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State Representative, 82nd 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 central and northern Centre County: Howard, Milesburg, Snow Shoe and Unionville boroughs; Benner, Boggs, Burnside, College, Curtin, Harris, Howard, Liberty, Marion, Snow Shoe and Union townships; and most of State College borough (the North, Northeast, South 2, Southeast, South Central 1 and 2, PSU, East 3 and East Central 3 precincts).

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Backed the enacted 2025-26 budget, citing no tax increase and a new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit.

Public safety

Education

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Supports parental rights and expanding educational choice.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Calls for reforming cyber charter funding; sponsored H.B. 2544 on principals' contracts, which passed the House.

Housing

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Calls for lower living costs and helping young families afford to buy homes.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Calls housing a basic human right.In office

Economy & jobs

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Calls for reducing regulations on small businesses to encourage job growth.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Supports a living wage and paid family and medical leave; sponsored a rural jobs tax credit fix that passed the House.

Roads & infrastructure

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Says data center developers should bring their own power and fund grid upgrades, with no local NDAs.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Says data centers should pay their own way rather than pass costs to utility ratepayers.
    • Proposes letting utilities run high-voltage transmission lines along interstate highway rights-of-way.In office

Environment & parks

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Calls for preserving farmland and responsible land use.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Sponsored H.B. 2302 to license water well drillers and set well construction standards; it passed the House.

Health & human services

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Supports 'health freedom,' which she defines as informed consent and parental rights.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Sponsored H.B. 1980 requiring one hour of nutrition training in doctors' continuing education; it passed the House.

Government & transparency

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    • Calls for ending the use of surveillance cameras such as Flock, citing the Fourth Amendment.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Supports mail voting, same-day registration and letting independents vote in party primaries.

Courts & justice

  • Kirsten McTernanRepublican

    No documented position found.

  • Paul TakacDemocratic

    • Opposed the state's 2025 decision to close SCI Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp.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; 10 issues covered in this race.