Shaun Dougherty

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Shaun Dougherty

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Personal

Birthplace

Johnstown, Pa.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Chef

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Shaun Dougherty (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania State Senate to represent District 35. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Dougherty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Shaun Dougherty was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Navy. Dougherty attended the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts. His career experience includes working as a chef and restaurateur. Dougherty served on the Board of Directors of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Elections

2020

See also: Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 35

Incumbent Wayne Langerholc defeated Shaun Dougherty in the general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 35 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wayne Langerholc (R)	73.6	91,595
		Shaun Dougherty (D)	26.4	32,794

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 124,389
= 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 State Senate District 35

Shaun Dougherty advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 35 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shaun Dougherty	100.0	19,184

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,184
= 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 State Senate District 35

Incumbent Wayne Langerholc advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 35 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wayne Langerholc	100.0	29,042

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,042
= 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 themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Shaun Dougherty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dougherty's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Shaun Dougherty is businessman, veteran, survivor, and activist. Born and raised in Johnstown, the 8th of 9 children. He is a 1988 graduate of Westmont Hilltop High School. After high school, Shaun attended the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts. In 1991, feeling the need to serve his country, he enlisted in the Navy. After leaving the Navy, Shaun joined his brothers and sisters in opening a local establishment, Dougherty's Terra'tory. He then branched out on his own, having multiple restaurants over the 15 years.

In 2016, Shaun came forward as a survivor of abuse in the investigation into the Johnstown-Altoona Diocese. He has fought tirelessly to bring justice, and has shown great courage and dedication to reforming the current laws to better protect victims. Taking his fight to Harrisburg and the Vatican has inspired Shaun to serve again. Shaun and Dr. D'Arcy Duke, his wife of nearly 16 years, reside in Johnstown, PA.

Shaun Dougherty is currently running for PA 35th State Senate District, covering Bedford, Cambria, and parts of Clearfield Counties.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Protecting workers rights with real jobs that pay real wages
• Connect-ability and broadband for all, especially to rural areas
• Putting people first over politics

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

True representation of the citizens of Pennsylvania

Victims rights
Education
Heath care and well being
Broadband for all
Connect-ability for rural area, especially for farmers

Combat Opioid Epidemic/Marijuana Legalization

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There have 3 major influencers on my life and career.

Professionally, I have always looked up to the owner/chef of Surf and Turf, the late Jim Leveridge. He mentored and inspired my restaurant career.

I have always looked up to the the great late Congressman John Murtha. Jack was personal friend of the family, having grown up with both of my parents. He always had strong convictions and words of wisdom.. He was natural born leader who encouraged my calling to join the Navy.

Chief Roger Fuller, boatswain's mate, US Navy, taught me to respect everyone equally, to judge a person by the character and not their rank or status in life.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Candidate starring Robert Redford

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, we need our elected officials to quit talking out of both sides of their mouths.

Integrity, if you say you are voting for a bill, do it. I am not talking about when they get amended, I mean when you tell a constituent you are voting for a bill, but when push comes to shove you vote with party leaders. An elected official must place his/her own constituents above all else.

Compassion and Empathy, we are in an extremely stressful times, we need our elected officials to know our pain and frustrations, take them and lead the way.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I feel as though I have a calling to serve. I have always sought to help those who could not help themselves. I have a fierce loyalty and am very dedicated. I have been fighting for victims everywhere, though personally nothing could be done wit my own case. I will always always place my constituents, regardless of party will be be treated be dignity and respect. I have firsthand experience being brushed off by more public officials than I can count.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Accountability, listen to the wants and needs of the people of your district. Be their voice and their fighter. One may not always agree with the wants of their constituents, but they need to be there for them and offer guidance. Help them navigate government to enrich their lives. The Oath is that is taken is for the citizens of the district, not for party or leadership.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To give it all I got, never leave anything on the table. Politics is messy and can be vicious at times, but I will never give up a fight.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

1976, the bicentennial celebrations, I specifically remember wearing my favorite t-shirt at the time, a white with red sleeves shirt that said 1976 with stars on it
Then from such a happy time to the gas shortages of the 70's, having to see what day of the week it is to be able to go get gas. Another strong memory was the Iran hostage situation and seeing all the yellow ribbons on car antennas and around trees.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Busboy at local longtime restaurant Surf and Turf in high school and I continued in the summers while I was a lifeguard at Bethco Pines and the YMCA

What is your favorite book? Why?

Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Aquaman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Blackbird- The Beatles

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

As a victim of childhood sexual abuse by my priest, trust did not com easily for me. In 2003, I reconnected with my now wife, I had to be able to open up and tell her my story. Learning to trust meant having an anger that I had pushed so far down bubble to the service. But I learned to use that injustice to lobby for victims of abuse everywhere, and I will use this passion to serve my constituents.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Senate is more focused and deliberate, the House is more reactionary, needing to keep with problems as they arise instantaneously. I would like to think that the Senate is more proactive as the House tends to be more reactive.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Fair representation means representation for all. We need people of different backgrounds, religious beliefs, cultures to ensure that every citizen has a voice. Public service seeks you, my experience lobbying the state legislature for victims rights inspired my calling for public service. A sense of duty is needed to put yourself in the public eye to be scrutinized.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our normal and will continue to change our future. We must bridge the political divide, it can be down by focusing on our common goals.

We must bring broadband to all Pennsylvanians to ensure success in the 21st century. Our infrastructure and rail systems must be upgraded for all Pennsylvania not just those in the bigger cities. We need to have connect-ability for our farmers to new world markets

Education needs to be equalized, we can not continue with urban and rural districts not having access to devices and internet. This pandemic has shown great disparities in education.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Respectful, it would help if we had fair, non gerrymander districts that forces them to create better policies rather than focusing on politics. We need legislators who are beholden to their constituents, not their party leaders. Gerrymandering is only used to keep a party in power, not to represent the people. Our current political dynamic is all about gotcha politics, instead of listening to the people, fighting for their needs.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Most definitely, building relationships with other legislators is crucial to building better politics. We used to have legislators that reached across the aisle to ensure that their bills would get bipartisan co-sponsors. The letter beside your name shouldn't be the deciding factor on a vote. Working relationships and even friendships were quite common across the political divide in the past, thus pushing compromise as the best path forward. I learned first hand during my advocacy work the importance of developing respect and friendships throughout the capitol. It was imperative that we had bipartisan support to get crucial legislation for all passed.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Education

Community, Economic & Recreational Development

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Agriculture is very important to me, as a former farm to table Chef/Restaurant owner, I was accustomed to interacting with farmers an a day to day basis. I have seen their struggles in a world that has left the small farmer behind.

Education, quite simply is the future. We can not address inequalities in our communities with out addressing our education needs.

Community, Economic & Recreational Development is an extremely important committee to me. The world does stand stagnant, Industry and demands change everyday. Johnstown, is a perfect example of how quickly you can go from an industry leader to economically distressed area. Economic development has to keep pace with indsurty trends and towns must learn to adapt in order to meet future demand, not just current needs. We always be looking to the future of manufacturing, farming and education.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Not at the moment

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Congressman John Murtha, a great communicator who lead by example. He was very approachable and always willing to listen to his constiutents. He put his districta and their needs above any paritsan politcs amd was always willing to compromise even when members of both parties disagreed. He was of principles and a man to be admired.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

When I announced my candidacy I was surprised how many knew of my advocacy work. I had a few survivors of sexual assault confide in me. They thanked me for my hard fought battles and are eager to see where I am going.

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.

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Footnotes

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Current members of the Pennsylvania State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Joe Pittman

Minority Leader:Jay Costa

Senators

District 1

Nikil Saval (D)

District 2

Christine Tartaglione (D)

District 3

Sharif Street (D)

District 4

Art Haywood (D)

District 5

Joe Picozzi (R)

District 6

Frank Farry (R)

District 7

Vincent Hughes (D)

District 8

Anthony Williams (D)

District 9

John Kane (D)

District 10

Steve Santarsiero (D)

District 11

Judy Schwank (D)

District 12

Maria Collett (D)

District 13

Scott Martin (R)

District 14

Nick Miller (D)

District 15

Patty Kim (D)

District 16

Jarrett Coleman (R)

District 17

Amanda Cappelletti (D)

District 18

Lisa Boscola (D)

District 19

Carolyn Comitta (D)

District 20

Lisa Baker (R)

District 21

Scott Hutchinson (R)

District 22

Martin Flynn (D)

District 23

Gene Yaw (R)

District 24

Tracy Pennycuick (R)

District 25

Cris Dush (R)

District 26

Timothy Kearney (D)

District 27

Lynda Culver (R)

District 28

Kristin Phillips-Hill (R)

District 29

David Argall (R)

District 30

Judith Ward (R)

District 31

Dawn Keefer (R)

District 32

Patrick Stefano (R)

District 33

Doug Mastriano (R)

District 34

Greg Rothman (R)

District 35

Wayne Langerholc (R)

District 36

James Malone (D)

District 37

Devlin Robinson (R)

District 38

Lindsey Williams (D)

District 39

Kim Ward (R)

District 40

Rosemary Brown (R)

District 41

Joe Pittman (R)

District 42

Wayne Fontana (D)

District 43

Jay Costa (D)

District 44

Katie Muth (D)

District 45

Nick Pisciottano (D)

District 46

Camera Bartolotta (R)

District 47

Elder Vogel (R)

District 48

Chris Gebhard (R)

District 49

Daniel Laughlin (R)

District 50

Michele Brooks (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (23)