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Kerry Benninghoff
1996 - Present
2026
28
Kerry Benninghoff (Republican Party) is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 171. He assumed office on December 1, 1996. His current term ends on November 30, 2026.
Benninghoff (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 171. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Benninghoff currently serves as state House speaker. The House Republican caucus elected him to the position on June 22, 2020, following the resignation of former House speaker Mike Turzai (R).[1]
Biography
Benninghoff attended Penn State University from 1980 to 1981. His professional experience includes working as a Carpenter for Frank Castamento Construction/self-employed from 1979 to 1989, for Mount Nittany Medical Centre as an Orderly from 1981 to 1989, as a Deputy Coroner from 1985 to 1991, as the Centre County Coroner from 1991 to 1996, as a Supervisor for Mount Nittany Medical Centre from 1992 to 1996 and for the Bellefonte Medical Arts Center.
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
Benninghoff was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Benninghoff was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Benninghoff was assigned to the following committees:
2015 legislative session
Note: As of February 13, 2015, Benninghoff has not been assigned to any standing committees.
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Benninghoff served on the following committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Finance, Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Benninghoff served on these committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Finance, Chair |
| • Health |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Benninghoff served on these committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Health & Human Services |
| • State Government, Chair |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff won election in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kerry Benninghoff (R) | 96.2 | 28,501 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.8 | 1,137 | ||
| Total votes: 29,638 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff | 99.4 | 6,907 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 39 | ||
| Total votes: 6,946 | |||
| = 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
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Benninghoff in this election.
2022
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff defeated Robert Zeigler in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff (R) | 72.0 | 19,028 |
 | Robert Zeigler (D) | 28.0 | 7,415 | |
| Total votes: 26,443 | |||
| = 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 171
Robert Zeigler advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Zeigler | 98.8 | 3,741 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 44 | ||
| Total votes: 3,785 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Paul Takac (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff | 99.2 | 9,298 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 74 | ||
| Total votes: 9,372 | |||
| = 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
2020
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff defeated Peter Buck in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff (R) | 61.4 | 24,322 |
 | Peter Buck (D) | 38.6 | 15,298 | |
| Total votes: 39,620 | |||
| = 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 171
Peter Buck advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Peter Buck | 100.0 | 7,723 |
| Total votes: 7,723 | |||
| = 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 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff | 100.0 | 8,795 |
| Total votes: 8,795 | |||
| = 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
2018
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff defeated Erin McCracken in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff (R) | 59.1 | 17,398 |
 | Erin McCracken (D) | 40.9 | 12,023 | |
| Total votes: 29,421 | |||
| = 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 171
Erin McCracken advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Erin McCracken | 100.0 | 4,117 |
| Total votes: 4,117 | |||
| = 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 171
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Benninghoff | 100.0 | 4,920 |
| Total votes: 4,920 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on April 26, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016.
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff defeated Melody Fleck in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 general election.[2][3]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kerry Benninghoff Incumbent |
68.56% | 23,440 | |
| Democratic | Melody Fleck | 31.44% | 10,749 | |
| Total Votes | 34,189 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Melody Fleck ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 171 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Melody Fleck (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 171 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Kerry Benninghoff Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Incumbent Kerry Benninghoff was unopposed in the Republican primary. Benninghoff was unchallenged in the general election.[6][7][8]
2012
Benninghoff ran in the 2012 election for Pennsylvania House District 171. Benninghoff ran unopposed in the Republican primary on April 24 and defeated Christopher Lee (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012. [9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kerry Benninghoff Incumbent |
65.1% | 20,242 | |
| Democratic | Christopher Lee | 34.9% | 10,846 | |
| Total Votes | 31,088 | |||
2010
Benninghoff won re-election to District 171 in 2010. He had no primary opposition and was unchallenged in the general election which took place on November 2, 2010.[11]
| Pennsylvania State House, District 171 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kerry Benninghoff (R)
|
15,742 | 100.0% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Benninghoff won re-election to District 171 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He received 21,897 votes, defeating Joanne Tosti-Vasey (11,659).[12]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 171 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kerry Benninghoff (R)
|
21,897 | 65.3% | ||
| Joanne Tosti-Vasey (D) | 11,659 | 34.8% | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kerry Benninghoff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Kerry Benninghoff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Kerry Benninghoff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Scorecards
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.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Pennsylvania scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 2 to November 14.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 3 to December 13.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 4 to November 30.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 5 to December 31.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 7 to November 30.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 2 through November 30.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 5 through November 30.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 6 through December 31.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 7 through November 12.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 2 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 3 to November 30.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 4 through November 30.
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Noteworthy events
|
|---|
| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
|
Benninghoff announced on November 29, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was fully vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus.[13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Benninghoff and his wife, Michele, have five children.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 |
Officeholder Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ PoliticsPA, "Benninghoff Elected House Majority Leader, Cutler Elected Speaker," June 22, 2020
- ↑ Pennsylvania Voter Services, "Candidate listing," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "November 8, 2016, official election results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pennsylvania Secretary of State, "Election Information," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Presidential Primary," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official primary results for May 20, 2014," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 Official Candidate Listing," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 General Election," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2012 Primary Candidate List," April 15, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 2, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official 2008 General Election Results," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Fox 43, "Pa. House Majority Leader diagnosed with breakthrough case of COVID-19," November 29, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 1996-Present |
Succeeded by - |
