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State Representative, 126th 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.

Part of the City of Reading, Laureldale, Mount Penn and St. Lawrence boroughs, Lower Alsace and Muhlenberg townships, and part of Exeter Township.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Calls for earlier budget negotiations, a focus on core services and on-time state budgets.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    No documented position found.

Public safety

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports law enforcement and community policing and a firm stance on violent crime and repeat offenders.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    No documented position found.

Education

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports expanding school choice, curriculum transparency and parental rights in education.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    • Sponsored a House-passed bill creating grants to modernize career and technical education curriculum.In office
    • Proposes restarting state reimbursement for school construction (PlanCon) to ease property tax burdens.In office

Housing

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    • Sponsored a House-passed bill requiring insurers to tell homeowners about flood insurance and its cost.In office
    • Supports more housing assistance funding, incentives for affordable housing and stronger tenant protections.In office

Economy & jobs

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports cutting regulations on small businesses and reducing wasteful state spending.
    • Supports protecting natural gas jobs and letting solar and renewables compete in a free market.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    No documented position found.

Roads & infrastructure

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    • Hosted a flood-risk hearing and says local flood mitigation needs more state and federal help.In office

Environment & parks

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports data center development with basic state standards but local control of zoning and land use.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    • Sponsored a House-passed bill requiring new warehouses to be built solar-ready, with retrofit tax credits.In office

Health & human services

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports redirecting state resources toward veterans' programs.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    • Supports policies to expand health care access and lower costs.
    • Supports protecting marriage equality and women's reproductive rights.

Government & transparency

  • Miguel VasquezRepublican

    • Supports accurate voter rolls, ballot chain of custody and post-election audits, plus voter education.

  • Jacklyn RusnockDemocratic

    No documented position found.

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; 9 issues covered in this race.