The Gist
Home

State

State Representative, 80th 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 rest of Blair County outside Altoona and its neighbors: Antis, Blair, Catharine, Frankstown, Freedom, Greenfield, Huston, Juniata, North Woodbury, Snyder, Taylor, Tyrone and Woodbury townships and Bellwood, Duncansville, Hollidaysburg, Martinsburg, Newry, Roaring Spring, Tyrone and Williamsburg boroughs. Also includes Birmingham Borough and Franklin and Warriors Mark townships in Huntingdon County.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    • Calls for earlier bipartisan budget negotiations and more transparency to avoid late budgets.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    • Voted against the 2026-27 state budget, saying it lacked fiscal restraint.In office
    • Lists preserving the Rainy Day Fund and ending the structural deficit as his budget priorities.In office
    • Plans a bill letting host communities charge data centers an optional impact fee per megawatt-hour.In office

Public safety

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    • Plans a bill repealing the Philadelphia-only ban on open carry without a license.In office

Education

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    No documented position found.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    • Says the budget should have included scholarships for students in schools he calls failing.In office
    • Introduced HB 2768 to raise bidding thresholds so schools can finish projects and buy supplies faster.In office

Economy & jobs

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    • Supports farmers through sustainable-practice programs, fair market access and soil health initiatives.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    No documented position found.

Roads & infrastructure

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    • Calls for funding rural broadband expansion and road maintenance.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    • Supports the Ratepayer Protection Act, requiring data center developers to bring their own new power.In office

Environment & parks

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    • Pledges to advocate for air and water quality standards.
    • Pledges to pursue legislation to prevent AI data center development in the district.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    • Says the budget did not advance a Senate bill letting towns pause new data centers for 18 months.In office

Government & transparency

  • Sarah HollandDemocratic

    • Supports vote-by-mail, adequate polling place staffing and voter education.

  • Scott BargerRepublican

    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; 7 issues covered in this race.