 | This articlehas an unclearcitation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style ofcitation andfootnoting.(July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Frank Mascara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's20th district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Austin Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Tim Murphy (Redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1930-01-19)January 19, 1930 |
| Died | July 10, 2011(2011-07-10) (aged 81) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Ken Mascara (nephew) |
| Signature |  |
Frank Robert Mascara (January 19, 1930 – July 10, 2011)[1] was an AmericanDemocratic politician fromPennsylvania who served four terms in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
Mascara briefly served in theUnited States Army afterWorld War II and was an accountant before entering politics. He obtained aB.A. fromCalifornia University of Pennsylvania in 1972.
Mascara next served as an elected official inWashington County, nearPittsburgh, for nearly 20 years. He was elected county controller in 1973 and as County Commissioner in 1979. He served on the Washington County Commission for 15 years, many of them as chairman.
In 1992, Mascara launched a primary challenge to U.S. CongressmanAustin Murphy, a 16-year incumbent, in the20th Congressional District, which comprised most of the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. He lost the race by 3,000 votes. When Murphy retired two years later, Mascara handily won the Democratic primary to replace him. Although the 20th was considered the most Democratic district in Pennsylvania outside the districts based inPhiladelphia andPittsburgh, Mascara earned a narrow victory in the general election againstRepublican businessman Mike McCormick. Mascara faced the same opponent — and another narrow win — in 1996. However, the district reverted to form afterwards, and Mascara was unopposed in 1998. He easily won a fourth term in 2000.
The Republican-controlled state legislature significantly altered Mascara's district.[2] The district was renumbered as the 18th District, and was considerably more affluent than its predecessor. It was also somewhat friendlier to Republicans, even though there were still 70,000 more registered Democrats in the district than Republicans. A large portion of the area Mascara had represented for the past eight years was shifted to the neighboringJohnstown-based 12th District, represented by 28-year incumbent DemocratJohn Murtha.
The newly drawn district was widely criticized, since portions of several neighborhoods were split between two districts. In some cases, one side of the street was in the 18th while the other was in the 12th; in others, one side of the street was in the 18th while the other was in the Pittsburgh-based 14th. In one of the more extreme examples, most of Mascara's hometown,Charleroi—including most of his neighborhood—was drawn into the 12th. However, a long tendril extending from his house toAllegheny County remained in the 18th.[3]
Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the 12th's Democratic primary, since the redrawn 12th contained more of Mascara's old territory than Murtha's. After a bruising primary filled with negative campaigning by both candidates, Murtha won by a wider than expected margin. The 18th was taken over by RepublicanState SenatorTim Murphy.
In Congress, Mascara was a moderate Democrat who opposed abortion and gun control, but whose voting record was otherwise consistent with the Democratic line. He was regarded as a political powerbroker among Democrats with a record of scoring federal money for local projects.
In both Washington and his home district, Mascara projected ablue-collar,working class image. He liked to say frequently, "I don't go to thenightclubs and big restaurants. ... I don'tdrink. I don'tgamble. I don't whore around."
Mascara died of lung cancer on July 10, 2011, at Mon Valley Hospital inMonongahela, Pennsylvania.[1]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Frank Mascara | 95,251 | 53% | Mike McCormick | 84,156 | 47% | * | ||
| 1996 | Frank Mascara | 113,394 | 54% | Mike McCormick | 97,004 | 46% | * | ||
| 1998 | Frank Mascara | 97,885 | 100% | (no candidate) | * | ||||
| 2000 | Frank Mascara | 145,131 | 64% | Ronald J. Davis | 80,312 | 36% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 20th congressional district 1995–2003 | Succeeded by District Abolished1 |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1.Tim Murphy was elected to the18th district seat, which takes-in much of the same areas as the old20th district. | ||
