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Summer Lee (incumbent) | 9,168 | 65.59 | |
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury | 4,767 | 34.11 | |
| Write-in | 42 | 0.30 | ||
| Total votes | 13,977 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury | 10,282 | 87.60 | |
| Republican | Robert Pagane | 1,416 | 12.06 | |
| Write-in | 39 | 0.33 | ||
| Total votes | 11,737 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Salisbury (incumbent) | 8,111 | 62.86 | |
| Democratic | Ashley Comans | 4,756 | 36.86 | |
| Write-in | 36 | 0.28 | ||
| Total votes | 12,903 | 100.00 | ||
