Politics & Government

Incumbent Mike Doyle Wins Democratic Nomination for Congressional Seat

The Forest Hills man won Tuesday night's 14th District Democratic primary; Republlican Hans Lessmann will face Doyle in the fall election.

Incumbent Mike Doyle is the Democratic winner in Tuesday’s primary election for Congressional District 14, where he has served since 1995.

He will face Republican Hans Lessmann in the fall general election. Lessmann was unopposed in the primary.

Congressional District 14 covers Brookline and the City of Pittsburgh, , Baldwin, Edgewood, Forest Hills, Swissvale and Verona.

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Doyle, a Democrat who lives in Forest Hills, has a Bachelor of Science degree in community development from Penn State University. He was a small-business owner, and was the chief of staff for former state Sen. Frank Pecora.

Doyle is currently serving his ninth term in Congress as the District 14 representative. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the subcommittees on Energy and Power and Communications and Technology.

Find out what's happening in Dormont-Brooklinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He is a member in the House Democratic Caucus, and is the founder and co-chair of both the Congressional Autism Caucus (also known as the Coalition for Autism Research and Education) and the House Distributed Generation Caucus.

Janis Brooks, who ran in the Democratic primary for Congressional District 14 against Doyle, celebrated the run of her campaign in Braddock at the Nyia Page Community Center.

“I will definitely run for office again,” she said after the results came in. “This was our first time, we got a lot of experience and there are still a lot of needs that are unmet in the community. It is essential that people report the truth and not what they want it to be. Pittsburgh is operated by machine style politics and it has to end.”

Brooks has enjoyed the journey of campaigning throughout the communities.

“The most interesting part was meeting different people and knowing that their needs have not been met by the government and listening to their stories.” she said during the gathering. “It is essential that we do more to help them.”

Brooks said the campaign was all about the people.

“People need help and they need jobs,” Brooks said.

Brooks, a Democrat who resides in North Versailles, holds a doctorate in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's degree in urban studies in management from the University of Maryland. She received her bachelor’s degree from Clarion University, where she studied comprehensive social studies for secondary education.

Brooks is the pastor of the Church Of Inclusion International Ministries in North Versailles, and the founder and CEO of Citizens to Abolish Domestic Apartheid, a nonprofit organization also located in North Versailles that provides learning experiences for youth and senior citizens, as well as after-school programs. More information about this organization can be found by clicking here.

Brooks has two children. Her daughter is a medical researcher who has worked with the National Institute of Health, and her son is a physicist and engineer who has worked with NASA.


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