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Arvind Venkat

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Arvind Venkat
Image of Arvind Venkat
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30
Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

$106,422.33/year

Per diem

$185/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Harvard University, 1996

Graduate

Harvard University, 1996

Medical

Yale University, 2000

Personal
Religion
Hindu
Profession
Physician
Contact

Arvind Venkat (Democratic Party) is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 30. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on November 30, 2026.

Venkat (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 30. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Venkat completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Arvind Venkat earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1996, a graduate degree from Harvard University in 1996, and an M.D. from Yale University in 2000. Venkat's career experience includes working as an emergency physician.[1]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Venkat was assigned to the following committees:


Elections

2024

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Arvind Venkat defeated Nathan Wolfe and William Baierl in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Arvind Venkat
Arvind Venkat (D) Candidate Connection
 
54.3
 
21,896
Nathan Wolfe (R)
 
44.0
 
17,748
William Baierl (L)
 
1.7
 
676
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
34

Total votes: 40,354
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Arvind Venkat advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on April 23, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Arvind Venkat
Arvind Venkat Candidate Connection
 
98.6
 
7,200
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.4
 
105

Total votes: 7,305
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Nathan Wolfe advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on April 23, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Nathan Wolfe
 
98.8
 
5,178
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.2
 
65

Total votes: 5,243
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Venkat in this election.

2022

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Arvind Venkat defeated Cindy Kirk in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Arvind Venkat
Arvind Venkat (D) Candidate Connection
 
55.3
 
18,757
Image of Cindy Kirk
Cindy Kirk (R) Candidate Connection
 
44.7
 
15,136

Total votes: 33,893
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Arvind Venkat advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Arvind Venkat
Arvind Venkat Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
7,959

Total votes: 7,959
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Cindy Kirk defeated Thomas Fodi in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cindy Kirk
Cindy Kirk Candidate Connection
 
81.5
 
6,392
Image of Thomas Fodi
Thomas Fodi
 
18.5
 
1,455

Total votes: 7,847
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

To view Venkat's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Arvind Venkat completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Venkat's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Dr. Arvind Venkat is an emergency physician who has practiced in Western Pennsylvania for the last 17 years. In 2022, Dr. Venkat was elected as the State Representative for the 30th Legislative District of Pennsylvania, becoming the first Indian-American to serve in the State House and the first physician in the General Assembly in 60 years. In his community, he previously served on the Board of the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority and serves as a consultant to the Western PA Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training collaborative. Dr. Venkat is a Past President of the PA College of Emergency Physicians. A graduate of Harvard University and the Yale University School of Medicine, Arvind resides in McCandless Township, PA with his wife and three children.
  • As an ER doc, I have cared for my neighbors in their times of crisis and bring that experience and perspective in serving them as their State Representative.
  • I am focused on protecting abortion rights, funding our first responders and public schools, enacting medical debt relief and making healthcare in general more affordable and accessible, passing gun safety legislation, and preserving voting rights and our democracy.
  • I went into emergency medicine to care for everyone no questions asked and to be a voice for those who often do not have one and can only get care from me in the ER. I understand from my lived professional experience that when we raise the working and middle class, we help everyone and make our communities stronger. I bring that viewpoint to Harrisburg as our State Representative.
1. As the only physician in our General Assembly, I have focused on healthcare policy as well as how other areas of public policy - safe communities, good schools, raising the minimum wage - affect the health and well-being of our communities.

2. I strongly believe that abortion rights must be protected to ensure reproductive healthcare and personal liberty are preserved.

3. The ultimate foundation of our representative government is respect for voting rights and our election results regardless of their outcome. That can no longer be taken for granted and will be decided in our state government in Pennsylvania and beyond. I have prioritized expanding ballot access and ensuring elections are decided by all eligible voters.
I look up to my parents who immigrated here from India when I was a baby and built a successful life for themselves and our family while serving their community as physicians. They taught me the value of family, service, and community that informed my decision to become an ER doc and try to serve my community in a new way as a State Representative.

I believe Abraham Lincoln epitomizes what we hope to see in our political leaders - steadfast, values driven, able to change while holding true to their moral center.

I believe Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. exemplify how we can fight injustice in a peaceful, yet effective way.
The Emancipation Proclamation epitomizes what I believe should be the core philosophy of any elected official in our country.
1. Honesty

2. Integrity
3. Proven Judgement

4. Steadfastness and Ability to Address Crises Effectively
I believe my career as an emergency physician and in the community show that I am honest, have integrity, proven judgement, and a tested ability to help my neighbors in their time of crisis. These are the qualities I bring in my service as our State Representative.
1. Engaging with the community and ensuring that constituent services are executed effectively for them.

2. Representing the interests of my constituents in the deliberations and votes of the State House.

3. Thoughtful consideration of how our legislative actions improve the lives of my constituents and all Pennsylvanians.
I hope I am remembered as having represented my community faithfully, diligently, and successfully. My hope is that the policies for which I have advocated are codified in law.
I remember the Miracle on Ice in 1980. I was 6 years old and can remember feeling excited to see the US win even while there were other struggles like the Iran Hostage Crisis that I also remember from that time.
My first job was working as a checkout person at KMart in the summer after high school. I had it for three months. I remember wanting to use my first paycheck to take out my family to dinner and realizing at the end of dinner that I was well short, despite having worked nearly full time over those two weeks. That was the first time I realized the vast gap between what working class people make and what they can afford.
Robert Caro, Master of the Senate - Love both the historical detail and narrative beauty explaining why politics and political power is both ennobling and frightening at the same time.
I continue to practice as an emergency physician. I struggle when despite my best effort, I lose patients.
This relationship should be collaborative while recognizing that we have separate electoral mandates and roles within our system of government.
Flat to declining population. We need to be more welcoming to immigrant populations who can help bolster our economy.
I believe we need people from all backgrounds in state office. As the only physician in elected state-level office, I bring a unique perspective to healthcare policy and other areas of importance to my community and state.
Yes. Legislative activity is by its nature collaborative. It requires good relationships.
I appreciate the work of Nancy Pelosi and Liz Cheney as sincere legislators for their viewpoints who also worked to elevate the common good.
I had a resident of my district tell me how challenging it was to care for her children and her aging parents during the pandemic while holding down a job where she had to work in person during the pandemic. To me, this exemplified how we ran our public services at the ragged edge and when crisis hit, we shut down as we were unsure of their ability to cope with all the consequences that followed. As an emergency physician, I see similar gaps and want as a legislator to ensure we never have to go through such tragedies again by ensuring our public services have the resources they need to serve all of us.
You always can tell a Harvard man, but you can’t tell him much.
I believe that there are circumstances when emergency powers can be granted with oversight. Emergency powers should not be granted without oversight.
My first bill was to enact medical debt relief in our state and enhance protections for patients from accruing new medical debt. It has passed the State House and is now part of the Governor’s budget proposal.
I serve on all of the healthcare related committees and am interested in those and other committees that address the economic development and working conditions of our state.
Both financial transparency and government accountability is clear. I have published my expenses as a legislator monthly and refuse all gifts. I only accept reimbursement for expenses and no per diems. Finally, I have knocked on over 20,000 doors in my district over the last two years and will continue to do so to stay connected with my neighbors and constituents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Candidate Connection

Arvind Venkat completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Venkat's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Dr. Arvind Venkat is an emergency physician who has practiced in Western Pennsylvania for the last 15 years. Dr. Venkat is core faculty in the emergency medicine residency program and System Chair of Clinical Ethics at Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, and Professor of Emergency Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. In his community, he serves on the Board of the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority and as a consultant to the Western PA Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training collaborative. Dr. Venkat is a Past President of the PA College of Emergency Physicians. A graduate of Harvard University and the Yale University School of Medicine, Arvind resides in McCandless Township, PA with his wife and three children.
  • As an ER doc, I have cared for my neighbors in their times of crisis and will bring that experience and perspective in serving them in a new way as their State Representative.
  • We need legislators who understand how healthcare is actually delivered. I would be the only physician in the General Assembly and can bring that perspective on behalf of our community.
  • I went into emergency medicine to care for everyone no questions asked and to be a voice for those who often do not have one and can only get care from me in the ER. I understand from my lived professional experience that when we raise the working and middle class, we help everyone and make our communities stronger. I will bring that viewpoint to Harrisburg as our State Representative.
1. We must make healthcare more affordable and accessible. I will fight to reduce copayments, deductibles, and premiums, work to increase Medicaid resources to allow our elderly to age at home, and develop programs to incentivize appropriate staffing in ERs, hospitals, and other acute care clinical settings on which we all depend.

2. My community has seen significant population growth, but our infrastructure has not kept up. I will fight to improve our roads, bridges, sewer systems, parks, and other infrastructure that are critical to the residents of the 30th district.

3. We have seen during the pandemic how poorly resourced our public services - schools, police, EMS, and fire - were. I will work to ensure these vital services have the resources they need to be there for all of us in our time of need.
I look up to my parents who immigrated here from India when I was a baby and built a successful life for themselves and our family while serving their community as physicians. They taught me the value of family, service, and community that informed my decision to become an ER doc and try to serve my community in a new way as a State Representative.

I believe Abraham Lincoln epitomizes what we hope to see in our political leaders - steadfast, values driven, able to change while holding true to their moral center.

I believe Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. exemplify how we can fight injustice in a peaceful, yet effective way.
1. Honesty

2. Integrity
3. Proven Judgement

4. Steadfastness and Ability to Address Crises Effectively
I believe my career as an emergency physician and in the community show that I am honest, have integrity, proven judgement, and a tested ability to help my neighbors in their time of crisis. These are the qualities I will bring in my serving as our State Representative.
I remember the Miracle on Ice in 1980. I was 6 years old and can remember feeling excited to see the US win even while there were other struggles like the Iran Hostage Crisis that I also remember from that time.
My first job was working as a checkout person at KMart in the summer after high school. I had it for three months. I remember wanting to use my first paycheck to take out my family to dinner and realizing at the end of dinner that I was well short, despite having worked nearly full time over those two weeks. That was the first time I realized the vast gap between what working class people make and what they can afford.
Robert Caro, Master of the Senate - Love both the historical detail and narrative beauty explaining why politics and political power is both ennobling and frightening at the same time.
They belong to co-equal and separate branches of government who must represent their individual constituencies while finding common ground for both local communities and the state as a whole. If both are focused on recognizing these realities, there is grounds for optimism in working together with the natural tensions that come in their political relationship.
1. Ensuring we make healthcare affordable and accessible for all Pennsylvanians.

2. Rebuilding our infrastructure in an environmentally responsible way.

3. Making sure our public services on which we all depend - schools, police, EMS, and fire - have the resources to be able to serve our communities well.
Yes. The only way to get things done is by recognizing that we must understand the perspectives of other members of good faith and common purpose. Building relationships with other legislators is critical to doing so, regardless of party.
I believe we need a non-partisan redistricting process that does not involve those whose offices are being redistricted. Voters should choose their political leaders. Political leaders should not choose their voters.
I had a resident of my district tell me how challenging it was to care for her children and her aging parents during the pandemic while holding down a job where she had to work in person during the pandemic. To me, this exemplified how we ran our public services at the ragged edge and when crisis hit, we shut down as we were unsure of their ability to cope with all the consequences that followed. As an emergency physician, I see similar gaps and want as a legislator to ensure we never have to go through such tragedies again by ensuring our public services have the resources they need to serve all of us.
I believe that every policymaker needs to have a moral center. For me, that is fighting to ensure government is on the side of middle and working class families and that their interests are elevated. From that moral center, one can find compromise on policy making details and that is both necessary and desirable to get things done.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Arvind Venkat campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30Won general$843,977 $591,934
2022Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30Won general$1,617,057 $1,319,211
Grand total$2,461,034 $1,911,146
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Pennsylvania

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

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2024


2023









See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 31, 2022

Political offices
Preceded by
Lori Mizgorski (R)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30
2022-Present
Succeeded by
-


Leadership
Speaker of the House:Joanna McClinton
Majority Leader:Kerry Benninghoff
Minority Leader:Jesse Topper
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