State Rep. Rob Matzie has become an increasingly rare figure in Western Pennsylvania state politics: an elected Democrat from outside Allegheny County.
Matzie, 57, of Ambridge, is one of just four Democratic state representatives and senators representing Western Pennsylvania districts outside Allegheny County, with the others from Erie County. That’s down from about two dozen two decades ago, just before Matzie was elected to his first term.
Now seeking a 10th term, Matzie faces a reelection challenge in November from businessman and former sales manager John Costanza, a former Democrat who registered as a Republican just before entering the race.
Democrats maintain a registration edge in Matzie’s state House district in southeastern Beaver County. They comprise 48% of the voters compared to 37% for Republicans, though the GOP has been narrowing the gap in a district that has never been represented by a Republican since it was created in 1969.
The county as a whole now leans Republican, with nearly 46% of the voters compared to 40% for Democrats. That’s a dramatic shift from two decades ago when Democrats outnumbered Republicans by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.
“In the last few elections, there were plenty of people in my district who had Trump and Matzie campaign signs in their yards. That’s an interesting dichotomy,” Matzie said in a phone interview.
It’s a trend that has been playing out across Western Pennsylvania.
Two decades ago, about 55% of registered voters in the six counties surrounding Allegheny County were Democrats, while 36% were Republicans, according to voter records. In a near reversal, 53% of registered voters in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties are Republicans today, while 34% are Democrats. The share of independent voters and ones belonging to other parties hovered around 9% two decades ago, but stands at about 13% today.
Democrats still make up a majority of voters in Allegheny County, but the share has decreased from nearly 61% in 2006 to about 55% today. Nearly 29% of voters are Republicans now, the same as two decades ago. Independent voters and those in other parties jumped from 10.7% in 2006 to 16.3% today.
Political observers have attributed the shift to a number of factors, from a decline in blue-collar manufacturing jobs held by union workers historically aligned with Democrats to the emergence of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement over the past decade and effective messaging and candidate recruitment by Republicans.
“It didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t be reversed overnight. But it can happen — I’m sure if you said in the 1980s or ‘90s that Republicans would control counties like Beaver, Washington and Greene someday, people would have thought you were insane,” said Mike Mikus, a political consultant who has worked on numerous Democratic campaigns.
“Democrats need to start building the party and getting candidates in every race, even if they feel a race is unwinnable. Republicans did that for years and continued making the argument that the Democrats were not making things better. Eventually the tide started to turn,” Mikus said.
That could be a blueprint for Democrats, Mikus said.
“A lot of these areas in Western Pennsylvania outside of Allegheny County are struggling economically, and Republicans have been in control for at least a decade in a lot of these places. Democrats need to make them answer for the lack of progress,” Mikus said.
While Matzie ran unopposed in five of his first six general elections, this will be the fourth straight election when he has a Republican challenger. He had his closest race in his last campaign, winning by a margin of 52.2% to 47.6% in 2024.
“We’re not taking anything for granted. We run like we’re losing every time we have an election, no exceptions, and this year is no different. We’ve knocked on thousands of doors to talk with voters since March,” Matzie said.
Matzie serves as chairman of the House Majority Caucus, the fourth-highest ranking Democratic leadership position, and sits on the powerful House Rules Committee.
“I think I’m the most qualified candidate and the best person for the job, especially in my role now as a member of leadership and as someone who has been able to bring back a lot of dollars to the district,” Matzie added. “I represent everyone in my district. I don’t care if they’re Republican or if they ever voted for me. If they’ve got a problem or something is going on, we’re here to help. I think that resonates with people.”
Costanza, 62, of Center Township, said he was a registered Democrat for 45 years before becoming a Republican a few weeks before deciding to run.
While Costanza said his values now more closely align with the Republican Party, he added, “I don’t want to be a party politician. That’s part of the problem today. I want to work together with people regardless of what party they’re in to come up with the best possible solutions. Now we don’t have that.”
Costanza added: “The only thing I look at is my family and friends and people in the district who are looking for the same things that I am. I don’t see Republicans, Democrats or independents — I see people who are trying to make a living. And it’s getting harder and harder to make a living. This is a battle about survivability.”
Costanza worked for 25 years as a sales manager and account executive for transportation companies and, with two sisters, co-owns Cesina’s Sausage Co. in Aliquippa, which was destroyed in a fire in December. The family is working to find a new location in Aliquippa.
“At one point I was a very proud Democrat, now I’m a very proud Republican, but I’ve always been very proud to be from Beaver County. If you put a circle around my house, within a 3-mile radius you’d get 90 family members. This is my home and I love it. That’s what I’m fighting for.”