In what might have been the worst kept political secret this election season, state Rep. Matt Smith announced he will seek the Democratic nomination to replace former state Sen. John Pippy.

The three-term Democratic representative must go through the Allegheny and Washington counties Democratic committees nomination processes after Greg Parks withdrew his name from the race late last month.

That allowed Smith to throw his name into the ring to be the likely challenger running against Republican nominee D. Raja. Both men live in Mt. Lebanon.

 “I committed myself from my first campaign forward to being a champion of government reform and accountability, job creation and smart, fair tax policies,” Smith said. “While we have made great strides in those areas, there is still much work to be done, and I believe I can have an even greater impact as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate.”

The 37^th Senate district covers numerous South Hills neighborhoods, including Collier, Bridgeville, South Fayette and Mt. Lebanon, and is now without a senator until after the November election. Pippy resigned his seat last month to take a position with a prominent coal lobbying company.

“(After the committee nomination process) I will then look forward to a positive and spirited debate on ways to best improve our community, grow our economy, and make Pennsylvania an even better place to raise a family, work and start a business,” Smith said.

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