- Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 February 2024 13:02
South Park School District teacher and local basketball coach Nicole Ruscitto recently announced her campaign for the 37th Pennsylvania Senate District.
Ruscitto was born in the district, lived here her whole life, and has been a teacher and PSEA member for decades, involved in her union since the beginning of her educational career. She also served a term on Jefferson Hills Borough Council after her election in 2019.
“First and foremost, I’m an educator. I come from a family of educators, and my lifelong passion has been teaching and fighting for our future generations,” says Ruscitto. “That’s how I first got involved in politics; when my community wasn’t considering the needs of our children and families, I stepped up to be their voice. I was honored to serve Jefferson Hills and now I’m ready to serve the 37th district because Harrisburg isn’t listening to us,” added Ruscitto. “Our schools aren’t funded fairly or at the levels they should be and the cost of everything rises while our wages stay low. Current and future generations of Allegheny County are failed by the status quo and it’s time for a change. This community is full of middle class families that deserve to be heard in Harrisburg, and I’m ready to be our voice.”
The 37th district is currently held by first-term Republican Devlin Robinson, who shares a 98 percent identical voting record with former gubernatorial candidate Senator Doug Mastriano. Despite Robinson’s voting record, the 37th district is very moderate - having voted for Josh Shapiro with 59 percent and John Fetterman taking 52% of the district in the 2022 election. Before Robinson’s election in 2020, the seat was held by Democratic Senator Pam Iovino.
Ruscitto and her husband (also a local sports coach) live in Jefferson Hills with their younger son, while their eldest is a student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh.