May 21, 2025
Provided Image/Ericadeuso.com
Erica Deuso won the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday in Downingtown, Chester County. She will face Republican Richard Bryant in the November general election for the chance to become the first openly transgender mayor in Pennsylvania.
In Downingtown's Democratic primary on Tuesday, Erica Deuso defeated Barry Cassidy for the chance to be elected Pennsylvania's first openly transgender mayor in November.
Deuso, who has spent years as a Democratic organizer in Chester County, earned 62% of the vote in a contest that had fewer than 1,000 ballots cast. Downingtown has a population of about 9,000 people. Cassidy, a longtime advocate for business development in the borough, received about 38% of the vote.
Deuso, 44, will now face Republican Richard Bryant, a retired cybersecurity expert, in the general election.
Deuso's campaign focused on issues including public safety, investing in the business corridor and supporting sustainable infrastructure. She called the primary win "a historic step forward" for the LGBTQ+ community.
"At a time when the Trump administration and MAGA Republicans in Washington, Harrisburg, and throughout our Commonwealth are working to silence diverse voices, Downingtown stood up and said: Not in our town. Not in our Good Neighbor community," Deuso said in a statement obtained by the Daily Local.
Deuso entered the primary with key endorsements from the local Democratic Party and outgoing Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague, who opted not to run for a second term.
Originally from Vermont, Deuso is a Drexel University graduate who moved to Downingtown in 2007. She works in business management for pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, and serves on the Chester County Democratic Committee. She is also on the board of the Pennsylvania Equality Project, a nonprofit that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.
With a victory in November, Deuso would join only three other openly transgender elected officials in Pennsylvania, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. The organization's Out for America map says the state now has 66 elected LGBTQ+ officials.
Deuso's primary win comes as the Trump administration seeks to roll back rights for transgender people. In March, the White House paused $175 million in research funding for the University of Pennsylvania because it had allowed a transgender athlete to compete in the school's swimming program three years ago. The Trump administration also banned transgender people from serving in the military, a move upheld by the Supreme Court this month amid a series of pending federal lawsuits.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Republicans spent millions of dollars on campaign ads that targeted transgender people. One TV ad included a photo of former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, who also served as assistant U.S. secretary of health under President Joe Biden. Levine told Politico it was "challenging" to be portrayed in such a negative light, but said she is more concerned by how such messages affect other transgender people who are not in public-facing roles.
After her primary victory on Tuesday, Deuso said she hopes to represent Downingtown with a more inclusive approach to local government in her community.
"People are ready for leadership that listens, includes, and acts with compassion and integrity," she said.
