Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Tim Brennan

From Ballotpedia
(Redirected from Timothy Brennan)
Jump to: navigation, search
Tim Brennan
Image of Tim Brennan
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29
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

Associate

Ursinus College, 2000

Law

Widener University School of Law, 2003

Personal
Birthplace
Pottsville, Pa.
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Tim Brennan (Democratic Party) is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 29. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on November 30, 2026.

Brennan (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 29. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Tim Brennan was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Brennan graduated from Nativity B.V.M. High School. He earned an associate degree from Ursinus College in 2000 and a law degree from the Widener University 2003.[1][2]

Brennan's career experience includes working as an attorney. Brennan has served as the state president of the Pennsylvania Young Democrats, on the boards of Doylestown Pride Taskforce and the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center, on the panel of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, on the Pennsylvania Bar Association Civility in the Profession Committee, and on the president's circle of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He has been affiliated with the Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police, Friends of St. Kieran’s, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice Operation Doylestown, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Thoreau Sauntering Society, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.[1][2]

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

Brennan 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 29

Incumbent Tim Brennan defeated Steve Mekanik and Rob Ronky in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan (D)
 
55.6
 
25,176
Steve Mekanik (R)
 
42.2
 
19,118
Image of Rob Ronky
Rob Ronky (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.1
 
963
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
55

Total votes: 45,312
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 29

Incumbent Tim Brennan advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on April 23, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan
 
99.6
 
8,588
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
37

Total votes: 8,625
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 29

Steve Mekanik advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on April 23, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Steve Mekanik
 
99.1
 
6,387
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
57

Total votes: 6,444
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 Brennan in this election.

2022

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29

Tim Brennan defeated Diane Smith and Rob Ronky in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan (D) Candidate Connection
 
55.9
 
21,345
Image of Diane Smith
Diane Smith (R) Candidate Connection
 
40.9
 
15,601
Image of Rob Ronky
Rob Ronky (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
3.3
 
1,243

Total votes: 38,189
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 29

Tim Brennan advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
9,664

Total votes: 9,664
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29

Diane Smith advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Diane Smith
Diane Smith Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
7,845

Total votes: 7,845
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

2018

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143

Wendy Ullman defeated Joseph Flood in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wendy Ullman
Wendy Ullman (D)
 
50.8
 
17,339
Joseph Flood (R)
 
49.2
 
16,763

Total votes: 34,102
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 143

Wendy Ullman defeated Tim Brennan in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Wendy Ullman
Wendy Ullman
 
50.5
 
2,723
Image of Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan
 
49.5
 
2,668

Total votes: 5,391
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 143

Joseph Flood advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143 on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Joseph Flood
 
100.0
 
4,784

Total votes: 4,784
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 themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tim Brennan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

I grew up waiting tables in my parents’ mom-and-pop restaurant and am a first-generation college graduate. As a young person, I looked up to my older sister and volunteered for the Women in Crisis Center she directed. I was also selected for and served two Congressional internships.

In law school, I was certified in law and government and drafted and lobbied for an amendment to the PA Constitution to stop partisan Gerrymandering. I also studied international law focusing on the European Convention on Human Rights and the return of the rule of law to Eastern Europe.

In my law practice, I represent injured workers as one of only about two hundred attorneys certified as specialists in workers’ compensation law. For nearly two decades, I have represented municipal governments. I worked for the Governor’s Office of General Counsel, representing the Department of Transportation. I provided pro bono representation to the LGBTQ community, struggling homeowners, first responders, and historical groups. In 2020, I helped beat Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani in court, helping to protect the right to vote and have that vote counted.

I have also served as community college professor and an instructor on animal law and the right-to-know law. I also served on Doylestown Borough Council since 2015.
  • I would prioritize supporting middle class families, by providing better education opportunities and healthcare, by protecting the right for women to make decisions about starting a family, by fighting for a fair economy that supports main street priorities and by creating more supports for working people.
  • I would prioritize protecting our democracy by creating more access to voting, by ensuring each vote is counted and by making it easier for local election boards to do their work. We also need to take steps to protect and improve our democracy, by supporting the arts and non-profit news sources, investing in school civics and fight for government reform.
  • I would prioritize improving the quality of Justice for all residents because a truly Just society requires the fair and equal participation of all people. I would do it by fighting to level the playing field for all of our residents regardless of their nation of original, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race or religion.

I am interested in improving education opportunities, investing in infrastructure and improving the dialogue in Harrisburg.

Our legislature has failed to fund public education or address structural deficits, while subsidizing shale and big business at the expense of our kids, targeted tax relief and early childhood education. These are not Main Street priorities. As a former community college professor, I know futures are at stake due to the priorities in Harrisburg. Sound policies there will also mean less dependence on property taxes at home.

Also, our roads, bridges and infrastructure have not been a priority for years. We must invest in our infrastructure and green energy; it will create good paying jobs now and reduce dependence on foreign oil. We rank near last nationally in many infrastructure categories. However, after receiving billions in federal COVID aid, our legislature placed funds in a rainy-day fund. We need to invest now in job creating infrastructure, smart-energy and a 21st century economy.

Finally, we need to improve the dialogue in Harrisburg. For Democrats and Republicans to work together, we need more patience and understanding. Government is about process, not expediency. The process matters; I told my 13 year-old many times that– “I don’t care what you do, it’s how you do it.” Interacting with each other with character and understanding is rare these days in politics, but is absolutely necessary for a strong and functioning democracy.
I always looked up to my dad, who taught by example. He had a few catch phrases, like "treat the little person like a king and the big person like anyone else" and "people, are people, are people, are people." I always appreciated Henry David Thoreau on principle, simplicity and self determination.
There is a quote that I often references for what it takes to be a good leader, I think this appropriately sums up my feelings on this topic - “[s]marts are a dime a dozen . . . [i]t’s wisdom, coupled with humanity that counts.” I think the empathy, discretion and thoughtful problem solving are some of the most important characteristics.
Constituent services is always the central responsibility of a legislative office, followed by communications and policy design.
I grew up working in my parents mom and pop restaurant as a server. I worked that job most of my life, even at time in law school.
I have always considered the legislature as a check on and oversight body for the executive branch.
Dealing with our crumbling infrastructure, our lack of investment in education and providing good quality jobs for more people. We also need to do more to restore confidence in the democratic process and encourage civics in our next generation of citizens.
I believe it can help reduce the learning curve and make legislators more effective earlier. In my case, I was certified in law and government, focusing on legislation drafting and the state constitution. I also spent over a decade representing local government, that led to exposure to numerous issues. Additionally, my time on Borough Council also helped see areas that needed improvement by the legislature.
Absolutely, this is the best way to get things done. It is important that these relationships be on both sides of the isle as well.
As noted, I previously worked on redistricting reform and drafted a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution and lobbied it. Partisan Gerrymandering is a flaw in our democratic process and needs to be addressed. I would favor an independent commission, with neutral criteria.
It is strange, but I remember conversations knocking on doors for sometimes years later. I think about the people in the houses when I drive in the neighborhood. When I was a young person, I interned with a Congressional office and I remember a family who lost their daughter during a rafting accident. I remember speaking with them and the emotion while they were trying to recover her trapped body. I also remember the lengths the Congressperson went and the bipartisan manner that he acted to get the family results and some closure.
No, they should not administer emergency powers, they should be oversight after the fact. Emergency powers should be left to the executive.
As I said in my priorities section, I think the process matters. We should work within democratic norms, engage each other and make our fundamental positions know. To many elected official have been willing to harm the process, democratic norms and people's faith in democratic systems to get short term political benefits. I do believe that we have to work harder to see and respect each other and that compromise is often the more healthy avenue to move policy forward together.

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.


Tim Brennan campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29Won general$344,177 $233,285
2022Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29Won general$716,436 $370,697
2018Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 143Lost primary$46,830 N/A**
Grand total$1,107,442 $603,982
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
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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.

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


2023









See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 8, 2022
  2. 2.0 2.1 PA House of Representatives, "Tim Brennan," accessed February 3, 2023

Political offices
Preceded by
Meghan Schroeder (R)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 29
2022-Present
Succeeded by
-


Leadership
Speaker of the House:Joanna McClinton
Majority Leader:Kerry Benninghoff
Minority Leader:Jesse Topper
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
Mindy Fee (R)
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
Bud Cook (R)
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
R. James (R)
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
Jim Rigby (R)
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
Joe Hamm (R)
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
Dan Moul (R)
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
Tom Jones (R)
District 99
District 100
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
District 105
District 106
District 107
District 108
District 109
District 110
District 111
District 112
District 113
District 114
District 115
District 116
District 117
District 118
District 119
District 120
District 121
District 122
District 123
District 124
District 125
District 126
District 127
District 128
District 129
District 130
District 131
District 132
District 133
District 134
District 135
District 136
District 137
District 138
Ann Flood (R)
District 139
District 140
District 141
District 142
District 143
District 144
District 145
District 146
District 147
District 148
District 149
District 150
District 151
District 152
District 153
District 154
District 155
District 156
District 157
District 158
District 159
District 160
District 161
District 162
District 163
District 164
District 165
District 166
District 167
District 168
District 169
District 170
District 171
District 172
District 173
District 174
District 175
District 176
District 177
District 178
District 179
District 180
District 181
District 182
District 183
District 184
District 185
District 186
District 187
Gary Day (R)
District 188
District 189
District 190
District 191
District 192
District 193
District 194
District 195
District 196
District 197
District 198
District 199
District 200
District 201
District 202
District 203
Democratic Party (102)
Republican Party (101)