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State

State Representative, 65th 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.

All of Warren County. Crawford County part: Blooming Valley, Cambridge Springs, Centerville, Saegertown, Spartansburg, Venango and Woodcock boroughs, and Athens, Bloomfield, Cambridge, Cussewago, Richmond, Rockdale, Sparta, Venango and Woodcock townships (16 precincts).

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Proposes legalizing marijuana and using the sales tax revenue to replace school property taxes.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    No documented position found.

Education

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Proposes teacher raises, incentives to recruit educators and more help for students with IEPs.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    • Supports bills to limit female school sports teams to athletes who were born female.In office
    • Favors requiring each school district to adopt its own cell phone policy over a statewide ban.In office

Housing

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Proposes $20,000 interest-free down-payment help for first-time buyers building homes under $400,000.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    No documented position found.

Economy & jobs

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Pledges support for local farmers.
    • Proposes cutting the state gas tax, universal childcare and a livable wage.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    No documented position found.

Environment & parks

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Supports state data center laws, saying centers must pay their fair share and not pollute.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    No documented position found.

Health & human services

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Pledges to protect rural health care.
    • Supports universal health care and expanding access to Medicaid and Medicare.
    • Proposes ending SSDI work requirements, raising allowed income and removing savings penalties for disabled people.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    • Calls for changing how the state's Medical Assistance program pays pharmacies, citing independent pharmacy closures.In office
    • Calls for faster release of federal rural health funds and more visa-waiver doctors to address maternity care gaps.In office
    • Opposes vaccine mandates; supports requiring practitioners to offer certain vaccines to older patients.In office
    • Opposes taxpayer funding of abortion through Medical Assistance.In office

Government & transparency

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    • Opposes the 'SAFE Act' and says any voter ID requirement must come with free IDs.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    • Led 85 House members calling on the Department of Health to withdraw its proposed communicable disease rule rewrite.In office

Courts & justice

  • Destiny HowardDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Kathy L. RappRepublican

    • Opposed the House-amended second-degree murder sentencing bill (HB 1042), citing added medical parole provisions.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.