Public defender Lisa Middleman announces campaign to challenge District Attorney Stephen Zappala
Lisa Gaye Middleman, an Allegheny County public defender, announced that she is launching her campaign for District Attorney today. Middleman, who is running as an independent, will face 20-year incumbent Stephen A. Zappala Jr. in the November 5 general election.
Her campaign launch comes after another challenger, Turahn Jenkins, trailed Zappala by 20,357 votes in May’s Democratic primary election. Middleman estimates that she’ll need to gather nearly 4,000 signatures on her petition before Aug. 1 to appear on the November ballot but plans to collect well above that amount.
Middleman’s resume is short but belies a long career. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law in 1987 and has worked as an Allegheny County public defender ever since. She also maintains a private criminal defense practice but has focused on her role as a public defender in recent years, she said.
Middleman describes herself as a reformer.
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