Barbara A. Burns is a former Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

.

Political career

Burn was first elected to the State House on March 7, 1994 to fill the vacancy left by Thomas Murphy's election as Mayor of Pittsburgh She was defeated for re-election in the primary by Don Walko

Don Walko

Don Walko was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 20th District. Walko was elected in 1994 and was office until 2010...

. In 1999, she successfully sought a seat on the Pittsburgh City Council from the first district, which was being vacated by Democrat Dan Onorato

Dan Onorato

Daniel "Dan" Onorato is the current Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Onorato won a crowded four-way primary to become the Democratic nominee for governor...

. She was defeated for re-election by Democrat Luke Ravenstahl

Luke Ravenstahl

Luke Robert Ravenstahl is the current Mayor of Pittsburgh. In September 2006, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history at the age of 26. He is among the youngest mayors of a major city in American history....

 in 2004. Following Ravenstahl's ascension to the office of Mayor, Burns again unsuccessfully sought re-election to her old seat, this time losing to Darlene Harris.