HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP/WHTM) — Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for governor this year, is endorsing a Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker to be his running mate and lieutenant governor.

Shapiro on Tuesday, Jan. 4, endorsed 32-year-old Austin Davis, who is in his third term in the state House of Representatives and has connections to Allegheny County’s party leaders.

“Pennsylvanians – from Westmoreland to West Philadelphia – deserve leaders who understand the issues they’re facing and can bring people together to get things done. Throughout his career, Austin Davis has fought for the people of Western Pennsylvania, standing up for families who work hard to make ends meet and communities that have been forgotten,” AG Shapiro said in his endorsement.

If elected, Davis would be the state’s first black lieutenant governor, which, according to AG Shapiro’s press release announcing the endorsement, would bring important geographic and racial diversity to the ticket.

Also seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor is five-term state Rep. Brian Sims of Philadelphia. Sims made history in 2012 when he became Pennsylvania’s first openly gay candidate to be elected to the Legislature. The primary election is on May 17.