The Gist
State Representative, 97th District
Photo of Steve Mentzer
Steve MentzerOfficial portrait — Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Steve Mentzer

Candidate for State Representative, 97th District

RepublicanIncumbent

Background

Occupation
State representative
Campaign website
repmentzer.com

State representative for the 97th District since 2013 (first elected in 2012) and Republican chair of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee. He was previously a financial consultant at Smith Barney and an account executive at Merrill Lynch, and founded the nonprofit Central American Relief Efforts.

Report

Photo: Official portrait — Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Documented positions

Taxes & budget

  • Calls for budgets based on actual spending data, with more accountability and transparency.

    Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide

    Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · State budget process · onyourballot.vote411.org

    “To produce real budgets and respect taxpayers, we must use real spending figures based on real data.”
    Report

  • Voted for the 2026-27 state budget, saying it protects taxpayers and preserves the Rainy Day Fund.In office

    Mentzer Votes Yes on State Budget

    Public statement · Office of Rep. Steven Mentzer · Jul 12, 2026 · repmentzer.com

    “It protects taxpayers and preserves the state's Rainy Day Fund”
    Report

Economy & jobs

  • Supports tax holidays on consumer goods; says he voted to end an energy tax and pass savings to utility customers.

    Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide

    Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues … Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org

    “I voted to eliminate a costly energy tax here in Pennsylvania and require that utility companies pass the savings on to you. … that temporarily eliminate taxes on widely used consumer goods to reduce costs on everyday items”
    Report

Environment & parks

  • Supports letting municipalities pause data centers and ending data centers' sales tax exemption.

    Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide

    Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Data centers … Data centers · onyourballot.vote411.org

    “allowing local municipalities to place a moratorium on data center development to give them the time to properly study proposals … removing the sales tax exemption enjoyed by data center developers”
    Report

Health & human services

Government & transparency

  • Supports voter ID and updating voter rolls to ensure only eligible people vote.

    Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide

    Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Elections · onyourballot.vote411.org

    “ensuring only those eligible to vote can do so – through Voter ID, updating of the voter rolls, and more”
    Report

  • Proposes capping public officials' annual cost-of-living raise at the Social Security increase.In office

    Co-Sponsorship Memo: COLA Formula Change

    Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Jun 24, 2026 · Introduced as HB 2687 · palegis.us

    “ensure that the annual cost-of-living increase extended to public officials in Pennsylvania does not exceed the annual increase granted to Social Security retirees”
    Report

Other issues in this race

Other candidates in this race addressed these topics. We found no documented position from Steve Mentzer on them.

  • EducationNo documented position found.
  • HousingNo documented position found.

All sources (10)

Positions are summarized from the sources listed and are not inferred from party affiliation. Items marked “Provided by” were published by the candidate's verified campaign or party office under our campaign content standards. See something wrong? Use the Report link beside it, or contact us.