13 Facts About Aerion Abney

Aerion Andrew Abney is an American politician has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2022.

Aerion Abney twice ran unsuccessfully to unseat incumbent state representative Jake Wheatley.

When Wheatley resigned in 2022 to become chief of staff to Pittsburgh's newly-elected mayor Ed Gainey, Aerion Abney won the special election to succeed him.

Aerion Abney was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended Cardinal O'Hara High School.

Aerion Abney then attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 2010 and a Master of Social Work degree from the university's School of Social Work in 2012.

Aerion Abney first ran for the 19th district seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2016, but he withdrew before facing incumbent Rep.

In 2018, Aerion Abney ran against Wheatley, who had held the seat since 2003.

Aerion Abney criticized Wheatley for a lack of "political will" to push for the construction of new affordable housing units, especially in the Hill District, a historically African-American neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Aerion Abney lost the Democratic primary to Wheatley by a margin of 367 votes out of 5,777 total votes, or about 6 percentage points.

Aerion Abney campaigned on the promise that he would advocate more strongly for the residents of the Hill District.

Aerion Abney pointed to various statistics showing a decline in quality of life for residents of the Hill despite Wheatley's efforts.

Aerion Abney was again defeated, this time by a margin of 2,501 votes out of 10,467 total votes, or about 24 percentage points.

In 2022, Aerion Abney was widely expected to challenge Wheatley yet again.