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State Senator, 38th District

Vote for
1
Term
4 years
Candidates
2
Election
Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state senator votes on Pennsylvania laws and the state budget and confirms many of the Governor's appointments.

Entirely in Allegheny County: Pittsburgh Wards 10, 11 and 12; the North Hills communities of Ross, West View, Shaler, Etna, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, Blawnox, O'Hara, Fox Chapel, McCandless, Hampton, Pine and Richland; and the Allegheny Valley communities of Indiana, West Deer, Fawn, Frazer, Harmar, Springdale Borough, Springdale Township, Cheswick, East Deer, Tarentum, Brackenridge and Harrison.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Supports a "Fair Share" tax plan to close the structural deficit while sparing low- and middle-income residents.
    • Prime sponsor of SB 1199, extending the state's 5% gross receipts tax to digital advertising revenue.In office
    • Co-sponsored a bill to raise Pennsylvania's child and dependent care tax credit to match the expanded federal credit.In office

Public safety

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    • Lists safe communities as a priority, calling for dependable local services, coordination and practical investment.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    No documented position found.

Education

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Supports increased state investment in public schools so students and educators have the resources they need.
    • Introduced SB 793 to bar schools from replacing educators with artificial intelligence.In office

Housing

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    • Lists affordable living as a top priority, saying families should not be priced out of their communities.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    No documented position found.

Economy & jobs

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    • Says state and local governments too often work against businesses; calls for policies that lower costs and add jobs.
    • Says development should create jobs and opportunity without shifting its long-term costs onto local families.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Calls for requiring family-sustaining wages, protecting collective bargaining and investing in roads and bridges.
    • Introduced legislation to ban "surveillance pricing", which sets individual prices using a shopper's personal data.In office

Roads & infrastructure

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Opposed Peoples Natural Gas's proposed 13.8% rate increase in testimony to the Public Utility Commission.In office

Health & human services

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Calls health care a human right and pledges to oppose restrictions on abortion rights.

Government & transparency

  • Thomas WestRepublican

    • Pledges to weigh what proposals cost and who pays, explain tradeoffs, and report results back to residents.

  • Lindsey WilliamsDemocratic

    • Co-sponsored SB 1357 to bar all on-duty law enforcement, including federal agents, from polling places.In office

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 8 issues covered in this race.