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State Representative, 117th District

Vote for
1
Term
2 years
Candidates
2
Election
Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state representative votes on Pennsylvania laws and the state budget in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Covers the Back Mountain, western and southern Luzerne County: the townships of Black Creek, Butler, Conyngham, Dennison, Dorrance, Fairmount, Foster, Hollenback, Hunlock, Huntington, Lake, Lehman, Nescopeck, Ross, Salem, Slocum, Sugarloaf and Union, and the boroughs of Conyngham, Dallas, Freeland, Harveys Lake, Jeddo, Nescopeck, New Columbus, Nuangola, Penn Lake Park, Shickshinny and White Haven.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Proposes expanding the homestead exemption to reduce property taxes on homeowners.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    • Supports eliminating property taxes through a combination of higher sales and income taxes, per WVIA.
    • Sponsored a bill to repeal the data center sales tax exemption, sending the revenue to the Motor License Fund.In office
    • Voted against the 2026-27 state budget, saying spending beyond the state's means will lead to tax increases.In office

Public safety

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Proposes online child-safety laws, including separating adults from children in games and social media age limits.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    No documented position found.

Education

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Proposes taxing skill games and legalizing marijuana to fund schools, not raising property, income or sales taxes.
    • Calls for further cyber charter reform, holding cyber charters to the same standards as other schools.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    No documented position found.

Economy & jobs

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Calls for PUC scrutiny of utility rate increases, saying profitable utilities should not get them.
    • Proposes legislation against AI-driven price setting and pressure on companies not to replace workers with AI.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    No documented position found.

Roads & infrastructure

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    • Co-sponsored a bill requiring data centers to fund their own grid connections and power supply.In office

Environment & parks

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Supports a three-year moratorium on data centers and letting communities deny large-scale projects.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    • Sponsored a bill letting municipalities place a moratorium on data center applications while revising zoning.In office
    • Proposes exempting Luzerne County from the enhanced vehicle emissions inspection program.In office

Health & human services

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    • Co-sponsors a childcare package with start-up grants, expansion loans and changes to state childcare regulations.In office
    • Signed a letter asking regulators to withdraw the Health Department's proposed disease-control rule rewrite.In office

Government & transparency

  • Jeremy BenscoterDemocratic

    • Says he wants to work across party lines and find a middle ground.

  • Jamie WalshRepublican

    • Proposes a constitutional amendment giving municipalities power to block development projects through zoning.In office

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 8 issues covered in this race.