Rep. David Rowe makes a point during a session at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg in December 2024. (Photo courtesy of DAVID ROWE)

MIDDLEBURG – David Rowe might spend much of his time at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, but there is no question the state representative is a champion of the people.

Recently sworn in with other legislators in the House and Senate, Rowe, who represents the 85th legislative district, knows his constituents expect his focus remains far beyond Harrisburg.

The House Republicans’ new policy committee chair, the 2025-26 legislative session has a slate of demanding, wide-ranging issues. The role is that of a standard-bearer for the House GOP — take what’s being discussed in Harrisburg, share it through a conservative lens with constituents across the commonwealth, return to the Capitol with taxpayer input on wide-ranging issues.

“I am proud to represent the conservative values of the 85th district in Harrisburg,” Rowe said. “Among my priorities are advocating for life and for our Second Amendment rights; protecting parental rights in education; advocating for smaller government, lower taxes, and bringing an end to wasteful spending.

“The hard-working people of the 85th District must live within their means; and I believe state government should do the same,” Rowe added. “I have never voted for a tax increase and co-sponsored dozens of bills to cut taxes. I have voted against multiple bloated state budgets. I am a tireless advocate for limiting the size, scope, and growth of government so we can eliminate bureaucratic red tape and empower entrepreneurs and employers to thrive, creating lasting economic prosperity for all Pennsylvanians.”

The 85th legislative district consists of parts of Mifflin County with Decatur and Derry townships and Burnham Borough; parts of Juniata County with Fayette and Monroe townships; all of Snyder County; and part of Union County.

The policy committee chair is a leadership position within either House caucus. Its importance might be heightened for House Republicans, who are again in a minority position in the 203-member lower chamber. The majority split is temporarily tied at 101-101 after a western Pennsylvania Democrat fell ill and was unable to be sworn into office.

With the majority comes the power to dictate the legislative rules and agenda throughout the session in committees and on the chamber floor. A Policy Committee is a respite for the minority party, one legislative Republicans are only recently familiar with since they’ve been the majority in the House for 24 of the past 31 years and also in the Senate each year since 1994.

“The 85th District is one of the largest districts in the Commonwealth and as the only member of the House of Representatives who represents four counties, I make it a priority to spend as much time as I can travelling throughout the district to meet constituents,” Rowe said.

“By doing so, I learn more about the specific issues facing different parts of the district,” Rowe added. “In order to represent the people, I have to know the people and every day is an opportunity to get out and do just that.”

That means donating blood, visiting small business, fairs and festivals, engaging with as many folks in his district as possible. One of his long-standing platforms is to serve as a champion for small businesses.

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is home to over a million small businesses who create close to three million jobs,” Rowe explained. That’s almost half the state’s private workforce.

“Small businesses are not just the backbone of Pennsylvania’s economy, but they are also the backbone of our communities,” Rowe added. “Small business owners are the employers and job creators who keep our families local and help our friends and neighbors put food on their tables. Small business owners are among the first to support community events, sponsor youth sports leagues, and donate to local charitable efforts. We owe a debt of gratitude to these hard working entrepreneurs.”

He hopes his new role will provide him with additional opportunities to serve those who elected him to office.

“I am honored to serve as the House Republican Caucus Policy Chairman,” Rowe said. “In this leadership role, I will advocate for common sense, pro-growth policies across the Commonwealth.

“Pennsylvania continues to be outpaced by more business-friendly states as the Commonwealth has lost at least one congressional seat every decade for the last hundred years,” Rowe added. “With over 160,000 regulations and a permitting process that can take years to navigate, more and more Pennsylvanians are seeking greener pastures in redder states. If we are tired of having to travel to Ohio, Florida, or North Carolina just to visit family, we must take an axe to the red tape and bureaucratic hurdles that stifle private sector growth. We must make Pennsylvania more affordable for working families and retired seniors.”

Rowe, 33, has represented the 85th Legislative District since winning a special election in August 2019. The 2025-26 session marks his third full term and fourth overall.

Rowe’s political career didn’t start long before he joined the House.

In March 2018, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the East Buffalo Township Board of Supervisors in Union County, his first time serving public office.

The now former House Republican policy chair, Rep. Josh Kail, who serves parts of Beaver and Washington counties, said Rowe’s energy, legislative creativity and moral “north star” are the right fit for the role.

“The best part about David, he’s one of those guys I don’t think quite realizes how good he is at this. He is a natural leader,” Kail told reporters before the recent inauguration. “He’ll grow into this role and I think we’ll watch him blossom. He has convictions. He’s not afraid to stand alone. You saw all of that on display his very first day in office.”

Rowe is just one of the local politicians who are champions of the people, through their line of work. The others include:

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (171st District)

Benninghoff was first elected to the General Assembly in 1996. He represents the 171st state House district, which includes Armagh, Bratton, Brown, Granville, Menno, Oliver, Union and Wayne townships and Juniata Terrace, Kistler, Lewistown, McVeytown and Newton Hamilton boroughs in Mifflin County as well as parts of Centre County.

For the 2025-26 legislative session, Benninghoff is serving as Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee. He is also a member of the Gaming Oversight and Rules committees. His resume in the House of Representatives includes service as Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Majority Policy Committee chairman, and Majority Chairman of both the Finance and State Government committees. He also founded and serves as chairman of the bipartisan Cancer Caucus.

According to his website, Benninghoff believes the government should improve the lives of those it serves, recognizing that every dollar the government spends was taken from someone who worked hard to earn it. He is passionate about cancer research and other healthcare initiatives, ensuring an educational system that gives our children a clear path to good-paying careers, being a voice for victims of crime, as well as standing up for seniors while building a better future for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Benninghoff believes taxes should be low and works hard to ensure local dollars are spent wisely. He is a watchdog for government waste, a longtime advocate for greater transparency and supporter of government reform.

Prior to being elected to represent the 171st, Benninghoff worked in construction, cared for patients as a hospital orderly and served Centre County for two terms as county coroner.

Rep. Perry A. Stambaugh (86th District)

A farmer and rural advocate with lifelong ties to his community, Stambaugh owns and operates a 200-acre bicentennial family farm in Green Park, Perry County.

Stambaugh, who serves all of Perry County and most of Juniata County, supports measures that will greatly increase rural residents’ access to high-speed Internet service and backs state constitutional reforms, such as implementing term limits, electing state appellate judges on a district (not statewide) basis, and eliminating property taxes to fund schools.

During the 2025-26 legislative session, Stambaugh was appointed to serve on the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Energy, Finance, and Transportation committees.

Before becoming state representative in 2021, Stambaugh spent his professional career as a rural and agricultural magazine editor on local, statewide, and national levels, notably with Pennsylvania Farmer magazine; Penn Lines magazine, published by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association; and RE Magazine, produced by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

An Eagle Scout, he is a member of the Perry County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, Perry County Bicentennial Committee, Perry County Chamber of Commerce, Perry County Friends of Scouting Breakfast Committee, Landisburg Lions Club, Madison Grange No. 2064, The Perry Historians, Washingtonburg Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Historical Society of Perry County.

Rep. Rich Irvin (81st District)

Rich Irvin was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Nov. 4, 2014. He previously served as the Huntingdon County treasurer for 18 years. Irvin currently serves as the Republican chairman of the House Housing and Community Development Committee.

The 81st Legislative District includes parts of Huntingdon and Franklin counties.

Irvin is pro-life and believes in protecting every law-abiding citizen’s Second Amendment right. He also believes in less government, holding the line on taxes, public pension reform for new hires, true property tax reform and supporting an educational approach that develops every child to their maximum academic potential.

He graduated from Juniata Valley High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Irvin is a longtime member and past president of the Huntingdon County United Way. He is also a board member of the Center for Community Action, a human service agency serving Huntingdon, Bedford and Fulton counties.

Pennsylvania Senate

Sen. Judy Ward (30th District)

Ward was first elected to represent the 30th district in the Pennsylvania Senate on Nov. 6, 2018, after serving two terms representing the interests of local communities in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ 80th District.

Ward is a registered nurse as well as a former small business owner, development professional and wellness coordinator for Ward Transport and Logistics.

In the Senate, Ward has authored new laws providing additional resources to support Pennsylvania farmers; allow temporary nurse aides hired during the COVID-19 emergency declaration to receive certification to continue working in the field; help community-based health centers better meet the needs of patients in underserved areas; provide a tax exemption for any improvements and new construction on blighted properties in deteriorated areas; strengthen penalties for assaults against healthcare practitioners and technicians; protect victims of domestic violence; and expand Pennsylvanians’ access to psychology services.

She also led the fight in the General Assembly to provide transparency and accountability for Pharmacy Benefit Managers, require insurance companies to cover medications and treatments prescribed to patients facing Stage IV metastatic cancer and expand fundraising options for local charities dedicated to helping individuals who have cancer or developmental disabilities.

Ward serves as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, a leadership role that allows her to oversee and advance Pennsylvania’s multimodal transportation infrastructure. This committee focuses on critical issues such as the maintenance of roads and bridges, public transit expansion, and the modernization of airports, ports and railways.

She also serves as a member of the following committees: Aging and Youth (Vice Chair), Health and Human Services, State Government, Institutional Sustainability and Innovation, Rules and Executive Nominations and Policy.

Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver (27th District)

State Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver was elected to serve the residents of the 27th District, which includes Snyder County along with Columbia, Luzerne, Montour and Northumberland counties, in a special election in January 2023.

Schlegel Culver was previously elected to serve seven terms representing the people in the 108th District in the state House of Representatives.

Schlegel Culver is a lifelong resident of Northumberland County and has dedicated her life to serving others. She served for more than 20 years as the staff leader in the office of former state Rep. Merle Phillips.

She learned during that time about the inner workings of state and local government, while she simultaneously provided timely and reliable constituent services to residents who turned to the office for help.

Schlegel Culver has extended her dedication to service beyond her work as a state representative and senator. She also offers her time and talents to many local community organizations, including the Early Learning Investment Committee, Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and Central PA Chamber of Commerce, the Community Giving Foundation, Everyone’s Playground Advisory Council and the United Way of Pennsylvania.

She also serves as a member of Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (CSO) Board of Directors and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) Board of Directors.

Congress

Rep. John Joyce (13th District)

Congressman John Joyce, MD, has represented Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2019.

Joyce’s district contains all of Mifflin, Juniata, Huntingdon and Perry Counties as well as Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin and Fulton counties.

In Congress, Joyce serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as the Vice-Chair of the House GOP Doctor’s Caucus.

Since arriving on Capitol Hill, Joyce has prioritized and championed legislation and initiatives focused on delivering affordable, quality healthcare in rural communities, lowering energy prices, and expanding access to high-speed Internet across southcentral Pennsylvania.

After graduating from Bishop Guilfoyle High School and attending Penn State Altoona, Joyce received his undergraduate degree with honors from Penn State University Park in 1979 and his Doctor of Medicine from Temple University in 1983 before continuing his medical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and with the U.S. Navy in Portsmouth, Va.

A fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Dermatology, Joyce and his wife, Dr. Alice Plummer, Joyce established Altoona Dermatology Associates in 1991, and for over 25 years, the Joyces have cared for families across Central Pennsylvania, serving patients from all ten counties in the 13th Congressional District.

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (15th District)

A life-long resident of Howard, Centre County, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson represents the 15th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prior to being elected to Pennsylvania’s geographically largest congressional district, Thompson spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator.

Through his professional experiences, Thompson has touched the lives of thousands of individuals facing life-altering conditions. As a result, he has learned firsthand the importance of access to quality healthcare and has become a strong advocate for increased access, affordability, quality of care, and patient choice.

An Eagle Scout and 30-plus year veteran of the Juniata Valley Council Boy Scouts of America, Thompson has served as Scoutmaster, Council executive board member and council president, enriching the lives of youth throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Thompson is also a former member of the Bald Eagle Area School Board, past vice-chair of the Private Industry Council of the Central Corridor, and a former Workforce Investment Board member. Because of these experiences, he was appointed to the House Committee on Education and Workforce in 2009.

For more than a decade, Thompson has served as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus. In the 115th Congress, Thompson introduced the Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which passed the House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law by President Donald Trump.