2020 US and PA Candidates

Joe Biden was born in Scranton PA; when he was 10, his family moved to Delaware. He was a football star at Archmere Academy, from which he graduated in 1961. At the University of Delaware, he majored in history and political science, graduating in 1965, then receiving his law degree from Syracuse in 1968. While practicing law, he was elected to the New Castle County Council and then scored a surprising upset to win the 1972 US Senate race. The tragedies in his life include the death of his wife and small daughter shortly after his election. Five years later, he married Jill Jacobs, a teacher from Pennsylvania, whose academic degrees include a Masters from West Chester University; they have now been married 43 years and have one daughter. Biden represented Delaware in the US Senate for 36 years, serving in many notable capacities, including as chair of both the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. He became Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 and served as a highly trusted and influential vice president for 8 years. At a time when national leadership is sorely needed, he has compiled an unrivaled background in issues, policies, and the workings of government.

Kamala Harris grew up fighting to help fulfill America’s promise for all Americans. Her father immigrated to the U.S.from Jamaica to study economics; her mother immigrated from India. Kamala graduated from Howard University , then earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She started fighting for working families in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she focused on prosecuting child sexual assault cases, and then as San Francisco’s District Attorney. As California Attorney General, she oversaw the country’s second largest state Justice Department, with 4,800 attorneys and other employees, and managed a $735 million budget. She won a $20 billion settlement against big banks that were unfairly foreclosing on homes, worked to protect Obamacare, helped win marriage equality for all, defended California’s landmark climate change law, and won a $1.1 billion settlement against a for-profit education company that scammed students and veterans. Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Kamala has introduced and co-sponsored legislation to help the middle class, increase the minimum wage to $15, reform cash bail, and defend the legal rights of refugees and immigrants. She serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. On the Judiciary Committee, she has held Trump administration officials accountable and has been a powerful voice against Trump’s conservative judicial nominations. Kamala has been married to her husband Doug for the past six years and is the stepmother of two children, Ella and Cole, her “endless source of love and pure joy.”

Chrissy Houlahan, a third-generation military veteran, proudly represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. Raised by a Holocaust survivor and career naval officer, Chrissy learned the values of duty and sacrifice early on.

An engineering graduate from Stanford with an ROTC scholarship, Chrissy later earned an M.S. in Technology and Policy from MIT. Her military service includes three active years and 13 in the Inactive Reserve, reaching the rank of Captain in the USAFR.

Beyond the military, Chrissy excelled in business as the COO of AND1 Basketball and the Founding COO of B-Lab. Committed to education, she taught chemistry in North Philadelphia and later served as President of Springboard Collaborative, focusing on early childhood literacy.

A devoted mother to Molly and Carly, Chrissy, alongside her husband Bart, resides in Devon. As the first woman elected to her district and the first Democrat since the Civil War, she is a trailblazer in Congress, serving on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. Chrissy Houlahan’s diverse background and unwavering commitment make her a dedicated advocate for her constituents.

An Environmental Champion. An Educator. A Community Leader. A Trusted Public Servant. A Friend You Can Count On.

Throughout her career, Carolyn has embraced all of those roles and more.

As State Senator for Pennsylvania’s 19th District, she is working to support strong public schools, a clean environment, affordable healthcare, renewable energy, economic growth, and safe, welcoming communities where we all have an opportunity to thrive.

In the Senate, Carolyn serves as minority chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and on the Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Aging and Youth, Education, and Local Government Committees. Before that, Carolyn served two terms, beginning in 2016, as State Representative for the 156th Legislative District. But she is perhaps most well known for being the first woman and first bipartisan-elected mayor of West Chester, a position she was elected to in 2010 after serving two terms on West Chester Borough Council.

To all her roles, Carolyn brings the perspective of an educator, a small business owner, a mother and a grandmother, and a neighbor who cares.

Melissa Shusterman is a small business owner, wife and mother who was elected State Representative for Pennsylvania’s 157th District in 2018. Raised in Easttown, Melissa graduated from Conestoga High School in 1985, Lafayette College in 1989, then graduate school at American University in 1993.

Melissa began her campaign for the 157th District, in 2017. She was prompted to run by the old boys’ club and special interests that control Harrisburg and prevent progress on important issues in Pennsylvania from being addressed. Her slogan was “Common Sense Before Politics”. Melissa campaigned on government transparency and accountability, education equity, environmental sustainability, and gun control reform. Over the course of the campaign, Melissa knocked on tens of thousands of doors, and gained recognition and support across the county, state, and country. In November 2018, Melissa was elected to office, defeating a four-term Republican incumbent by over 4,000 votes. She was elected in a historic year for women in Pennsylvania, with women increasing their share of representation in the Pennsylvania House and Senate. She was reelected in 2020 and 2022 and is now serving for her third term.

Before running for office, Melissa worked in the video production industry. She worked for large networks like Food Network, VH1, and HGTV before returning to Pennsylvania to raise her son as a single mother. There, she started her own successful business, a video production company. Melissa’s business experience gives her a unique perspective in the legislature. Family includes husband Hans Mueller and son, Paris T. Shusterfallou.

In the legislature, Melissa serves on the Health, Judiciary, Chair of the Family Law Subcommittee, Rules & State Government Committees and Transportation. She is co-chair of both the Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Caucus and the Animal Protection Caucus.

Throughout his career as a public servant, Josh Shapiro has taken on the status quo, brought people together to solve tough problems, and delivered results for the people of Pennsylvania. Since 2017, he has served as the People’s Attorney General, working every day to stand up to powerful institutions and protect Pennsylvanians’ rights. Now, Josh is running to be Pennsylvania’s next Governor — to move our Commonwealth forward and tackle our biggest challenges.

Josh Shapiro was sworn in on January 17, 2017, as as Pennsylvania’s top lawyer and chief law enforcement officer with a mandate to ensure integrity and be the people’s Attorney General. Some of his top priorities include protecting seniors, veterans, small businesses and consumers from scams and fraud; implementing a comprehensive integrity agenda to ensure people from across the Commonwealth are heard and have faith in the justice system; and directing an aggressive fight against the heroin and opioid epidemic, including treatment for those suffering from addiction. As the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, his work on behalf of victims and for criminal justice reform earned him the trust of law enforcement leaders from across the ideological spectrum. Earlier, as Chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Josh led an historic fiscal turnaround, helped the first LGBT couples in Pennsylvania marry, protected voting rights and fired Wall Street money managers to protect pensions and save retirees millions. As State Representative for Pennsylvania’s 153rd House District he passed some of the toughest ethics laws in state history. Josh graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester and earned his law degree at night from Georgetown University Law Center, and was in private practice for over a decade. Josh was raised in Montgomery County, where he met his high school sweetheart, Lori, and where they are raising their four children.

Nina grew up amid war in Bangladesh and came to the United States at 21. After earning her Ph.D. from Penn, she achieved success as a molecular biologist and entrepreneur. As president of the Philadelphia National Organization for Women, Nina led a fight against the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office when it refused to fire three prosecutors who had emailed degrading pornographic images. She has led efforts to fight workplace discrimination and harassment that economically undermine women and people of color. On the board of the Philadelphia Foundation, she has helped raise millions of dollars for local nonprofits that improve the quality of life for working and poor families. She has served as Deputy Mayor for Public Engagement under Mayor Jim Kenney, overseeing the Commission for Women, the Office of Black Male Engagement, and the Youth Commission, and working closely with the office of LGBT Affairs. She also served on President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Nina and her husband live in Philadelphia, where they raised their two daughters.

Endorsed by PA State Committee. Joseph M. Torsella was elected the 77th treasurer of Pennsylvania in 2016. He oversees an office of 360 employees protecting nearly $100 billion in state assets and safeguarding the financial health of the state. From 2011-2014 as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, for budget and management reform, he advocated for budget restraint and transparency, including webcasting of UN meetings and publication of audits. He also served as chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education and was the founding president and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a non-profit museum and education complex. He raised $185 million in private and public funds, allowing the Center to open in 2003. His tenure at the National Constitution Center has been described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “resounding success” by a “modern-day founding father.” As Philadelphia’s deputy mayor for policy and planning under then-Mayor Ed Rendell in the early 1990s, Torsella helped develop initiatives to resolve the city’s $1.25 billion deficit in “one of the most stunning turnarounds in the nation,” as stated by the New York Times. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics and history, and studied American History at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar.