State

State Representative, 97th 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.

Lancaster County: Conestoga, East Lampeter, Pequea and West Lampeter townships; part of Manheim Township (districts 2, 6, 12 and 13); and part of Manor Township (Hershey Mill, Indiantown, Leisure, Manor, New, New East and Washington Boro districts).

Candidates Compare by issue

Jess Branas

Democratic

Consultant and educator · East Lampeter Township

The gist

Supports affordable health care, with medical decisions left to patients and their doctors.
Supports raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage.
Supports fully funded public schools.
Calls for more housing funding, tenant protections and raising the eviction ceiling.
Proposes eliminating flat customer charges ("junk fees") on utility bills.
Supports starting the budget earlier and freezing legislators' pay when the budget is late.
Opposes data centers in Pennsylvania and calls for state rules on their energy and water use and reporting.
Calls for more help at the polls for seniors.

More about Jess

View sources (2)

Supports affordable health care, with medical decisions left to patients and their doctors.
Issues - JESS 4 PA
Campaign website · Friends of Jess Branas · Affordable and Reliable Healthcare · jess4pa.com
“that covers you when you're sick, and that puts decisions back in the hands of you and your doctor”
Supports raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage.
Issues - JESS 4 PA
Campaign website · Friends of Jess Branas · Affordability & Raising the Minimum Wage … Affordability & Raising the Minimum Wage · jess4pa.com
“it's the first real step toward making our communities affordable again … That's why raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage isn't just a line on a resume”
Supports fully funded public schools.
Issues - JESS 4 PA
Campaign website · Friends of Jess Branas · Public School Funding · jess4pa.com
“I believe in strong, fully-funded public schools where teachers are supported, classrooms are stocked, and our kids are prepared to take on the future.”
Calls for more housing funding, tenant protections and raising the eviction ceiling.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org
“we must increase funding for housing, defend tenants' rights, and support current legislation that raises the eviction ceiling”
Proposes eliminating flat customer charges ("junk fees") on utility bills.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I will fight to erase the … junk fees … seen as flat customer charges on utility bills.”
Supports starting the budget earlier and freezing legislators' pay when the budget is late.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · State budget process · onyourballot.vote411.org
“If it's delayed, I support freezing legislators' pay until they finish their job.”
Opposes data centers in Pennsylvania and calls for state rules on their energy and water use and reporting.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Data centers … Data centers · onyourballot.vote411.org
“First and foremost, I am opposed to data centers coming into our commonwealth. … it's also imperative that we create regulations that ensure usage reporting and expenditures to provide transparency of operations of these facilities to the public”
Calls for more help at the polls for seniors.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Elections · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I would, however, like to see more help available for seniors that come to the polls.”

Steve Mentzer

RepublicanIncumbent

State representative

The gist

Supports tax holidays on consumer goods; says he voted to end an energy tax and pass savings to utility customers.
Supports voter ID and updating voter rolls to ensure only eligible people vote.
Calls for budgets based on actual spending data, with more accountability and transparency.
Supports letting municipalities pause data centers and ending data centers' sales tax exemption.
Voted for the 2026-27 state budget, saying it protects taxpayers and preserves the Rainy Day Fund.In office
Proposes capping public officials' annual cost-of-living raise at the Social Security increase.In office
Proposes stronger state oversight of Area Agencies on Aging and elder abuse investigations.In office

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

More about Steve

View sources (4)

Supports tax holidays on consumer goods; says he voted to end an energy tax and pass savings to utility customers.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues … Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I voted to eliminate a costly energy tax here in Pennsylvania and require that utility companies pass the savings on to you. … that temporarily eliminate taxes on widely used consumer goods to reduce costs on everyday items”
Supports voter ID and updating voter rolls to ensure only eligible people vote.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Elections · onyourballot.vote411.org
“ensuring only those eligible to vote can do so – through Voter ID, updating of the voter rolls, and more”
Calls for budgets based on actual spending data, with more accountability and transparency.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · State budget process · onyourballot.vote411.org
“To produce real budgets and respect taxpayers, we must use real spending figures based on real data.”
Supports letting municipalities pause data centers and ending data centers' sales tax exemption.
Pennsylvania State Representative District 97 - VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Data centers … Data centers · onyourballot.vote411.org
“allowing local municipalities to place a moratorium on data center development to give them the time to properly study proposals … removing the sales tax exemption enjoyed by data center developers”
Voted for the 2026-27 state budget, saying it protects taxpayers and preserves the Rainy Day Fund.
Mentzer Votes Yes on State Budget
Public statement · Office of Rep. Steven Mentzer · Jul 12, 2026 · repmentzer.com
“It protects taxpayers and preserves the state's Rainy Day Fund”
Proposes capping public officials' annual cost-of-living raise at the Social Security increase.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: COLA Formula Change
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Jun 24, 2026 · Introduced as HB 2687 · palegis.us
“ensure that the annual cost-of-living increase extended to public officials in Pennsylvania does not exceed the annual increase granted to Social Security retirees”
Proposes stronger state oversight of Area Agencies on Aging and elder abuse investigations.
Co-Sponsorship Memo: Ensuring Proper Safeguards for Older Pennsylvanians
Government record · Pennsylvania House of Representatives · Sep 25, 2026 · palegis.us
“ensure the Department of Aging provides proper oversight of Pennsylvania's 52 Area Agencies on Aging”

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.