Zach Womer

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

Zach Womer

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Denison University, 2023

Personal

Birthplace

State College, Pa.

Religion

Methodist (United)

Profession

Student

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign TikTok

Personal LinkedIn

Zach Womer (Democratic Party) (also known as Wome) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Womer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Zach "Wome" Womer was born in State College, Pennsylvania. Womer earned an undergraduate degree from Denison University in 2023. After college, he became a law student at Pennsylvania State Law. He has served on the Centre County Mental Health, Intellectual Disability, and Early Intervention Advisory Board.

Elections

2024

See also: Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District election, 2024

Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District election, 2024 (April 23 Republican primary)

Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District election, 2024 (April 23 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15

Incumbent Glenn Thompson defeated Zach Womer in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Glenn Thompson (R)	71.3	279,027
		Zach Womer (D)	28.5	111,408
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	782

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 391,217
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15

Zach Womer advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15 on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zach Womer	98.5	35,574
		Other/Write-in votes	1.5	555

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 36,129
= 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 U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15

Incumbent Glenn Thompson advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15 on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Glenn Thompson	99.0	75,645
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	790

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 76,435
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Womer in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Zach Womer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Womer'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.

I am a 12th generation central Pennsylvanian, who was the first individual in my family to attend college. I hold a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Denison University. I am currently a first year law student at Penn State Law School. I am a board member of the Centre County Mental Health, Intellectual Disability, and Early Intervention Board. I grew up as a child of a construction worker during the 2008 housing crisis, so I have seen immense struggle in my life. I understand exactly the struggles that many in the 15th district live with everyday. My passion is alleviating the economic challenges facing the district.

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?

• My first priority is ensuring that the people of central Pennsylvania are provided with ample opportunity and support so that they can provide for their families. Currently, the 15th Congressional District is the most economically distressed district in Pennsylvania as well as one of the most distressed districts in the country. There is no question that much of this reality is due to NAFTA and other free trade agreements which caused thousands of manufacturing jobs to leave the region for foreign nations. As your Congressman I will fight hard to return jobs that work for average central Pennsylvanians.
• My second priority is reducing corporate influence in our electoral process. Recent pew polling shows that Republicans, Independents and Democrats all agree that large corporations are having a negative impact on our country and our electoral process. The outsized influence of corporate dollars threatens turning our democracy into an oligarchy. By drastically limiting corporate power, the people of the United States will have more power in their hands. With the current trend of corporate influence, many policies that the country wants, but corporations do not favor sit idle in legislative chambers due to the influence of corporations. As your Congressman I will do everything in my power to curtail the immense power of large corporations.
• My third priority is supporting the workers of central Pennsylvania. The rights of workers are constantly under attack from capital influences. The trend of corporate attacks on workers has gotten so extreme that in an effort to stop unionization, Trader Joe's is challenging the constitutionality of the NLRB. The country fought hard to get the NLRB as a public advocate agency for workers and corporations are intent on destroying it. We have seen an increase in union activity in recent times due to the economic turbulence of our era, and corporations are responding with anti-worker action. This reality is exactly why as your Congressman I will work hard to give working people the leverage they deserve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Trade, labor, anti-trust, electoral reform.

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

Theodore Roosevelt. He played the political game masterfully, and worked hard for populist policies. He is without a doubt the greatest President we ever had. His integrity, vigor, and passion is incredibly admirable.

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

Harlan County, USA. It is a documentary about a UMWA strike in eastern Kentucky.

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

Integrity. Having an elected official who can say, "NO", to donors, influence peddlers and their own party is essential to governing with character. All too often legislators hide in the darkness while they trade votes for nefarious causes. The only way one can govern effectively is if they can free themselves from every influence except that of their constituents.

I also believe being a political maverick is essential for responsible governing. I feel the current state of politics in which both parties are in homogenous agreement makes for a legislative body that oscillates between ideological extremes without legitimate interparty debate as to whether the current policy is actually a good idea.

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

Integrity. I am solid as a rock, and not just because I'm 300 lbs. I am a true independently minded individual who does not allow any external influences to impact my decision making. I have existed in spaces that range from extremely conservative to extremely liberal, and I never let the people around me influence what I think. Even as a candidate, when members of my own party have screamed at me for some of my conservative views, I refused to change who I am.

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

Your only responsibility as a legislator is to accurately reflect the will of your constituents. As a legislator, you are supposed to represent your constituents to the best of your ability, not your party, not lobbyists.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I think your material legacy is very different from your perceptual legacy. Personally, I don't care how I am remembered. I care about the work I actually did. History's recollection of a figure is oftentimes not reflective of who they were.

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

The 2008 housing crisis. I was 9 years old, and as the child of a construction worker, I couldn't ignore what it did to my household.

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

Construction. I still work construction any time I have a break from law school, so I'll be going on roughly seven years now.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Death of Ivan Ilyich-Leo Tolstoy

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

Ernie McCracken-Kingpin

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

Go on Home-Sanford Clark

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

Every damn bit of my life has been a struggle. I grew up in a home with standing water in the basement and mold covering the walls. I was suicidal and depressed as a very young child. By the time I reached high school, I had completely given up. I earned a 0.6 gpa my freshman year of high school because I didn't care if I lived or died. Thanks to the help of some key figures in my life, I was lifted up from my apathy, worked my tail off, and made a life for myself.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House is the closest electoral body to the people of the United States. The House is elected so frequently, and represents smaller chunks of each state, so legislators (in theory) will have a larger variation in their views, attitudes, and experience which leads to more contemporary legislation than that of the Senate.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. I believe that the idea that an "outsider" (although I technically am one) being a positive attribute is overplayed. If you look at the most effective legislators in the history of our country, they are institutionalists who have significant experience. Experience and knowledge of our institutions makes a legislator more realistic about the policy they can pass and their role as a legislator.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Partisan polarization, lack of political courage, the two party system, money in politics, lack of civic education, apathy.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, however, there is an issue in the two year term as it causes House members to essentially continuously campaign if they are in a competitive district. Although that issue can be sovled by putting caps on campaign spending and bringing more equity to the funding of political campaigns.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Term limits are first and foremost unconstitutional without the passage of a constitutional amendment. Term limits seek to solve a problem that is independnet of them as a solution. The reason many folks desire term limits is that they are tired of seeing the same faces for decades. However, the solution to such a problem is a competitive electoral process, not an artificial limit on one's ability to hold office. In the last 50 years, through gerrymandering and other electoral tricks we have seen competitive districts dissapear which allows legislators to remain in seats far longer than usual.

An imposition of term limits will actually lead to more corruption through a speeding up of the revolving door of politics. If a term limit is imposed, legislators reaching the end of their term are incentivized to cater to the whims of lobbyist so that when they exit their office they can get a cushy lobbying job in return.

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

John Murtha, no question about it. Rep. Murtha did excactly what a Congressman ought to do which is prioritize the wellbeing of his district above all else. As a Congressman he single handedly kept his region alive during an era of industrial decline and I hope to do the same thing.

Both sitting representatives 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?

As a former construction worker, many of my coworkers personal stories of struggle never leave my mind as I am campaigning.

I know many folks in the industry who have had their bodies ravaged by the nature of the work, who are now on the backside of 50 with an inability to walk, while simultaneously having bills they cannot pay to the extent they are taking loans out from the company owner to pay their bills. These stories are what inspired me to get involved in politics.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. Unfortunately, with polarization and a lack of ideological diversity in our system compromise is a thing of the past. I hope that significant electoral reforms will lead to a Congress that is more representative of the country so that our policy can be less adversarial and more collaborative.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The power of the purse in the House is one of its distinguishing characteristics. As a legislator it empowers you to advocate for earmarks to aid your own district. I will be very transparent, as a member of the House I will try to get an earmark for district needs into any bill I can because the people of central Pennsylvania are struggling.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

To investigate legitimate issues. Currently the power is being used by both political parties to wage ideological war and that distusts me.

What committees interest you?

Appropriations, Labor, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, Ways and Means.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe in absolute transparency and accountability. In modern politics, neither of these ideals are actually materialized. Largely because partisan politics covers up the misdeeds of elected officials, and legitimate criticism is disregarded as a partisan attack because officials rarely comment on the poor behavior of those in their own party. I welcome criticism of all kinds, and I will always represent the office with transparency. In fact, I will make all my donors publicly available on my website. I will also publicly release all of my assets, which currently consists of a 2009 Toyota Tacoma and a modest home in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

Furthermore, I strongly believe that individual stock trading must be banned for members of Congress as they have advanced knowledge that would be considered insider trading if they were in any other line of work.

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 website

Womer’s campaign website stated the following:

“	TRADE I believe that so-called, “free trade”, is one of the largest threats to central Pennsylvania. Since the passage of NAFTA and the addition of China to the WTO, workers all over central PA have seen their jobs sent to other countries. Pennsylvania as a whole has seen a loss of 308,676 manufacturing jobs since 1994. Having a good-paying job is the building block for the American family. In order to remedy the economic crisis in central PA, I will strongly support policies that improve job prospects for central Pennsylvanians. Public Assistance Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District is the most economically distressed in the state. Over 100,000 of the district’s residents rely on public assistance to survive. These programs include SNAP, WIC, TANF, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. As your Congressman, I will never cut these important programs. Time and time again, when the nation asks to tighten the belt, they do so on the poorest of Americans, and that is unacceptable. Worker’s Rights As a construction worker, I understand just how important it is to have the government protect workers. In the United States, our worker’s protections have continued to decline as corporations have taken hold of our government. As your Congressman I will stand in solidarity with all workers in their fight to be employed with dignity, respect, and adequate pay. Corporate Influence It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or any other political affiliation, Americans everywhere understand that corporations continue to prioritize their bottom line over the health of the country. Corporations spend untold amounts of money to influence all levels of our government. This influence is disgusting to me. Our government is intended to belong to the people, and despite what the Court said in Citizens United v. FEC, corporations are not people. As your congressman, I will fight corporate influence and restore power to the people of the United States. Market Consolidation I am a capitalist through and through. However, capitalism cannot work properly without competition. In the United States we have seen corporations through unchecked mergers consolidate our markets. The trouble with this is as a corporation marches toward market consolidation, they have no incentive to offer products at competitive prices, if there is no competition, they can squeeze hardworking Americans for all they have. As your Congressman I will break up consolidated markets to create more competitive markets for American consumers. The National Debt In 2023, just the interest on our national debt is $305 billion. This figure means that every year, as our debt exponentially expands, we spend more and more of our federal revenue on merely maintaining our credit rating. We are at a point where our debt-to-GDP ratio has reached 123%. This represents the second-highest ratio in the world. As the debt rises, economists agree that it creates inflationary pressure that reduces the buying power of everyday Americans. As your Congressman I will fight to balance the Federal Budget so that our leaders in Washington cannot continue to borrow against the future of the country in service of maintaining their own positions. Access to Women’s Healthcare & Support for the American Family As nearly everyone in this country knows, in 2022, the Dobbs, decision changed the landscape of healthcare for women. Under Roe, a woman could seek lifesaving care regardless of where she lived. Now, many states are using the tough decision of a woman in crisis during pregnancy against them as a political tool. Reproductive healthcare is not a political debate in any developed country but ours. Reproductive healthcare being a debate at all drives a wedge between good people. These services should not be determined by where one lives but by their doctor. The bulk of these procedures are being sought out by women living in poverty who already have a child. As your Congressman I will work to codify Roe, while simultaneously working on legislation that allows women a true choice. If as a country we want to protect life, we must both protect women’s healthcare services and alleviate the challenges of parents living in poverty.	”
—Zach Womer’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Zach Womer campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15	Lost general	$131,058	$132,752
Grand total			$131,058	$132,752
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal 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

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Candidate

U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15

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Footnotes

[show]

Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Fetterman (D)

David McCormick (R)

Representatives

District 1

Brian Fitzpatrick (R)

District 2

Brendan Boyle (D)

District 3

Dwight Evans (D)

District 4

Madeleine Dean (D)

District 5

Mary Scanlon (D)

District 6

Chrissy Houlahan (D)

District 7

Ryan Mackenzie (R)

District 8

Rob Bresnahan (R)

District 9

Dan Meuser (R)

District 10

Scott Perry (R)

District 11

Lloyd Smucker (R)

District 12

Summer Lee (D)

District 13

John Joyce (R)

District 14

Guy Reschenthaler (R)

District 15

Glenn Thompson (R)

District 16

Mike Kelly (R)

District 17

Chris Deluzio (D)

Republican Party (11)

Democratic Party (8)