Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Paul Costa  | |
| Population | 55,844 | |
| Ethnicity | 20.8% Black, 1.2% Hispanic[1] | |
| Voting age | 80.4% age 18 and over | |
Pennsylvania's thirty-fourth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Paul Costa.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 55,844 civilians reside within Pennsylvania's thirty-fourth state house district.[2] Pennsylvania state representatives represent an average of 62,573 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 60,498 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Pennsylvania legislators assume office on the first day of December after a general election.[3]
Qualifications
Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution states:[4]
| “ | Senators shall be at least 25 years of age and Representatives 21 years of age. They shall have been citizens and inhabitants of the State four years, and inhabitants of their respective districts one year next before their election (unless absent on the public business of the United States or of this State), and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service.[5] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[6] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $110,015.54/year | $198/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution on when a special election can be held.[7]
See sources: Pennsylvania Cons. Art. II, §2
Elections
2018
General election
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2018. A closed primary election took place on May 15, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 6, 2018. Summer Lee (D) is unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 general election.
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 34 General Election, 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Summer Lee (unopposed) | |
Democratic primary election
Summer Lee defeated incumbent Paul Costa in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 Democratic primary election.[8]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Summer Lee |
67.77% | 6,914 |
| Paul Costa Incumbent | 32.23% | 3,288 |
| Total Votes | 10,202 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Reporting Center: 2018 General Primary," accessed August 10, 2018 | ||
Republican primary election
No Republican candidate filed for election. [8]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 34 Republican Primary, 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidates | ||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Reporting Center: 2018 General Primary," accessed August 10, 2018 | ||
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 Paul Costa ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 general election.[9][10]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Paul Costa Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||
Incumbent Paul Costa ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 Democratic primary.[11][12]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Paul Costa 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 Paul Costa was unopposed in the Democratic primary and unchallenged in the general election.[13][14][15]
2012
Elections for the office of Pennsylvania House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on April 24, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 16, 2012. Incumbent Paul Costa (D) was unopposed in both the general election and Democratic primary.[16][17]
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 raised a total of $386,852. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $29,758 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $63,513 | 1 | $63,513 | |
| 2014 | $66,250 | 1 | $66,250 | |
| 2012 | $40,564 | 1 | $40,564 | |
| 2010 | $84,126 | 2 | $42,063 | |
| 2008 | $22,925 | 1 | $22,925 | |
| 2006 | $29,354 | 3 | $9,785 | |
| 2004 | $33,739 | 1 | $33,739 | |
| 2002 | $20,089 | 1 | $20,089 | |
| 2000 | $26,292 | 2 | $13,146 | |
| Total | $386,852 | 13 | $29,758 | |
See also
- Pennsylvania State Legislature
- Pennsylvania State Senate
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ publicmapping.org, "Pennsylvania 2010 Census Selected Statistics," accessed November 4, 2013
- ↑ Pennsylvania Constitution, "Article II, Section 2," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ The Constitution of Pennsylvania, "Article II, Section 5: Qualifications of members," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution," accessed February 15, 2021 (Article II, Section 2)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The New York Times, "Pennsylvania Primary Election Results," accessed May 16, 2018
- ↑ Pennsylvania Voter Services, "Candidate listing," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "November 8, 2016, official election results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Secretary of State, "Election Information," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 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 Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
- ↑ "Pennsylvania Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
