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Chris Rodkey
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Chris Rodkey (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 93. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Rodkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Chris Rodkey was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 1999, a graduate degree from the University of Chicago in 2002, and a Ph.D. from Drew University in 2008. His career experience includes working as a pastor, professor, and small business owner.
Rodkey has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Dallastown Area Educational Foundation, member
- Dallastown Communities that Care, member
- Dallastown-Yoe Ministerium of Churches, treasurer and former president
- Cub Scout Pack 43 (Dallastown), committee chair
- Penn Central Conference, UCC, board member
Elections
2022
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 93
Incumbent Mike Jones defeated Chris Rodkey and Kristine Cousler-Womack in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 93 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Jones (R) | 62.9 | 18,930 |
 | Chris Rodkey (D)  | 34.1 | 10,241 | |
 | Kristine Cousler-Womack (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania) | 3.0 | 901 | |
| Total votes: 30,072 | |||
| = 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 93
Chris Rodkey advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 93 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Rodkey | 99.1 | 4,112 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 36 | ||
| Total votes: 4,148 | |||
| = 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 93
Incumbent Mike Jones advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 93 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Jones | 98.8 | 8,864 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 104 | ||
| Total votes: 8,968 | |||
| = 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 Rodkey's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Rodkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodkey's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a pastor, professor, small business owner, and parent in Dallastown. I'm a Judge of Elections, member of the Dallastown Area Educational Foundation, and an active volunteer in scouting. I am a known activist in the community for voting rights, religious tolerance, racial justice, and public health.
- I believe that children should have the resources they need to succeed in schools. York County has the most under-funded schools in the state; no legislators in southern York will even admit that this is happening. We are subsidizing wealthier parts of the state with our taxes. Our local representatives will not acknowledge that this is even happening and are working against fixing the problem.
- The state needs to take an active and interested role in addressing the opioid and fentanyl crisis for 2022 realities instead of 2017. Our state legislators allowed emergency orders to expire, have yet to institute any of those programs and provisions. Our representative has said I am the only person in this district or in Harrisburg who has told him that they care about this issue. Obviously, this is a position completely disconnected to the real lives of real people in this community.
- I support the working class. This includes property tax relief, tax reform for small businesses, expansion of support for entrepreneurs, wide investment in technology and energy infrastructure, providing affordable avenues to higher education and attracting our young people to stay in the state.
1. Education.
2. Public health and the opioid/fentanyl crisis.
3. The economy: support for the working class, tax relief.
4. Election reform based in the real world.
5. Civil rights protections for LGBTQ and firearm ownership.
6. Protecting free speech from extremists.
7. Energy reform and expansion: PA should be the world leader in emerging energy technology.
8. Stewardship of the land.
9. Cannabis: Learn from mistakes of other states; protect farmers and veterans; criminal justice reform.
10. Keeping higher education accessible & affordable.
My parents. More directly, as a pastor I have several models of courage whose lives and legacy are inspiring to me. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a pastor, professor, and activist who was able to connect deep religious ideas to the plight against racial injustice, and how race and class must be understood together. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who returned to Germany after escaping to the US, feeling that he had abandoned his people. He stood up against the state take-over of the church and worked covertly to undermine Hitler. His writings from prison leading up to his execution are some of the most formative things I have read. Finally, Rinehold Niebuhr was a pastor, political theorist, and theologian who connected the life of a faith grounded in Reformed Christianity in ways that had relevant and, in some cases, devastating critique and plans of action and practice against economic injustice. Most people who are in addiction recovery know his words, if not his name, from his famous "Serenity Prayer."
The Bible is without question the most influential book upon my life, and I understand it as a deeply political text written by an oppressed people.
I have studied political philosophy as part of education; so the whole field of political philosophy and its history of ideas is relevant to me. I particularly like how classical political philosophy influenced American democracy, and enjoy teaching and thinking through the ideas of Plato, Locke, Lessing, Adam Smith, Baldwin, Niebuhr. I enjoy reading Zizek's philosophy, even if I don't agree with him; right now I'm reading a bit of the economic philosophy of Mises, even if I'm not really on board with all of his ideas, it's important for me to understand.
I have studied political philosophy as part of education; so the whole field of political philosophy and its history of ideas is relevant to me. I particularly like how classical political philosophy influenced American democracy, and enjoy teaching and thinking through the ideas of Plato, Locke, Lessing, Adam Smith, Baldwin, Niebuhr. I enjoy reading Zizek's philosophy, even if I don't agree with him; right now I'm reading a bit of the economic philosophy of Mises, even if I'm not really on board with all of his ideas, it's important for me to understand.
Educated on issues, actually read bills before voting, honesty with constituents, openness to divergent opinions, a pragmatic or utilitarian approach to law.
Active listener; willingness to learn about issues from a variety of perspectives; critical thinking; desire to honestly communicate state government issues.
Legislate, serve the state and local community. Help connect citizens to services.
The Challenger explosion - January 28, 1986. I was nine. We followed the story of the challenger and the teacher on board, Christa McAuliffe, in elementary school and through our Weekly Readers. I remember something happening, the teachers gathering in the hallway, and apparently a decision was made not to tell us. I came home and I remember my mother was surprised no one had said anything to us. And then we watched the video of the explosion over and over on television.
I mowed lawns and mopped entranceways to apartments as a child, and later delivered newspapers for The Columbia News until they went out of business. I then worked in a grocery store, first as a cashier, and essentially in every department including customer service management. I did this at the same store for six years, which started as a Fox's Food Market and later became a Redner's Warehouse Market. That store has changed hands several times since and is now a Weis Market.
If I had to pick one for enjoyment, it would be Gary Snyder's "Turtle Island."
I've been listening to Ronnie Martin's "From the Womb of the Morning The Dew of Your Youth Will Be Yours" a bit lately. It's based on Psalm 100.
My wife and I having two miscarriages informed me tremendously on this issue that many young people face, and men in particular don't like to talk about. This experience, among other things, educated me significantly in women's health, the politics of childbirth, and the refusal of our legislative leaders to even acknowledge these issues.
The state legislature presently wastes an incredible amount of time and energy ignoring the other party's opinions and legislators to produce bills that have no chance of becoming law, have no chance of being signed by the governor, have no chance of passing scrutiny of the courts, and in many cases aren't really serious proposals. Instead, they're posturing exercises to appease certain groups or loud voices. The hyper-partisanship of our state--which has been going on for a very long time--has created a rivalry between the two parties which has most recently expressed itself as a situation where the legislature makes little effort to work with the governor, and the governor has left them to their own devices. While they both serve important, separate functions, there must be better collaboration all around to get out of the stalemate in which PA government is locked.
The loss of population or slower than average growth of population is not a new problem in the state; it's been happening for almost 100 years. There are clear signals and indications of some things that need to happen, like actually funding schools on student populations in 2022, rather than funding at 1992 levels for 2022. But beyond this, we need an all-hands-on-deck, comprehensive plan that
Only Nebraska has a unicameral state legislature. There could be ways of making such a system more equitable if it weren't gerrymandered. We need to remove our redistricting process in PA to a truly independent commission because our state legislature has shown time and again they can't act like adults to do this fairly or within a succinct timeframe. Regarding bicamerality, I don't see PA changing this anytime soon.
Obviously, yes, but it's also beneficial to have outsiders to politics in positions as well.
Yes. We need more bipartisanship and cooperation, and we also need more legislators willing to speak the truth and be honest about their intentions around certain bills and be committed to not waste time on irrelevant policy proposals.
Clearly, we need another process than what we have, and the new proposals made are insulting to the intelligence of anyone paying attention (such as letting the majority appoint citizens to a panel, allowing the legislature to perpetually postpone changes the majority doesn't like, etc.). This needs to be a conversation that the majority is willing to have with many stakeholders and implemented in a just way. Whatever it turns out to be, it must be independent from the state legislature.
I will serve wherever I am appointed or needed. I would bring to the table, I believe, significant experience, background, or interest in the following: Aging & Older Adult Services; Agriculture & Rural Affairs; Children & Youth; Ethics; Education; Professional Licensure; Tourism; and Veteran's Affairs & Emergency Preparedness.
If elected, I will be required to resign from my elected position as Judge of Elections.
I recently spoke to a Republican while canvassing who told me his most important issue was charter schools! This surprised me a little but he explained: I'm a landlord in the city, he said, and I pay school taxes but the schools aren't being funded and the charter schools are sucking the resources dry. I pride myself on not being a slumlord, and I want the schools to succeed. If the schools had proper funding or not had what funding they have taken it would be better for everyone involved, including my business.
That guy gets it and was informed on the issues. He knew about the state's failure to correctly fund the local public schools. And he is right: funding education is good for everyone.
That guy gets it and was informed on the issues. He knew about the state's failure to correctly fund the local public schools. And he is right: funding education is good for everyone.
The referendum vote has already been made. I will say, however, that the state legislature's inability to address the expiration of the opioid emergency is indicative of the problem: They complained that it went on too long, but never did much to address or accommodate the provisions of the order legislatively, and when it expired they never took up the programs. Very recently I helped someone apply for addictions treatment who did not have a current photo ID. This process was made more difficult with the expiration of the order, and it was done so on purpose. PA is not better off because of this, and the only answer I could get from anyone was that they didn't care about the opioid crisis o that the order was a disaster because the governor did it--but couldn't tell me a single thing that the order actually did.
The people have spoken and given this power back to the legislature. It's time for the legislature to take this seriously.
The people have spoken and given this power back to the legislature. It's time for the legislature to take this seriously.
Absolutely. I will end the practice in this district of dismissing concerns of anyone from an opposing party. Politics must be an art of compromise, however, must not be devoid of passion.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 93 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 8, 2022
Current members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Joanna McClinton
Majority Leader:Kerry Benninghoff
Minority Leader:Jesse Topper
Representatives
District 1
Patrick Harkins (D)
District 2
Robert Merski (D)
District 3
Ryan Bizzarro (D)
District 4
Jake Banta (R)
District 5
Eric Weaknecht (R)
District 6
Bradley Roae (R)
District 7
Parke Wentling (R)
District 8
Aaron Bernstine (R)
District 9
Marla Brown (R)
District 10
Amen Brown (D)
District 11
Marci Mustello (R)
District 12
District 13
John Lawrence (R)
District 14
Roman Kozak (R)
District 15
Joshua Kail (R)
District 16
Robert Matzie (D)
District 17
Tim Bonner (R)
District 18
K.C. Tomlinson (R)
District 19
Aerion Abney (D)
District 20
Emily Kinkead (D)
District 21
Lindsay Powell (D)
District 22
Joshua Siegel (D)
District 23
Dan Frankel (D)
District 24
La'Tasha Mayes (D)
District 25
Brandon Markosek (D)
District 26
Paul Friel (D)
District 27
Daniel Deasy (D)
District 28
Jeremy Shaffer (R)
District 29
Tim Brennan (D)
District 30
Arvind Venkat (D)
District 31
Perry Warren (D)
District 32
Joe McAndrew (D)
District 33
Mandy Steele (D)
District 34
District 35
Dan Goughnour (D)
District 36
Jessica Benham (D)
District 37
Mindy Fee (R)
District 38
John Inglis (D)
District 39
Andrew Kuzma (R)
District 40
Natalie Mihalek (R)
District 41
Brett Miller (R)
District 42
Dan Miller (D)
District 43
Keith Greiner (R)
District 44
Valerie Gaydos (R)
District 45
Anita Kulik (D)
District 46
Jason Ortitay (R)
District 47
Joe D'Orsie (R)
District 48
Timothy O'Neal (R)
District 49
District 50
Bud Cook (R)
District 51
District 52
Ryan Warner (R)
District 53
Steven Malagari (D)
District 54
Greg Scott (D)
District 55
Jill Cooper (R)
District 56
Brian Rasel (R)
District 57
Eric Nelson (R)
District 58
Eric Davanzo (R)
District 59
Leslie Rossi (R)
District 60
Abby Major (R)
District 61
Liz Hanbidge (D)
District 62
James Struzzi (R)
District 63
Josh Bashline (R)
District 64
R. James (R)
District 65
Kathy Rapp (R)
District 66
Brian Smith (R)
District 67
Martin Causer (R)
District 68
Clint Owlett (R)
District 69
Carl Metzgar (R)
District 70
Matthew Bradford (D)
District 71
Jim Rigby (R)
District 72
Frank Burns (D)
District 73
Dallas Kephart (R)
District 74
Dan Williams (D)
District 75
Mike Armanini (R)
District 76
District 77
Scott Conklin (D)
District 78
Jesse Topper (R)
District 79
Louis Schmitt (R)
District 80
Scott Barger (R)
District 81
Richard Irvin (R)
District 82
Paul Takac (D)
District 83
Jamie Flick (R)
District 84
Joe Hamm (R)
District 85
David Rowe (R)
District 86
Perry Stambaugh (R)
District 87
Thomas Kutz (R)
District 88
Sheryl Delozier (R)
District 89
Rob Kauffman (R)
District 90
Chad Reichard (R)
District 91
Dan Moul (R)
District 92
Marc Anderson (R)
District 93
Mike Jones (R)
District 94
Wendy Fink (R)
District 95
Carol Hill-Evans (D)
District 96
Nikki Rivera (D)
District 97
Steven Mentzer (R)
District 98
Tom Jones (R)
District 99
David Zimmerman (R)
District 100
Bryan Cutler (R)
District 101
John Schlegel (R)
District 102
Russell Diamond (R)
District 103
Nate Davidson (D)
District 104
Dave Madsen (D)
District 105
Justin Fleming (D)
District 106
Thomas Mehaffie (R)
District 107
Joanne Stehr (R)
District 108
Michael Stender (R)
District 109
Robert Leadbeter (R)
District 110
Tina Pickett (R)
District 111
Jonathan Fritz (R)
District 112
Kyle Mullins (D)
District 113
Kyle Donahue (D)
District 114
District 115
Maureen Madden (D)
District 116
Dane Watro (R)
District 117
Jamie Walsh (R)
District 118
James Haddock (D)
District 119
Alec Ryncavage (R)
District 120
Brenda Pugh (R)
District 121
Eddie Pashinski (D)
District 122
Doyle Heffley (R)
District 123
Tim Twardzik (R)
District 124
Jamie Barton (R)
District 125
Joe Kerwin (R)
District 126
Jacklyn Rusnock (D)
District 127
Manuel Guzman (D)
District 128
Mark Gillen (R)
District 129
District 130
David Maloney (R)
District 131
Milou Mackenzie (R)
District 132
District 133
Jeanne McNeill (D)
District 134
Peter Schweyer (D)
District 135
Steve Samuelson (D)
District 136
Robert Freeman (D)
District 137
Joe Emrick (R)
District 138
Ann Flood (R)
District 139
Jeff Olsommer (R)
District 140
Jim Prokopiak (D)
District 141
Tina Davis (D)
District 142
Joseph Hogan (R)
District 143
Shelby Labs (R)
District 144
Brian Munroe (D)
District 145
Craig Staats (R)
District 146
Joseph Ciresi (D)
District 147
Donna Scheuren (R)
District 148
Mary Daley (D)
District 149
Tim Briggs (D)
District 150
Joseph Webster (D)
District 151
Melissa Cerrato (D)
District 152
Nancy Guenst (D)
District 153
Ben Sanchez (D)
District 154
Napoleon Nelson (D)
District 155
District 156
District 157
District 158
Christina Sappey (D)
District 159
Carol Kazeem (D)
District 160
Craig Williams (R)
District 161
Leanne Krueger (D)
District 162
David Delloso (D)
District 163
Heather Boyd (D)
District 164
Gina Curry (D)
District 165
Jennifer O'Mara (D)
District 166
Gregory Vitali (D)
District 167
Kristine Howard (D)
District 168
Lisa Borowski (D)
District 169
Kate Klunk (R)
District 170
Martina White (R)
District 171
District 172
Sean Dougherty (D)
District 173
District 174
Ed Neilson (D)
District 175
Mary Isaacson (D)
District 176
Jack Rader (R)
District 177
District 178
Kristin Marcell (R)
District 179
Jason Dawkins (D)
District 180
Jose Giral (D)
District 181
Malcolm Kenyatta (D)
District 182
Benjamin Waxman (D)
District 183
Zachary Mako (R)
District 184
District 185
Regina Young (D)
District 186
Jordan Harris (D)
District 187
Gary Day (R)
District 188
Rick Krajewski (D)
District 189
Tarah Probst (D)
District 190
Roni Green (D)
District 191
Joanna McClinton (D)
District 192
Morgan Cephas (D)
District 193
Torren Ecker (R)
District 194
Tarik Khan (D)
District 195
Keith Harris (D)
District 196
Seth Grove (R)
District 197
Danilo Burgos (D)
District 198
Darisha Parker (D)
District 199
Barbara Gleim (R)
District 200
Christopher Rabb (D)
District 201
Andre Carroll (D)
District 202
Jared Solomon (D)
District 203
Anthony Bellmon (D)
Democratic Party (102)
Republican Party (101)
