Kathy Smith

A write-in candidate is running for the Pennsylvania 11th House District in the November general election with the support of the Butler County Democratic Committee.

Kathy Smith, a Butler resident, is running a write-in campaign against the incumbent, state Rep. Marci Mustello.

Smith, a writer, retired event videographer and government employee, officially announced her campaign during the Butler Democrats’ August meeting. She said in a Sept. 2 news release her campaign will focus on “improving healthcare, housing, wages and education.”

“When I saw that the incumbent had no one running against her again, I looked into her voting record, which is available online,” Smith said in the news release. “Too many times, she voted to give favorable legislation to huge corporations and data centers. Other times, she voted in ways that failed to help regular citizens with housing, wages, healthcare and education.”

Smith said her career experience also includes working in food service, the entertainment industry, document handling, healthcare, daycare and education.

Smith said she was informed by the committee’s president that “As a committee, we do not ‘endorse’ any candidate. However, the committee does ‘support’ you in that you have received speaking time at our meeting and the committee can volunteer to help you.”

Smith is listed under a “meet the candidates” section on the Butler County Democrats’ website.

Mustello, a Republican, has held the 11th District seat since June 2019. She announced she would be seeking reelection in January.

Aside from a special election to first get elected, Mustello has received little opposition in reelection campaigns. In 2022, Mustello ran unopposed for the 11th District. In 2024, she received 87% of the vote against a Libertarian Party candidate.

The 11th District includes the City of Butler; Chicora, East Butler and Saxonburg boroughs; and Buffalo, Butler, Clearfield, Clinton, Donegal, Jefferson, Oakland, Summit and Winfield townships.