Steve O'Donnell, a Monroeville school board member and former congressional candidate, has added his name to the growing list of Democrats considering a bid for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Sean Logan.

Mr. O'Donnell fell short in a 2008 attempt to unseat Rep. Tim Murphy, D-Upper St. Clair. But he said Friday that the race might end up paying dividends now. In capturing the Democratic congressional nomination two years ago, he courted support then from many of the same democratic committee members who will determine the party's nominee for the anticipated special election for the Logan seat. State Senate President Pro Tem Joseph Scarnati will set the date for the special election after Mr. Logan officially resigns on Aug. 24. He is expected to set the contest to coincide with the Nov. 2 general election.

In lieu of a customary primary, the major party nominees will be chosen by an electorate of several hundred, their party's elected committee members, one man and one woman for each voting district. Independent candidates also can secure a place on the ballot by submitting nomination petitions.

The district, which runs along and across Allegheny County's southeastern border with Westmoreland County, is dominated by communities in the upper Mon Valley, but also extends north though Monroeville and Plum. Its largest Westmoreland County communities are New Kensington and Lower Burrell.

Its voting performance is heavily Democratic, but Jim Roddey, the Allegheny County Republican chairman, said several "credible" candidates had already expressed interest in the GOP nomination.

But the early speculation has been dominated by Democratic names. Several senior Democrats, including state Chairman Jim Burn, mentioned McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster as a likely candidate.

Mr. Brewster, who could not immediately be reached for comment, first ran for the seat 10 years ago in a Democratic primary won by Mr. Logan. Monroeville is the largest municipality in the district, but McKeesport holds the largest number of Democratic voters. In the committee election to choose the nominees, McKeesport has 66 committee votes while Monroeville will have 52.

Several other Mon Valley politicians already have expressed interest in the race. They include Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak; Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg; Braddock Councilwoman Tina Doose; and George Matta, the former clerk of courts who is now director of business development and community relations at the Rivers Casino.

Speculation also has focused on Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, another legislator whose district is overlapped by the Logan seat. Mr. Markosek could not be reached for comment.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.