State

State Representative, 171st 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 eastern Centre County (Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Millheim boroughs; Gregg, Haines, Miles, Penn, Potter, Spring and Walker townships) and most of Mifflin County (Lewistown, Juniata Terrace, Kistler, McVeytown and Newton Hamilton boroughs; Armagh, Bratton, Brown, Granville, Menno, Oliver, Union and Wayne townships). Mifflin County's Burnham borough and Decatur and Derry townships are in the 85th District instead.

Candidates Compare by issue

John Zangari

Democratic

Administrative assistant, Penn State Department of Sociology and Criminology · Lewistown

The gist

Calls for raising the minimum wage.
Calls for ending corporate tax loopholes and moving away from flat-rate taxes to give working families relief.
Proposes phasing out horse-racing subsidies and redirecting the money to schools and infrastructure.
Calls for banning lobbyist-funded perks, restricting dark money and term limits for legislative leaders.
Supports easing local zoning to allow duplexes and townhomes, and more help for first-time buyers.
Supports reserving jail for dangerous offenders and expanding treatment for non-violent offenses.
Supports background checks on private gun sales and a 3-day waiting period.
Proposes turning the former SCI Rockview prison land into a state park.
Calls for caps on high-cost treatments and prescription drugs and itemized medical billing.

More about John

View sources (5)

Calls for raising the minimum wage.
Zangari announces campaign for state House District 171
News coverage · Centre County Gazette (StateCollege.com) · Apr 30, 2026 · statecollege.com
“It's long past time working people got a raise. If elected, I will work tirelessly to get that done.”
Calls for ending corporate tax loopholes and moving away from flat-rate taxes to give working families relief.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Affordability: A Fairer Tax Structure · votezangari.com
“End corporate tax loopholes and shift away from flat-rate taxes so large corporations pay their fair share and working families get tax relief.”
Proposes phasing out horse-racing subsidies and redirecting the money to schools and infrastructure.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Accountability: End Corporate Welfare · votezangari.com
“Redirect wasteful spending … toward public schools, local infrastructure, and lower taxes for small businesses.”
Zangari announces bid for 171st District House seat
News coverage · The Sentinel (Lewistown) · Feb 19, 2026 · lewistownsentinel.com
“phasing out subsidies such as the Race Horse Development Fund”
Calls for banning lobbyist-funded perks, restricting dark money and term limits for legislative leaders.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Accountability: Clean Up Harrisburg · votezangari.com
“Ban politicians from using lobbyist-funded cash for personal perks, restrict dark money in elections, and institute smart term limits for legislative leadership”
Supports easing local zoning to allow duplexes and townhomes, and more help for first-time buyers.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Affordability: Expand Housing Supply … Affordability: Expand Housing Supply · votezangari.com
“Cut rigid local restrictions to allow duplexes, townhomes, and affordable multi-family options. … Expand down-payment assistance and low-interest financing for first-time buyers.”
Supports reserving jail for dangerous offenders and expanding treatment for non-violent offenses.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Smart Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform · votezangari.com
“we must reserve jail for dangerous offenders, expand treatment for non-violent offenses, and ensure real oversight”
Supports background checks on private gun sales and a 3-day waiting period.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Common-Sense Gun Safety · votezangari.com
“closing background check loopholes on private sales and introducing a reasonable 3-day waiting period”
Proposes turning the former SCI Rockview prison land into a state park.
Zangari proposes state park for former Rockview prison land
News coverage · The Sentinel (Lewistown) · Sep 3, 2026 · lewistownsentinel.com
“My plan would preserve this rich farmland for our farmers to till, protect our Spring Creek watershed”
Fact check: What Centre County's PA House candidates think should happen to Rockview land
News coverage · Centre Daily Times (via Yahoo News) · Sep 17, 2026 · John Zangari, challenger · yahoo.com
“decide what land should go where and then designate the rest as a state park”
Calls for caps on high-cost treatments and prescription drugs and itemized medical billing.
John on Policy
Campaign website · Friends of John Zangari · Affordability: Healthcare & Prescription Relief · votezangari.com
“Put strict caps on high-cost treatments and prescription drugs, mandate transparent itemized billing, and stop predatory medical debt.”

Kerry A Benninghoff

RepublicanIncumbent

State representative · Bellefonte

The gist

Says decisions on the former Rockview prison land should move slowly and follow the required process.
Proposes using $2.5 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for bridge repairs instead of bonding $500 million.In office
Sponsored a bill giving businesses a tax credit for building truck parking spaces.In office
Sponsored the law (Act 3 of 2026) setting up online auto insurance verification to avoid registration suspensions.In office
Co-sponsored a bill to keep state government funded at 85% of prior-year levels during a budget impasse.In office
Proposes requiring data centers to replace or restore water supplies they pollute or drain.In office
Proposes regulating skill games, grandfathering existing machines, without a new special tax.In office
Proposes more dedicated funding to cut the waitlist for intellectual-disability home and community services.In office

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

More about Kerry

View sources (8)

Says decisions on the former Rockview prison land should move slowly and follow the required process.
Fact check: What Centre County's PA House candidates think should happen to Rockview land
News coverage · Centre Daily Times (via Yahoo News) · Sep 17, 2026 · House District 171 … House District 171 · yahoo.com
“I think we need to be slow in moving on it, but also smart in moving on it … By not rushing though, guess what? That land still remains green space”
Proposes using $2.5 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for bridge repairs instead of bonding $500 million.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Increased Transportation Funding
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Jul 1, 2025 · Memo … Memo · palegis.us
“my legislation authorizes $2.5 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to be provided to PennDOT, at $500 million for the next five fiscal years … It is not responsible to bond $500 million of taxpayer dollars”
Sponsored a bill giving businesses a tax credit for building truck parking spaces.
Shapiro Administration Follows Through on Benninghoff Request for Increase in Statewide Truck Parking
Public statement · Office of Rep. Kerry Benninghoff · Jan 28, 2026 · Press release, Jan. 28, 2026 · kerrybenninghoff.com
“Benninghoff authored legislation early last year that would give businesses a tax credit for building additional truck parking spaces”
Sponsored the law (Act 3 of 2026) setting up online auto insurance verification to avoid registration suspensions.
Benninghoff's Consumer-Friendly Auto Insurance Legislation Becomes Law
Public statement · Office of Rep. Kerry Benninghoff · Feb 12, 2026 · Press release, Feb. 12, 2026 · kerrybenninghoff.com
“protect drivers from facing a 90-day suspension of his or her vehicle registration when changing auto insurance carriers”
Co-sponsored a bill to keep state government funded at 85% of prior-year levels during a budget impasse.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Temporary Budget Continuity Act
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Apr 13, 2026 · Memo · palegis.us
“continue operations of the Commonwealth during a budget impasse at 85% of the prior fiscal year's state appropriations”
Proposes requiring data centers to replace or restore water supplies they pollute or drain.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Data Centers: Water Supply Protection
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Jul 13, 2026 · Memo · palegis.us
“requiring them to replace or restore water supplies affected by pollution or diminution from their operations”
Proposes regulating skill games, grandfathering existing machines, without a new special tax.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Skills Game Regulation
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Apr 1, 2025 · Memo … Memo · palegis.us
“My legislation will grandfather all existing legal skill game terminals currently operating in the commonwealth … I will not propose an additional burdensome "special" tax on these establishments”
Proposes more dedicated funding to cut the waitlist for intellectual-disability home and community services.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Providing Dedicated Funding to Reduce the Waitlist for Home and Community-Based Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Dec 11, 2024 · Memo · palegis.us
“This legislation would strengthen that dedicated stream of funding by recognizing the whole breadth of savings from closing the state centers”

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.