Heather MacDonald
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Heather MacDonald (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 103. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.
Biography
Heather MacDonald was born in Champaign, Illinois. She studied at Harrisburg Area Community College. MacDonald’s career experience includes working in real estate.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103
Incumbent Patty Kim defeated David Buell in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patty Kim (D) | 65.5 | 16,193 |
 | David Buell (R)  | 34.5 | 8,527 | |
| Total votes: 24,720 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103
Incumbent Patty Kim defeated Heather MacDonald in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patty Kim | 75.2 | 5,614 |
 | Heather MacDonald | 24.8 | 1,853 | |
| Total votes: 7,467 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103
David Buell defeated Jennie Jenkins-Dallas in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 103 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Buell | 72.2 | 3,708 |
| Jennie Jenkins-Dallas | 27.8 | 1,431 | ||
| Total votes: 5,139 | |||
| = 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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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 87
Incumbent Greg Rothman defeated Nicole Miller in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 87 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Greg Rothman (R) | 55.9 | 24,239 |
| Nicole Miller (D) | 44.1 | 19,104 | ||
| Total votes: 43,343 | |||
| = 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 87
Nicole Miller defeated Sean Quinlan and Heather MacDonald in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 87 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Nicole Miller | 50.3 | 4,453 | |
 | Sean Quinlan | 33.6 | 2,974 | |
| Heather MacDonald | 16.1 | 1,420 | |
| Total votes: 8,847 | |||
| = 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 87
Incumbent Greg Rothman advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 87 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Greg Rothman | 100.0 | 9,193 |
| Total votes: 9,193 | |||
| = 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
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Heather MacDonald did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Heather MacDonald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by MacDonald'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 became a parent at the age of 17, and this experience has informed every decision in my life. I can tell you what our welfare system is like. I can relate to the concerns and struggles of the people in my district. Having moved through poverty to currently being a candidate for public office, I have a view and a gratitude for my hometown that goes beyond politics. I care for the people, all of the people, in my district, and I want to see Cumberland County seek progress in a meaningful way. My path has been difficult at times, but I have come far enough to know that the struggle has gifted me with more than it took. I hope to lead the 87th District is purpose and unending energy.
- Real change is possible when we elect honest, focused, and driven candidates. Reject the status quo of constantly electing out of touch candidates with self-seeking tendencies. This is not a career move for me. I am here because I am ready to make a difference.
- Our current daily lives showcase that essential workers keep our lives running. They deserve a living wage, workplace protections, and expanded benefits. A healthy work-life balance has never been so crucial than when our grocery store employees are considered frontline workers.
- Gone are the days where politics were only for the elite. We need to protect redistricting from partisan nonsense or we could easily become disenfranchised for a decade or more! The people in the room matter!
1. I would advocate immediately and passionately for a living wage for all employees. $15 minimum wage is necessary & urgently needed. The idea of a Workers Bill of Rights has become front and center due to Covid-19. It is time to put workers front & center not just in times of crisis.
2. I am going to be an unstoppable voice for protection and expansion of women's healthcare. Women's bodies are not up for debate, and this old notion that a group of middle-aged men can regulate a woman's health will be powerfully shut down. Prescription drug pricing are outrageous. 2/3 of Pennsylvanians agree. We need regulation & oversight.
Fantastic question. A great life lesson we all learn at one point or another is that we will likely never find ONE person who embodies everything we would like to emulate. Instead, I have a lifetime's worth of people who I have learned from personally, and from afar. Obviously, I look up to my parents. They were tenacious and committed, and provided an enviable base on which for me to grow upwards and outwards. My dad is perpetually curious, and my mom is caring yet ambitious.
I have had the pleasure of having almost exclusively female bosses throughout my life. They have all been different from one another, but they all have a similar patience and foresight that I think is an exceptional quality to model for those looking up to you. My current boss is strong without forgoing compassion, and she has never turned her nose up at doing the work-work of day-to-day business.
Empathy, devotion, and focus. Singularly, they are great. Together, these qualities create something bigger than one person.
Flexibility and certainty can coexist if a candidate has a solid sense of self, and a lifetime of real life experiences to draw from.
Ray Dalio once said, "The greatest tragedy is people needlessly holding wrong opinions in the heads that they could easily stress test and raise their probability of being right, but they don't do that."
My purpose is bigger than myself. Throughout the last year when I felt the urge to run for office, I would read articles and blogs and attend conferences looking for someone like me. I was searching for a blueprint of how to run for office when you are a single mom, a millennial, not funded by local political machines. I never did find that blueprint, so my purpose includes leaving one behind for everybody, anybody that wants to enter the arena.
If elected, I want to infuse my time in office with respect and admiration for the title of REPRESENTATIVE. I want to represent my friends, family, and neighbors in the 87th district. You can be a tireless leader and a public servant at the same time, and that has been overlooked in our district for many years.
If elected, I want to infuse my time in office with respect and admiration for the title of REPRESENTATIVE. I want to represent my friends, family, and neighbors in the 87th district. You can be a tireless leader and a public servant at the same time, and that has been overlooked in our district for many years.
9/11 happened when I was in 9th grade. I was in the "old section" of Cumberland Valley High School (for those of you who can remember that!) We moved from study hall to 2nd period, and our teacher turned on the TV. At first, all of my classmates and myself thought it was a joke. Then within a couple of minutes we realized it must have been a tragic accident. Then quickly it became clear that something else was happening. I recall watching our teachers and the staff at the school to gauge what kind of reaction I should be having. It was a surreal day, and normal classroom routines slowly gave way to just moving throughout our day in silence. I recall we did not have school the next day (for unrelated reasons), and within our household, my family tried to give a simple explanation for a very complicated topic. My father was in the military at the time (since retired) and he had a realistic view on the future. I know we can we each go back to that day in the blink of an eye, and I think it is important to not forget the somber resolve we felt in the following days.
My very first first job? I worked in the service industry from the time I was 16 until I was in my mid-twenties. Working in restaurants or in retail gives you an immediate sense of time management, people skills, and typically a close connection to your coworkers. Restaurant workers in particular make well less than minimum wage and rely on tips to survive. It was feast or famine many weeks. I know it is commonly said, but I think that everyone would benefit from working in the service industry at least once in their life. Valuable lessons are unavoidable when you work with such a wide array of customers.
Malcolm Gladwell. All Malcolm Gladwell. I have listened to the episodes of his podcasts so often that I know them like they were lyrics to a song!
This may seem counterintuitive, but yes, I do highly value experience. A new job is always involves intense learning. No one is born being a politician so we must commit to the learning curve. For me, that means it involves a lot of note-taking. (Fun fact, when I learned to drive, my car was a manual, so I wrote down notes on how to drive a stickshift, and I taped them to my dashboard for at least a year. Point of the story being-- I like taking notes!) The benefit of previous experience is that it has the potential to propel a person faster through the learning curve. Previously established relationships etc.. are incredibly valuable, and one of the good reasons why people stay in politics for so long, is because their cumulative experience and interconnected relationships can potentially lead to positive outcomes.
The flip-side to this would be when politicians utilize their relationships and previous experience to enrich themselves. Or they become complacent and no amount of experience can counteract a disinterested professional. Ask yourself, could you pick your current representative out of a lineup? I would venture a guess that many could not. That is because exceptional behavior (good or bad) is usually obvious. More corrosive would be the quiet complacency many leaders suffer from today.
Pennsylvania is currently perched between a fossil fuel past and a green future. It is interesting to see that even some Democrats are in favor of huge petrochemical plants and the millions of dollars of subsidies that traditionally go along with them. The ageless argument that we must choose jobs or clean energy is a false choice. Green jobs in PA are historically successful and growing. We cannot agree to give up clean air and clean water because of a powerful, entrenched corporations.
How do we navigate this? With people from all walks of life coming together, we can build momentum and clear vision of the future I want. Those are not just soaring words. It literally will take enough people saying enough for things to change. We need leaders who have clean motives and are not purchased by big money donors. People who cannot be bought are unmistakable. Political courage is a currency, and choosing the right candidates will enrich your district.
How do we navigate this? With people from all walks of life coming together, we can build momentum and clear vision of the future I want. Those are not just soaring words. It literally will take enough people saying enough for things to change. We need leaders who have clean motives and are not purchased by big money donors. People who cannot be bought are unmistakable. Political courage is a currency, and choosing the right candidates will enrich your district.
Absolutely. The idea of them vs. us is outdated and frankly, damaging. I currently work in real estate. While I cherish and consistently provide exceptional service to our clients, it is our coworkers, vendors, and other real estate agents I focus on valuing as well. Creating meaningful relationships is essential to becoming an effective leaders. Not only it is helpful to cut through the noise and notice the people of quality working alongside you, it is just as important to become the person that others come to for recommendations. No one succeeds alone, and if you can build, nourish, and enrich your team, other will take notice. Show good judgement, show empathy, and recalibrate your standards constantly so that those around know that you are a place of good ideas, fair solutions, and bold chances.
I know I am only supposed to answer 3 of these questions, but it is worth noting that after knocking on 300+ doors, our district has a collective fond memory of Sen. Pat Vance. I almost exclusively spoke to other Democrats, but it didn't matter to them that Pat was a Republican. She was fair and effective, and she left a lasting impression on people. No one mentioned her legislative endeavors (for better or for worse) rather they all spoke of her thoughtfulness. That was a lesson that was not lost on me.
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
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 9, 2020
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)
