Description of office: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of government in Pennsylvania. It is composed of two houses: the Senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. A majority vote in both houses is necessary to pass a law. The PA House of Representatives consists of 203 members representing one district each, with an equal number of constituents. Representatives must be at least 21 years old, have been a citizen and a resident of the state four years and a resident of their respective districts one year before their election, and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service. The House develops budget packages, makes taxation decisions, allocates spending, and passes laws (including redistricting in collaboration with the Senate). The House also has the exclusive authority to impeach public officials. Representatives also serve on various policy committees that may propose legislation.Term: 2 yearsSalary: $113,591Vote for ONE.Note: On Democratic and Republican primary ballots, voters will also choose members of the State and County Committees. We do not list these candidates on Vote411. For information on these candidates, we suggest you contact your local Democratic or Republican Party committee.
County
Blair
Occupation
Nurse
Education
Associate's Degree
We are a working class district, and we are seeing it become harder and harder to make ends meet. We are seeing rising inequality and the crushing weight of oligarchs and billionaires ramping up their efforts to turn public policy towards serving their own ends.
I believe that there are policies that we could implement at the state level that would make a huge difference for the working class. Things like raising the minimum wage, widely expanding child care options and support, ensuring parental leave is provided for new parents, keeping our rural hospitals and labor & delivery units open, and a number of other common-sense provisions (see my platform) that we could put in place to improve material conditions for the working class.
We should encourage more participation by ensuring that businesses are incentivized to give people time off to vote. We should provide greater access by expanding mail-in voting and not require it to be re-requested every year. We could prevent confusion by counting mail-in ballots before the election so that the way we see the elections happening in real time is less opaque.
At the same time, I want to emphasize that I believe that our current election system in PA is safe, fair, and effective.
I believe it is the goal of the current administration to attack our elections and to undermine them by force if necessary. We cannot allow this to happen, and I will not tolerate any federal interference in Pennsylvania's election processes.
I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that the budget is passed in a timely manner. I consider it a failure of our legislature every time the budget is not completed on time. That being said, I honestly do not know that I have a solution that I would want to implement. I am coming into this role completely new to politics, but I am confident that once I am in the role I will have the opportunity to support and collaborate with my fellow house members on solving this ongoing and troublesome problem.
Data centers have the potential to severely harm the communities that they are built in. They also frequently have very large and powerful companies behind them. This imbalance of power can make it incredibly difficult for municipalities (especially smaller, more rural municipalities) to ensure that they are treated fairly in dealings when it comes to building data centers.
Having state-wide guidelines would give local municipalities a floor from which they can bargain with these companies to ensure they are treated fairly and are able to make greater demands to benefit their communities as much as possible.
Together we can stand as a state and demand better than if we allow individual municipalities to bargain alone.
County
Blair
Occupation
Former Field Representative
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Master of Public Administration
Qualifications
Over a decade of public service working for a State Senator and a Congressman
Residents in Altoona are primarily concerned about economic growth, population decline, infrastructure needs, healthcare access, and the ongoing impact of substance abuse. Too many young people leave the area for work, while local employers in healthcare, manufacturing, and the skilled trades struggle to fill open positions. At the same time, aging roads, bridges, and water systems require consistent investment, and families are feeling pressure from rising costs and state-level mandates that strain local budgets. A policy-focused response begins with strengthening Altoona’s economic base. At the state level, that means reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses, keeping PA competitive on energy policy and preparing students for jobs.
Ensuring confidence in our elections requires balancing accessibility with strong security measures. I support policies that make it easy for eligible voters to cast a ballot while safeguarding the integrity of the process. That includes clear voter ID standards, accurate and regularly updated voter rolls, and consistent rules applied uniformly across all counties. Strengthening chain-of-custody procedures for mail ballots, improving signature verification processes, and ensuring bipartisan oversight at polling locations can further build public trust.
The Pennsylvania state budget process is critical because it directly affects education, healthcare, infrastructure, and local services. While the process provides opportunities for legislative oversight, it often experiences delays, which can disrupt funding for schools, counties, and essential programs. Timely passage of the budget ensures that state agencies can plan effectively and that taxpayers’ dollars are used efficiently. To improve the process, I would support stronger deadlines and accountability measures for both the governor and legislature to submit, review, and enact the budget on schedule.
State laws should not override local authority under the Municipal Planning Code (MPC). Municipalities know their communities best and should retain the ability to regulate zoning, traffic, and other local impacts. I support limited, targeted state oversight—enough to protect shared resources—while preserving local control for land use decisions, ensuring that economic growth and community priorities can coexist without unnecessary mandates.
