I CHOOSE ME: NOT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION

It’s no secret that this has been a turbulent election cycle for me as well as my team. I have been transparent about what I have experienced as a Black woman running for office in Allegheny County. I hope that my story continues to shine a light on how this county treats Black women. With that being said I have decided to suspend my County Council campaign. I will be throwing my support behind Samantha Schmidt, a DSA member, who will be running as an Independent in November. My campaign manager (Fawn Walker-Montgomery) and I wanted to make sure that someone who shared our values was able to step in. Huge thanks to Samantha for reaching out to us early on and being transparent as well as honest. Perhaps if others did this from the beginning, things may have gone differently. However, I digress lol.

This was an extremely tough decision to make. After much prayer and counsel, I have decided to choose myself. I won’t let this County kill me and then celebrate me, like it has done with so many other Black women. Currently, I need to concentrate on Liv (my physical & mental health). I will finish out my term. A heartfelt thank you to my campaign committee, colleagues on County Council, Green Party of Allegheny County, Sunrise and everyone who donated etc. I am proud of the things that we accomplished from Banning Conversion Therapy and Hair Discrimination to the creation of the first county wide Independent Police Review Board. I look forward to seeing the work that my colleagues will continue to do. It was an honor to work with you all and to serve the constituents of District 13. I will speak with the media, on a platform of my choosing, when I'm ready. Thank You

In Solidarity,

Liv Bennett