Democrat Shawn Flaherty, who narrowly won a special election last night for the state House seat in the 30th District, doesn't care if people think his reason for winning is corny.

Shawn Flaherty

Mike Dolan

Mr. Flaherty, 46, a Fox Chapel attorney, said he won the election because warm, sunny weather helped bring more than 10,000 voters to the polls. For that, Mr. Flaherty credits his late father, former Pittsburgh Mayor and Allegheny County Commissioner Pete Flaherty, who he said always had a knack for scheduling birthday parties and other family activities on sunny days.

"Over 10,000 people voted today," Mr. Flaherty said after a victory speech to about 75 supporters at the Etna Volunteer Fire Co. social hall. "I think my Dad had something to do with that. He was smiling down on me today."

Pete Flaherty died one year ago next Tuesday.

Complete but unofficial results showed Mr. Flaherty defeated Republican Mike Dolan, 26, of O'Hara by a count of 5,545 to 5,437. It will be the first time in more than 40 years that the district, which includes Fox Chapel, Hampton and parts of Ross, Shaler and O'Hara, will be represented by a Democrat.

Mr. Flaherty will replace Jeff Habay of Shaler, who resigned after he was convicted of criminal charges for using his office staff to do campaign work when they were supposed to be working for the state. He also faces additional charges that he tried to frame a political opponent for mailing Mr. Habay a powdery white substance when police say Mr. Habay mailed it to himself.

Mr. Dolan, 26, said he wasn't sure why he lost.

"I do not know," he said after greeting supporters at the Holiday Inn on McKnight Road, Ross. "He was able to do a little bit better job getting out his votes."

Yesterday's election was the end of a bruising, two-month campaign in which Mr. Dolan accused Mr. Flaherty of not paying taxes on a dilapidated Shadyside building he owns with two partners and Mr. Flaherty charged that Mr. Dolan's half-dozen arrests as a college student for alcohol-related offenses were reminiscent of Mr. Habay's criminal problems.

But it was only the first of three elections in the district this year. Mr. Flaherty will fill Mr. Habay's unexpired term through the end of the year. Candidates to fill the seat for a full, two-year term will be chosen in the May 16 primary, and the winners there will square off in November.

Mr. Flaherty is unopposed in the primary, but Mr. Dolan faces a primary battle against funeral director Frank Perman and retired Shaler police Officer Randy Vulakovich. Mr. Dolan said his message of reform will play well with Republican voters in the primary and he expects a rematch with Mr. Flaherty in November.

"I think I'll take the Easter weekend off and be right back at it," Mr. Dolan said.

Mr. Flaherty is a Shadyside attorney who stressed his background in property law and said he could help with stalled property tax reform in Harrisburg. That message and holding the seat for more than six months should be enough to push him to a full term in November, he said.

"The thing I hope I can take to Harrisburg is that people want tax reform and they want it now," he said.

State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, head of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, said winning a traditionally Republican seat gives the party great momentum heading into this year's elections, where incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell is leading the ticket. The win puts the breakdown in the House at 109 Republicans and 94 Democrats.

"This would have been one of the harder seats to win," Mr. Frankel said. "Incumbency means a great deal. [Mr. Flaherty is] a very seasoned, mature candidate."

Mr. Flaherty's grass roots coordinator, Marty Marks, said his candidate did well throughout the district, where Democrats hold a slight voter registration edge despite the district's history of voting Republican.

"We performed better than Democrats normally perform everywhere, throughout the district," he said.