We continue our series on the candidates for the Pennsylvania State House with a look at Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

Races to Watch

HD 26: Tim Hennessey* (R) vs. Paul Friel (D)

Hennessey, the majority chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has served in the state House since 1993. He supports defunding any municipality that illegally harbors undocumented people with a criminal record, making healthcare more affordable, and rebalancing the tax funding for our school districts.

Friel, president of the Owen J. Roberts school board, believes that abortion is a personal decision between a woman, her family, her faith and her doctor, and supports the creation of a public option for health insurance in Pennsylvania.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+9.9

HD 74: Dan Williams* (D) vs. Dale Hensel (R)

Williams is in search of his third term in Harrisburg. He wants to restore the state’s fair share of educational funding and promote fair funding for all schools. He is is dedicated to defending women’s reproductive freedom and privacy rights for all.

Hensel, wants to eliminate no-excuse mail-in voting, provide school choice, defend the unborn and fight for 2nd Amendment rights.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+14.2

Other Contested Races

HD 13: John Lawrence* (R) vs. David Cunningham (D)

Lawrence has served in the state House since 2011 and is currently chairman of Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order. He has authored legislation combining redundant government services, eliminating government waste, and requiring legislators to submit for drug testing.

Cunningham is replacing Chamir James, who won the Democratic nomination in the May primary but has since withdrawn from the race. A resident of Highland Township, he believes individual and family safety is a basic right and will get common-sense gun laws passed while respecting the 2nd amendment.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: R+3.6

HD 126: Mark Rozzi* (D) vs. James Oswald (R)

Rozzi has served in Harrisburg since 2013. His priorities include eliminating school property taxes, protecting and standing with a women’s right to choose, and raising the minimum wage.

Oswald, a Lower Alsace Township supervisor, says his priorities are eliminating school property tax, assuring state educational funds are distributed in a fair and equitable manner, repairing roads without an increase in fuel tax, and protecting our 2nd amendment rights.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+16.9

HD 127: Manuel “Manny” Guzman Jr.* (D) vs. Vince Gagliardo (R)

Guzman is looking for his second term in the state House. He says he will continue advocating for and working to increase funds for education, infrastructure, senior citizens, affordable housing, and an increase in the minimum wage for all workers.

Gagliardo, a Kenhorst Borough councilman, supports the elimination of school property taxes, term limits, the 2nd Amendment and is pro-life.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+38.6

HD 129: Barry Llewellyn (R) vs. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (D)

Llewellyn believes in the elimination of school property taxes, school choice for parents, fairness in women’s sports, 2nd Amendment rights and respect for all life from conception to natural death.

Cepeda-Freytiz, president of Reading City Council, counts among her priorities protecting the right to vote by mail, supporting gun legislation that will keep illegal guns off of the streets and guns out of the hands of children and youth, and increasing the minimum wage.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+20.9

HD 155: Danielle Friel Otten* (D) vs. Kyle Scribner (R)

Otten is looking for her third term in Harrisburg. Her priorities include fully and equitably funding our public schools, fighting to stop the denial of health insurance coverage because of pre-existing conditions, protecting a woman’s right to choose and a minimum age for gun purchases.

Scribner, chairman of the Board of Supervisors in East Brandywine Township, believes in fixing Pennsylvania’s education funding formula to ensure our schools are properly funded and making healthcare more affordable and accessible and protect those with pre-existing conditions.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+13.0

HD 156: Chris Pielli (D) vs. Heidi Vanderwaal (R)

Pielli, the Chester County Recorder of Deeds, will fight to properly fund our excellent public education system, fight for commonsense gun safety reforms on which the vast majority of us agree, and vigorously defend access to affordable health care to include women’s choice and reproductive rights

Vanderwaal wants to ensure parental rights to their children’s educational choices, fully-fund schools, and publish curriculum to increase transparenc,y and implement fiscal policy that minimizes the effects of historic inflation, like suspending the gas tax.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+19.3

HD 157: Melissa Shusterman* (D) vs. Sarah Marvin

Shusterman is in search of her third term in the state House. She believes that the  legislature has no right to take away a woman’s right to control her own body, passing universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, and supporting Fair Districts to eliminate gerrymandering.

Marvin, an educator and small business owner, supports a parents’ right to make educational choices for their children and believes legislative work must be done to spur economic growth and rebuild our infrastructure to preserve it for future generations.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+19.0

HD 158: Christina Sappey* (D) vs. Leon Spencer (R)

Sappey is looking for her third term in Harrisburg. She will fight for accessible abortion care and birth control so Pennsylvania’s women and their doctors can make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. Sappey believes that healthcare is a universal human right and that it is time for the state to pay its fair share of education funding to provide local property tax relief

Spencer, former mayor of Kennett Square, wants to cut our highest-in-the nation corporate income tax, give parents a stronger voice in their children’s education, and support sensible gun safety measures like universal background checks.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+14.8

HD 167: Kristine Howard* (D) vs. Gail Newman (R)

Howard is looking for her third term in Harrisburg. She has been particularly active on environmental issues, been engaged with issues affecting women and is currently the prime sponsor of the bill to codify the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade in Pennsylvania law.

Newman, a Malvern Borough Republican Committee woman, favors lower taxes, great schools with choice (while protecting public schools), health care choice, and law and order with criminal justice reform.

Dave’s Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+17.6

Unopposed

• HD 5: Barry Jozwiak (R-Berks)
• HD 128: Mark Gillen* (R-Berks/Lancaster)
• HD 130: David Maloney Sr. (R-Berks)