Armed with 159 separate contributions — including maxed out donations from Dan Gilman and Bill Peduto’s election committee — Erika Strassburger took a commanding lead in fundraising in Pittsburgh’s March 6 special election by raking just over $91,241 in January, according to city campaign finance reports.

The election for city council’s District 8, which includes a central chunk of the affluent East End, is to replace former city councilman Gilman after he resigned to become Mayor Peduto’s new chief of staff in early January.

With a little over 73 percent of the vote, Austin Davis won the 35th House District special election Tuesday night.

The district, which represents many old mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley in Allegheny County, was empty after former Democratic representative Marc Gergely resigned the seat after being convicted and sentenced for his role in an illegal gambling ring.