Eric Nelson (Pennsylvania politician)

Eric Nelson is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 57th House district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Eric Nelson
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 57th district
Assumed office
April 5, 2016[1]
Preceded byTim Krieger
Personal details
BornDecember 19, 1968
Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania
Political partyIndependent(before 2015) Republican(2015-present)
SpouseSusan
ChildrenBrooke, Randy, Liberty, Will, Kennedy and Gretchen
ResidenceHempfield Township
Alma materIndiana University of Pennsylvania
OccupationSafety Professional/Professor

Early life

Nelson served as a marine and a faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.[2] He owned a family beef farm and is married with six children.[3] Prior 2015, Nelson was registered as an Independent, but he changed his political affiliation to Republican that year.[3]

Political career

Nelson became the representative for the 57th House District of Pennsylvania during a special election in March 2016, taking over the seat after Rep. Tim Krieger resigned to serve as a common pleas court judge.[4] He won a full term in November 2016 with sixty-five percent of the vote over opponent Linda Iezzi.[4][5]

In November 2018, Nelson was elected to a second term, receiving sixty-two percent of the vote over his opponent Collin Warren.[4]

In April 2020, Nelson introduced an amendment to the Heart and Lung Act that would ensure police and firefighters would continue to be paid if they had to miss work because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The bill was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf.[7]

After the 2020 Presidential election, Eric Nelson was one of twenty-six Pennsylvania House Republicans who called for withdrawing certification of presidential electors, despite there being no conclusive evidence of fraud, and despite Joe Biden winning Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes. This also occurred after federal appeals brought by the Trump campaign were dismissed due to lack of evidence.[8]

Committee assignments
  • Consumer Affairs[9]
  • Insurance[9]
  • Labor & Industry, Subcommittee on Workers Compensation and Worker Protection - Chair[9]
  • State Government[9]

References
  1. "House of Representatives Daily Session Update". 2016-04-05.
  2. Cholodofsky, Rich (15 March 2016). "Nelson nails landslide victory in race for 57th House seat". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  3. Crompton, Janice (18 March 2016). "Republican Eric Nelson elected to fill House seat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  4. "57th House District: Nelson wins 2nd full term". Trib Total Media. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  5. "Pennsylvania 57th District State House Results: Eric Nelson Wins". The New York Times. 2017-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  6. Cholodofsky, Rich (13 April 2020). "Pennsylvania bill would ensure full pay for first responders stricken with coronavirus | TribLIVE.com". triblive.com. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  7. "5 actions Pa. lawmakers took last week on coronavirus crisis: outdoor recreation, telemdicine, new funding for hospitals". The Morning Call. 3 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  8. Murphy, Jan (27 November 2020). "26 Pa. House Republicans call for withdrawing certification of presidential electors". The Patriot-News.
  9. "Representative Eric R. Nelson". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
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