State

State Senator, 16th District

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state senator votes on Pennsylvania laws and the state budget and confirms many of the Governor's appointments.

Lehigh County part: Allentown wards 13 and 18; Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Lowhill, Lynn, North Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Upper Milford, Upper Saucon, Washington and Weisenberg townships; part of South Whitehall Township (districts 3, 6 and 8); and Alburtis, Coopersburg, Macungie and Slatington boroughs. The district also includes part of Bucks County.

Candidates Compare by issue

Mark Pinsley

Democratic

Lehigh County Controller

The gist

Proposes raising the state minimum wage to $22 an hour, then indexing it to the cost of living.
Proposes a standard statewide property assessment process to shift school tax burdens.
Supports a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.
Proposes capping out-of-pocket costs for drugs like insulin and cutting pharmacy middlemen.
Proposes stopping legislators' pay and requiring a public draft 60 days ahead when budgets are late.
Supports more early voting, a paper record for every ballot and routine audits.
Proposes requiring utilities to justify every rate increase and creating a consumer advocacy office.
Calls for short data retention limits if license plate reader cameras are used.
Supports legalizing, regulating and taxing recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older.

More about Mark

View sources (3)

Proposes raising the state minimum wage to $22 an hour, then indexing it to the cost of living.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I will fight to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $22 an hour and adjust it annually to keep pace with the cost of living.”
Issues – VoteMarkPinsley.com
Campaign website · Friends of Mark Pinsley · votemarkpinsley.com
“I will raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $45,000 ($22/hour), then increase it each year with the cost of living.”
Proposes a standard statewide property assessment process to shift school tax burdens.
Issues – VoteMarkPinsley.com
Campaign website · Friends of Mark Pinsley · votemarkpinsley.com
“I will push to standardize property assessments, ensuring that wealthy homeowners pay their fair share, while easing pressure from school taxes.”
Supports a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.
Q&A: Democratic State Senate Candidate Mark Pinsley on Data Centers, Flock Cameras, Health Care and More
Interview · Bucks County Beacon · Sep 15, 2026 · buckscountybeacon.com
“I support a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. … Pennsylvania families should not pay one penny more on their electric bills so Big Tech can power massive data centers.”
Proposes capping out-of-pocket costs for drugs like insulin and cutting pharmacy middlemen.
Issues – VoteMarkPinsley.com
Campaign website · Friends of Mark Pinsley · votemarkpinsley.com
“capping out-of-pocket costs for essential drugs like insulin, and cutting out middlemen that drive up drug prices”
Proposes stopping legislators' pay and requiring a public draft 60 days ahead when budgets are late.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · State budget process … State budget process · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I would require a public draft at least 60 days before the deadline and prohibit any vote unless it has been public for two weeks. … If the deadline is missed, consequences must be immediate and visible. Legislative pay stops, and discretionary funding pauses.”
Supports more early voting, a paper record for every ballot and routine audits.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Elections … Elections · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I support more early voting, clear mail ballot rules, and enough polling places so no one is shut out by time or distance. … Every ballot should have a paper record, and every election should trigger routine audits.”
Proposes requiring utilities to justify every rate increase and creating a consumer advocacy office.
Issues – VoteMarkPinsley.com
Campaign website · Friends of Mark Pinsley · votemarkpinsley.com
“I will require every rate increase to justify itself in plain numbers before it takes effect, and build a real consumer advocacy office”
Calls for short data retention limits if license plate reader cameras are used.
Q&A: Democratic State Senate Candidate Mark Pinsley on Data Centers, Flock Cameras, Health Care and More
Interview · Bucks County Beacon · Sep 15, 2026 · buckscountybeacon.com
“Data should be retained only for a short, clearly defined period – unless it is connected to a specific investigation.”
Supports legalizing, regulating and taxing recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older.
Issues – VoteMarkPinsley.com
Campaign website · Friends of Mark Pinsley · votemarkpinsley.com
“Let's legalize marijuana for adults 21+, regulate it for safety, and tax it fairly.”

Jarrett Coleman

RepublicanIncumbent

State senator; airline pilot

The gist

Pledges to vote only for budgets that spend no more than revenue and grow no faster than inflation.
Voted for House Bill 1667 to end the gross receipts tax on electric bills.
Sponsored Senate Bill 1345 letting municipalities pause new data center applications for up to 18 months.
Sponsored Senate Bill 313 to set statewide standards for pre-election voting equipment testing.
Said at a June 2026 rally that skill games are not gambling and should not be taxed or regulated.
Proposes repealing the data center sales tax exemption and sending the revenue to the Motor License Fund.In office
Co-sponsored Senate Bill 1150 requiring public notice of agenda items before local governments act on them.In office
Sponsored Senate Bill 698 requiring school districts to get a public appraisal before buying real estate.In office
Co-authored Senate Bill 804 to phase out the additive DEHP in IV bags and other medical devices.In office

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

More about Jarrett

View sources (8)

Pledges to vote only for budgets that spend no more than revenue and grow no faster than inflation.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · State budget process · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I committed to voting only for budgets that spend no more than the revenue we bring in and don't grow faster than inflation.”
Coleman Responds to Shapiro's Budget Address: A Campaign Speech, Not a Serious Plan
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Feb 3, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“Draining our savings to pay for everyday expenses is not responsible. It is reckless.”
Voted for House Bill 1667 to end the gross receipts tax on electric bills.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Most pressing issues · onyourballot.vote411.org
“in June I voted for House Bill 1667 to eliminate the gross receipts tax on electric bills”
Sponsored Senate Bill 1345 letting municipalities pause new data center applications for up to 18 months.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Data centers · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I introduced Senate Bill 1345, allowing municipalities to enact temporary moratoriums of up to 18 months on new high-impact data center applications.”
Coleman Data Center Moratorium Legislation Advances in Senate
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Jun 30, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“My legislation empowers local communities to push the pause button on data centers in order to regulate these projects on their own terms.”
Sponsored Senate Bill 313 to set statewide standards for pre-election voting equipment testing.
Pennsylvania State Senator District 16 — VOTE411 Voter Guide
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters Education Fund (VOTE411) · Elections · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I introduced Senate Bill 313 to strengthen equipment testing and establish statewide standards”
Said at a June 2026 rally that skill games are not gambling and should not be taxed or regulated.
Republican State Senator Jarrett Coleman Argues Skill Games Are Not Gambling; State Supreme Court Rules Otherwise
News coverage · Bucks County Beacon · Jul 7, 2026 · buckscountybeacon.com
“skill games should operate under no tax, and no regulation, because they are not gambling.”
Proposes repealing the data center sales tax exemption and sending the revenue to the Motor License Fund.
Coleman to Introduce Bills Addressing Constituent Concerns on Data Centers and Cost of Living
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Apr 16, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“The first bill would repeal the state Computer Data Center Equipment Exemption program, with the resulting revenue directed to the Motor License Fund”
Co-sponsored Senate Bill 1150 requiring public notice of agenda items before local governments act on them.
Stefano, Coleman Sunshine Act Transparency Bill Approved by Committee
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Jun 3, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“This legislation closes that loophole by ensuring Pennsylvanians have the notice they need”
Sponsored Senate Bill 698 requiring school districts to get a public appraisal before buying real estate.
Coleman's Public School Financial Transparency Bill Advances from Committee
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Apr 21, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“my commonsense legislation focuses on establishing the appraisal requirement”
Co-authored Senate Bill 804 to phase out the additive DEHP in IV bags and other medical devices.
Senate Passes Bipartisan Proposal to Phase Out Toxic Additives in IV Bags and Other Medical Devices
Public statement · Office of Sen. Jarrett Coleman · Mar 24, 2026 · senatorcoleman.com
“Senate Bill 804 puts patient health at the center of our health care system, where it belongs”

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.