“My campaign isn’t about identity—it’s about integrity, accountability, and results that matter to everyday people,” stated Republican Richard Bryant, Deuso’s general election opponent.
Erica Deuso, a man who publicly identifies as a bisexual transgender woman, has won the democratic primary in Downingtown, with his supporters expressing hopes that he will become Pennsylvania’s first transgender mayor.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that this is also a historic step forward — not just for me, but for entire [sic] LGBTQ+ community, and especially for my transgender siblings,” Deuso stated on Wednesday in reaction to the news of his primary win, adding that he had taken “one step closer to making Pennsylvania history.”
Deuso, a Vermont native who relocated to Downingtown in 2007, campaigned as a “well-respected scientist, businesswoman, and advocate for marginalized communities,” according to his campaign website. He is highly active among LGBTQ circles, serving on the boards of groups like the Pennsylvania Equality Project and the Chester County PFLAG chapter.
By contrast, Deuso’s primary opponent, Barry Cassidy, lost the support of local progressives after his social media posts questioning the validity of transgenderism were brought to light.
After securing the democratic bid for mayor, Deuso will now face off against Republican Richard Bryant in the November general election. Bryant, a U.S. Navy veteran and cybersecurity professional, has so far focused his campaign on improving local flooding infrastructure, saying, “Our town needs a mayor who is grounded, steady, and focused on real-world problems—not national agendas.”
In the first days of the post-primary campaign, Bryant has also contrasted himself to Deuso by emphasizing his goal of “distraction-free leadership,” going so far as to state, “My campaign isn’t about identity—it’s about integrity, accountability, and results that matter to everyday people.”
Deuso, on the other hand, has leaned into messaging off of popular rhetoric surrounding “MAGA Republicans.”
“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,” Deuso stated.
Deuso’s transgenderism has been at the center of his earned media, with numerous headlines highlighting the rarity of transgender individuals being elevated to public office in Pennsylvania. While Deuso’s transgender label appears to have attracted support during the primary campaign, including endorsements from LGBTQ-centered organizations like Victory Fund and Planned Parenthood, it remains to be seen if his identity-centered messaging can appeal to center-of-the-aisle voters.
In addition to targeting LGBTQ-sympathetic voters, Deuso has sought to align himself with true females, frequently emphasizing the challenges women face in the world. In an April post on X, Deuso, whose bio boasts of a passion for “gender equality,” shared a quotation from himself stating, “Women work twice as hard to be seen as equal to men half as qualified. That ends now.” Notably, the only reply to Deuso’s post reads, “YOU’RE LITERALLY A MAN!”
