Josh Shapiro
Josh Shapiro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 153rd district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2005[1] | |
| Preceded by | Ellen Bard |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lori |
| Residence | Abington, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | University of Rochester, Georgetown University |
| Occupation | attorney, political assistant |
Josh Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 153rd legislative district since 2005. The district includes portions of Montgomery County in Upper Dublin and Abington Townships.
Personal
Shapiro was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After college, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Carl Levin. He then worked as a senior advisor to U.S. Representative Peter Deutsch (1996-98) and to U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli (1998-99). From 1999 to 2003, he was chief of staff to U.S. Representative Joe Hoeffel.
Shapiro received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 2002 and, in addition to his role as a state legislator, works as an attorney with Ballard Spahr. He lives in Abington with his wife and three children. He has a brother, Adam Shapiro, and a niece.
Political career
In 2004, Shapiro ran for the seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives held by Ellen Bard, who had run unsuccessfully for Congress. It was the same seat held by his former employer, Congressman Hoeffel, from 1977 to 1985. His GOP opponent was Jon D. Fox, who represented Montgomery County in Congress from 1995-1999. Shapiro defeated Fox in November with 54% of the vote. [2] He is only the second Democrat to represent the Abington area since World War I.
He won re-election against lesser known Lou Guerra, taking 76% of the vote. [3]
In 2007, Shapiro was named Deputy Speaker by incoming Speaker Dennis M. O'Brien after Shapiro helped broker a deal to bring him into office. [4] [5]
In the 2008 Primary Election, Shapiro ran uncontested on the Democratic side and additionally he won a write-in campaign on the Republican side to ensure that he will be running against himself in the general elections on November 4, 2008.
Mr. Shapiro was said to run for the United States Senate before Arlen Specter announced he had joined Democratic Party.
References
- ^ "SESSION OF 2005 - 189TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2005-01-04.
- ^ Pennsylvania General Election Results, Pennsylvania Department of State, 11/2/04
- ^ Pennsylvania General Election Results, Pennsylvania Department of State, 11/7/06
- ^ Benjamin Wallace, Politics: Cleaning House, Philadelphia Magazine, December 2007
- ^ Tom Waring, House speaker pays a visit to CORA, Northeast Times, 2/1/07
External links
- State Representative Josh Shapiro official campaign website
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Josh Shapiro, Jr. official PA House website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Josh Shapiro (PA) profile
- Follow the Money - Josh Shapiro
- Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Rep. Josh Shapiro official caucus website