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[Click the ▼ after each candidate for bios and more information.] Incumbents are noted with an asterisk (*) … All candidates listed in order as they appear on the ballot.
PA Statewide Candidates
For Governor & Lt. Governor:
- Josh Shapiro (Governor)*
Since being sworn in to the Office of Governor in January 2023, Governor Shapiro has brought people together to get stuff done and defend Pennsylvanians’ fundamental freedoms. In his first 18 months in office, despite working with the only politically divided legislature in the nation, Governor Shapiro has hit the ground running and delivered meaningful results for the people of Pennsylvania.
Governor Shapiro believes all Pennsylvanians should have the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed, and the actions he’s taken in his first year and a half have been rooted in that promise. He signed an executive order on his first day in office announcing that 92 percent of state government jobs are open to people without a college degree – because in Pennsylvania, we value what skills and experience someone brings to the job, not arbitrary requirements. The first bill he signed into law was bipartisan legislation to require insurers to cover preventive breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost.
The Governor has made clear his commitment to invest in quality schools, safe communities, and an economy that works for all. Under his leadership, he brought Democrats and Republicans together to invest more in public education than ever before, hire hundreds of new State Police troopers, and invest millions in economic development to create jobs in communities too often forgotten and left behind.
Now, when children in Pennsylvania go to school, they can get free breakfast and there are more mental health counselors and resources available when they need them. When those students graduate from high school, they have more opportunities to chart their own course – whether in the workforce, through an apprenticeship program, or at college – and their communities are safer and more prosperous.
He’s consistently trying to make government work more effectively and efficiently – and ensure there’s no wrong door for Pennsylvanians who need to access their state government. That led him to implement automatic voter registration and develop the Commonwealth’s first ever in-house digital services team – CODE PA – to develop better tools for government officials and the public alike. He reformed the permitting process, eliminated backlogs, and showed his GSD attitude when he put together the team that reopened I-95 in just 12 days after a portion of the highway collapsed and the experts said it would take months to repair.
Governor Shapiro is investing in the people of Pennsylvania, but he also understands that in creating opportunity, people shouldn’t be defined by their worst day. That’s why he delivered on his promise to reform the criminal justice system, ensuring probation serves as a tool to help Pennsylvanians re-enter their communities and paving the way for more Pennsylvanians to get the second chances they deserve.
As Governor, he has made it a priority to represent all Pennsylvanians, traveling to communities all across the Commonwealth and meeting Pennsylvanians from all walks of life.
Through it all, Governor Shapiro continues – as he’s done throughout his career – to take on big fights, bring people together to get stuff done, and defend Pennsylvanians’ rights and freedoms.
As Governor, he’s built on his work as Attorney General, when he successfully defended the right to vote, protected reproductive freedom, held powerful corporations – like opioid manufacturers – accountable, and oversaw the groundbreaking investigation of sexual abuse into the Catholic Church.
He served as Attorney General from 2017 to 2023, Chair of the Board of Commissioners in Montgomery County from 2011 to 2017, and State Representative from 2005 to 2011.
Governor Shapiro grew up in Pennsylvania, watching his parents serve their community – his father is a pediatrician and served our nation in the navy, and his mother is a retired educator. Their example and his faith inspired him to enter into public service.
Governor Shapiro is married to his high-school sweetheart, Lori. She is proud to serve the Commonwealth as its First Lady and is doing meaningful work with nonprofits and volunteer organizations all across this Commonwealth. They are the proud parents of four children: Sophia (22), Jonah (19), Max (15), and Reuben (13).
- Austin Davis (Lt. Governor)*
Austin knew from an early age he wanted to dedicate his life and career to public service. Throughout his career, he has fought for economic equality, worked to lift people out of poverty and secure fair funding for education, and has been committed to bettering the lives of people in western Pennsylvania.
In high school, when he felt young people needed a voice in city government, Austin founded and served as chairman of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council under McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster. Working with city leaders, Austin helped combat rising youth violence and provided the young people of McKeesport with more opportunities to get involved in civic life.
Austin is a first generation college graduate in his family, and after studying political science at the University of Pittsburgh, he began pursuing a career in public service. By the age of 21, the Tribune-Review called him “a veteran at the politics of helping others.”
Beginning in 2012, Austin joined Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s team, spearheading the office’s vision and transition teams in the early days of the administration and serving as Fitzgerald’s representative on the Jail Oversight Board; the Kane Foundation; the Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Advisory Board; and the Shuman Detention Center Advisory Board.
Then in 2018, Austin successfully ran for the state House of Representatives to represent the Mon Valley and his hometown of McKeesport.
Rep. Austin Davis took the oath of office to serve the people of the Mon Valley on February 5, 2018. When he was sworn in, Austin became the first African American to serve as state representative for the 35th Legislative District in Allegheny County, and he became one of only four African American lawmakers to represent a majority-white district.
Currently, Austin serves as chair of the Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation and vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee, as well as serving on the House Appropriations Committee, House Consumer Affairs Committee, House Insurance Committee, and House Transportation Committee. Austin is also a member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Climate Caucus, and PA SAFE Caucus.
Austin remains committed to the Mon Valley and McKeesport, serving as a board member of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh, and Auberle.
In November 2020, Austin made history and was elected as the first Black Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, and as the youngest Lieutenant Governor elected in the country. Austin is proud to work alongside Josh to move Pennsylvania forward in Harrisburg.
For State Senate
Senate District 18 (incl. all of Bethlehem):
- Lisa Boscola *
Personal
State Senator Lisa M. Boscola has spent the majority of her professional career working to improve the lives of Lehigh Valley residents. Born in Bethlehem on April 6, 1962 to Richard and Anna Stofko – Senator Boscola has remained a proud steel worker’s daughter and life-long resident of the Lehigh Valley, a fact which has made her intimately familiar with the issues that face her district and the people she represents.
First elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1994, Senator Boscola served two terms in the state House and is serving her sixth term representing the 18th Senatorial District. Prior to her election to the General Assembly, Senator Boscola served as Deputy Court Administrator with the Northampton County Court. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Villanova University cum laude.
Legislative Priorities & Accomplishments
Throughout her legislative career, Senator Boscola has worked tirelessly to bring property tax reform to the forefront of the debate in the General Assembly. Senator Boscola has been a leading proponent of the total elimination of the local school property tax and has been a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 76. Every Session, she has also introduced legislation to freeze property taxes on seniors so that they can remain in their homes.
Redistricting reform has been an issue that Senator Boscola has continued to fight for through the years by introducing legislation to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution, and change the way the Commonwealth conducts the redistricting process by removing politics and creating a truly Independent Citizen’s Commission.
Senator Boscola has also focused on the need for state government to promote economic development initiatives to provide family sustaining jobs to the Lehigh Valley and across the Commonwealth. She has worked diligently to bring the Lehigh Valley region our fair share of state funds for worthwhile local projects. She has been a strong advocate for funding economic development programs with proven track records of job creation and retention such as the Ben Franklin Technology Centers, Small Business Development Center and the Manufacturer’s Resource Center. Working with the private sector to drive growth, job expansion and retention has been a focus for Senator Boscola. Cutting out the red tape, ensuring the State’s incentives are competitive with surrounding states is one way government can help promote growth.
Most recently, Senator Boscola was the proud prime sponsor of the omnibus bill, Senate Bill 421 of 2019-20, which is known, today, as Act 77 of 2019. Act 77 was the largest voting modernization bill in decades that included the elimination of straight party voting, extending the deadline for absentee ballot submissions, and created a no excuse mail-in voting option for all Pennsylvania voters, in which, “kitchen tables and living rooms will be converted in polling places. Researching a candidate can be done while you vote from the comfort of your own home.”
Senator Boscola was instrumental in bringing a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) designation to Bethlehem. Senator Boscola fought hard to ensure that Bethlehem had an opportunity to submit a CRIZ application and has worked to ensure that the incentive will be a tool that would drive new growth to the region.
It was in Senator Boscola’s recognition that staying competitive required creative incentives to help generate new growth in the region, which is what the CRIZ accomplished. As our region continued to recover from the loss of Bethlehem Steel, the CRIZ looked to leverage new state tax increments to complete difficult development projects in Bethlehem and beyond. The redevelopment of the vacant steel land has proven successful and has created diverse job opportunities that have enabled Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley to flourish and remain one of the most competitive regions, of size, in the Northeast.
In Harrisburg
Currently, Senator Boscola serves as the Chair of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee where she has tirelessly protected consumers from utility rate increases, as well as the Chair for the Game and Fisheries Committee. From 2011 through 2020, Senator Boscola served as Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, where she lead the fight to bring policies into state government that would create family sustaining jobs, protect the rights of victims of crime, reform and reduce the size of state government and promote school to work opportunities.
Along with Consumer Protection and Game and Fisheries, Senator Boscola is also a member of the Banking & Insurance, Communications and Technology, and Law and Justice committees. Senator Boscola is also involved in a number of legislative caucus’ including serving as co-chair of the Economy, Business & Jobs Caucus, the Community College Caucus, and the Competitive Caucus. She is also a member of the Local & School Property Tax Relief Caucus, Legislative Sportsmen Caucus, Fire & Emergency Services Caucus, Early Childhood Education Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus among others. Senator Boscola is also a member of the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Board. One of her most recent accomplishment was being named the 2021 ‘Legislator of the Year’ by the Lehigh Valley Labor Council. Senator Boscola has also recently been named to the ‘City & State 2024 Power of Diversity: Women 100’, and awarded the ‘2022 State Award for Excellence’ by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the ‘Victory Through Service Award’ from ASPIRE, and was named ‘Champion of the Industry’ by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Senator Boscola resides in Bethlehem Township with her husband, Ed Boscola and their furry felines.
For State Representative
House District 135 (incl. the Northampton Co. portion of Bethlehem):
- Steve Samuelson *
Rep. Steve Samuelson is the Democratic Majority Chair of the House Finance Committee. He was previously Democratic Chair of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee.
Serving the state’s senior citizens has always been a priority for Rep. Samuelson. Every year his constituent services office assists more than 900 residents with their Property Tax / Rent Rebate applications.
Before being elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1998, Rep. Samuelson was a legislative aide and clerk to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners for 9 years, an experience giving him a great understanding of the challenges facing local governments. Rep. Samuelson also served as a legislative assistant to state Reps. Paul McHale and Karen Ritter, and was a reporter for the former Globe-Times newspaper.
A Bethlehem resident, Rep. Samuelson is a graduate of Liberty High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Lehigh University. He is a graduate of Leadership Lehigh Valley. He has always been active in his community having served as a PTA Board member at Spring Garden Elementary School, president of the Bethlehem Area Jaycees, a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Humanity of the Lehigh Valley, and a volunteer for Freedom High School Theatre.
He is the father of two grown children, Molly and Michael.
House District 133 (incl. the Lehigh Co. portion of Bethlehem):
- Jeanne McNeill *
Rep. Jeanne McNeill was first elected to serve the 133rd Legislative District in 2017. Although born and raised in Bethlehem, she has lived in the 133rd District for over 27 years, having raised two daughters, Kathleen and Shannon, along with her husband, the late state representative of the 133rd District Daniel McNeill.
Jeanne has always been a champion of those in need. For the past 14 years, she has been employed by CLIU 21 as a skills trainer teaching job skills, independence, and life skills to young adults with disabilities in order to give them the independence, self-esteem and opportunity they need to become productive members of society. Before becoming a skills trainer, Jeanne was employed by Parkland High School in the College Resource Room, assisting students with the difficult selection of which college to attend as well as their field of study.
Community service has always been a top priority for her, from organizing donations for fire victims and fundraising events for cancer patients, to hosting Thanksgiving dinners for those in need and serving spaghetti dinners at her church. Jeanne has always been there for friends and strangers alike and will bring that passion, dedication and willingness to further serve the constituents throughout her legislative district. Jeanne will carry on her late husband’s work, as was his wish, and continue to fight for working families, seniors and women’s rights, against discrimination of any kind, and the right for the physically and mentally challenged to have the same opportunities as the rest of the residents of this commonwealth. She is also committed to addressing the opioid crisis that is plaguing this state and taking more lives young and old every day. She will continue the shared vision of her late husband of bettering the lives of the residents of the 133rd District as well as those across Pennsylvania.
Jeanne lives in Whitehall Township, and spends her free time with her daughters and grandchildren Kenzie, Isabelle, and Lincoln. She attends community events as her schedule permits.
For U.S. Congress (PA District 7)
We have four excellent candidates running in the Democratic Congressional Primary to reclaim our seat in the U.S. Congress this fall. They are (alphabetically):
- Bob Brooks
Bob Brooks has spent his entire life fighting for working families. Whether behind a bar, behind the wheel of a snow plow, or on the floor of the Pennsylvania State Capitol advocating for first responders, Bob has never lost sight of where he comes from or who he’s fighting for.
Bob spent 20 years as a firefighter in the City of Bethlehem. He’s held nearly every position on the truck and every post in his union. As the union President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, Bob took on the politicians for higher wages, better healthcare, and benefits for all workers.
Among Bob’s proudest victories is helping lead the fight to pass mental health coverage for firefighters struggling with PTSI – a ten-year battle he refused to give up on. (His biggest obstacle: Ryan Mackenzie.)
Bob was raised primarily by a single mom who worked as a bartender to keep food on the table. By the time he turned 30, Bob had already held more jobs than most people do in a lifetime: dishwasher, short-order cook, bartender, landscaper, warehouse worker, pizza delivery driver, and more. He moved to Pennsylvania more than 30 years ago and never looked back.
In 2005, Bob joined the fire department and immediately got involved in his union – to help his fellow workers. Over two decades, he helped negotiate fairer contracts, fought for better healthcare, livable wages, and safer working conditions, and became a voice in Harrisburg for working families across the state.
His work isn’t about politics – it’s about fighting for the people. And Bob’s earned the respect of Democrats and Republicans alike by being honest, persistent, and never forgetting who he works for.
Bob also runs Brooks Lawn Care, a small family-operated snow removal and lawn care business he started in 2013. Whether plowing driveways at 4 a.m. or mowing lawns after a firefighting shift, Bob has never stopped hustling to provide for his family.
Bob lives in Nazareth with his wife Jen, with whom he has a family of four children – Keith (a volunteer fire chief himself), Austin, Hunter, and Mason – and is a proud grandpa to two granddaughters, Elliana and Lucy. Bob and Jen raise a bulldog named Aspen.
For over two decades, Bob has coached youth and varsity baseball at Nazareth Area High School.
Earlier this year, Bob retired from his dream job – fighting fires. Bob loves working, but has seen too many of his friends work too many shifts to keep up with rising costs. When Congressman MacKenzie once again voted to cut taxes for billionaires, cut health care for his neighbors, and screw working people, Bob decided to run for Congress.
His tattoo is of a bulldog in a fire helmet.
- Ryan Crosswell
Ryan Crosswell has spent his life in public service, dedicating himself to his country and the values that shaped him growing up in Pennsylvania.
As the proud son of a special education teacher and small business owner, Ryan learned the values of fairness, education, compassion, and perseverance at a young age. He started working in his father’s Coca-Cola warehouse at age 12, which taught him the dignity of a hard day’s work. In high school, Ryan was a competitive runner and District 11 wrestler, and he has kept up as an avid runner ever since. Ryan went on to earn degrees from Vanderbilt University and Duke Law School.
After 9/11, Ryan felt the call to serve, so he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he earned his commission and served as a defense counsel, representing fellow Marines in some of the military’s toughest cases. That experience deepened his belief in due process, justice, and the rule of law. His experience there and the principles he learned have served as his north star throughout the rest of his career. Ryan still serves as a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Ryan became a federal prosecutor, serving in Baton Rouge, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. He prosecuted fraudsters, violent criminals, and drug traffickers, always guided by his oath and the principle of justice being served fair and equally.
Most recently, Ryan served in the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, where he investigated public officials in both parties who abused their power. When he was pressured to drop a case against a politician charged with corruption because he was a political ally of Donald Trump, Ryan resigned rather than compromise the rule of law. Doing what’s right and following his oath to the Constitution has always mattered more to him than protecting his job.
Now, Ryan is running for Congress to serve once again, this time to fight for working people, defend American democracy, and bring integrity back to our government.
Ryan knows that Washington is failing Pennsylvanians right now. As working people here struggle to get by and afford the rising cost of living, D.C. politicians are making the problem worse. They’re threatening the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits Pennsylvanians rely on to make ends meet, while enriching themselves by profiting from their positions and giving their billionaire donors another massive tax cut at the expense of the middle class.
In Congress, Ryan will work to lower costs for hard-working Pennsylvanians, protect their Social Security and Medicare benefits, and fight political corruption and attacks on our rights and freedoms. And he’ll always stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
- Lamont McClure
After Lamont G. McClure was sworn in as County Executive of Northampton County in January 2018, he moved rapidly to make his vision of a greener, healthier, and more economically successful County a reality.
Executive McClure sees the future of Northampton County as ‘green’, ensuring that parks, trails, and open space will still be in place for our children and grandchildren to hunt, fish, and hike. During his time in office, Executive McClure promised to fight against warehouse proliferation, and he’s achieving that by preserving over 622 acres of open space and environmentally sensitive land between 2018 and 2023 and investing $25 million in the preservation of farmland. Since 2018, Northampton County Farmland Preservation has preserved 3,812 acres on 73 farms, with another 1,000 potential acres added to the program in 2024, ensuring future generations benefit from our agricultural heritage.
Gracedale Nursing Home remains in the hands of the County, thanks to Executive McClure. Gracedale, the largest public nursing home under one roof in Pennsylvania and which also took the hardest hit from the pandemic, will continue to be County-owned and County-operated. Additionally, more caseworker positions have been added in the Human Services department to protect our most vulnerable residents better.
In 2020, Executive McClure oversaw the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included establishing drive-through testing sites and allocating PPE to municipalities. With the help of County Council, he distributed over $25 million in grants to 766 small businesses administered through the CARES Act and 1,146 small businesses grants administered through the ARP Act.
Executive McClure accomplished all of this without raising taxes in the five budgets he presented. In fact, he cut taxes by $1 million.
Executive McClure is a lifelong Pennsylvania resident. He attended Wilkes University, majoring in History and International Studies, and in 1995, he earned his Juris Doctorate from The Law School of Duquesne. He began practicing law soon afterward, specializing in workers compensation and asbestos cases. Despite his busy career, he managed to find time to serve his fellow citizens in government.
Executive McClure sat on Northampton County’s Council from 2006 to 2013, where he was best known as a tireless advocate for protecting open space and fighting to keep Gracedale under county control. Mindful of the County’s taxpayers, he authored a law to distribute revenue from casinos to impacted townships, and he led the fight to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
- Carol Obando-Derstine
Carol is an engineer, advocate, educator, and bilingual leader in PA-07 dedicated to serving her community.
Carol was only 3 years old when her family immigrated from Colombia, and while it was a transition full of financial hardship, language barriers, and sacrifices, her family found the better life they were looking for in the U.S.
Her mother was a factory machine operator, and her father was a hospital technician. Learning from her parents’ work ethic, Carol took multiple jobs in high school to contribute and volunteered as a candy striper. Despite her busy schedule, she graduated near the top of her class.
After receiving her master’s from Penn State, Carol went on to build a career dedicated to helping people help themselves. She worked in a Head Start program, oversaw a food pantry, and an after-school program. She became the executive director of two prominent nonprofits: SkillsUSA Council and the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley. At SkillsUSA Council, a nonprofit organization that works with five area career and technical schools, she helped thousands of students launch their careers with the training they received. As the first full-time executive director of the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, she trained hundreds of new child advocates and mobilized residents to champion children’s issues and policies.
After 15 years in the nonprofit sector, U.S. Senator Casey selected Carol to serve as his Regional Manager in Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon counties, as well as his Statewide Latino Affairs Advisor. During her tenure, she connected with thousands of constituents and put them in touch with the services they needed. Impressed with Carol’s results and community engagement, Pennsylvania Governor Wolf asked her to join his Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, where she represented the Lehigh Valley on the commission. She also volunteered with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA, a tech incubator. Moreover, she taught a career exploration class at Northampton Community College.
Carol has nearly a decade of experience in the private sector, working on energy issues at PPL Electric Utilities. During her time there, she earned her second master’s degree in energy systems engineering from Lehigh University. She has helped people and companies lower their utility bills, allowing them to keep more money in their pockets. She also contributed to the region’s economic development by connecting companies to the electric grid, many of which were renewable energy companies.
She and her husband Chad settled in the Lehigh Valley more than 20 years ago and are raising their two children here.