Jeff Coleman

Jeff Coleman (born July 4, 1975) is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Jeff Coleman
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 60th district
In office
January 2, 2001[1]  November 30, 2004[2]
Preceded byTimothy Pesci
Succeeded byJeffrey Pyle
Personal details
Born (1975-07-04) July 4, 1975
Whidbey Island Naval Base
Political partyRepublican
SpouseRebecca
Children4
ResidenceHershey, Pennsylvania
Alma materLiberty University (BS)
The Colemans with President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Jose Miguel Arroyo in 2003

Background

Coleman was born to a Filipino American family at Whidbey Island Naval Base in Washington in 1975.[3] In the 1980s his family returned to Manila, Philippines to serve as missionaries.[3] It was during that time that the Philippines experienced the People Power Revolution, which Coleman credits for inspiring his "passion for public service."[3] He graduated from Orchard Hills Christian Academy in 1994.[4] He attended Liberty University, earning his degree in Government in 2001.[4] Prior to elective office, Coleman worked in a grocery store, waited tables, and was as radio news anchor in college.[3] He also worked as an intern for Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and was elected to Apollo Borough Council.[3][5]

Political career

In the 2000 election for the 60th legislative district, the 25-year-old Coleman defeated long-time Democratic incumbent Tim Pesci in spite of the district being 70% Democratic.[6][7][8] Coleman's under-funded campaign relied on an aggressive "door-to-door" campaign with hundreds of campaign volunteers.[3] Bill DeWeese, the House Democratic Leader, said that Pesci had run a "condescending" race against Coleman, calling his opponent "Jeffy" and describing Coleman's campaign volunteers as "the Children from the Corn," referring to the horror film.[7][9] He ran unopposed for reelection in 2002.[10]

In a 2002 PoliticsPA Feature story designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named the "Most Ambitious"[11]

Coleman surprised political observers by retiring prior to the 2004 elections to host a Harrisburg-based political radio program.[12] In 2010, Politics Magazine named him one of the most influential Republicans in Pennsylvania, noting his success as a political consultant.[13]

Coleman unsuccessfully sought the 2022 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor,[14] coming in fifth place in the May 2022 primary election:

2022 Republican primary, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carrie DelRosso 318,537 25.66
Republican Richard Saccone 195,171 15.72
Republican Theodore Daniels 150,749 12.14
Republican Clarice D. Schillinger 147,705 11.90
Republican Jeffrey H. Coleman 125,059 10.07
Republican James E. Jones 113,183 9.12
Republican Russell H. Diamond 73,751 5.94
Republican John A. Brown 58,961 4.75
Republican Christopher C. Frye, Jr. 58,403 4.70
Total votes 100.00%

References

  1. "SESSION OF 2001 - 185TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2001-01-02.
  2. Per Article II, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the legislative session ended on November 30, 2004
  3. "Meet Jeff Coleman". Online Action Center. Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. Archived from the original on 2003-04-09.
  4. "Jeff Coleman (Republican)". Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2004-02-19.
  5. Simonich, Milan (2001-02-19). "NEWSMAKER / Jeff Coleman". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co.
  6. "Our Campaigns - PA State House 060 Race - Nov 07, 2000".
  7. Bull, John (2001-07-06). "Ousted Democrat now in his opponents' camp". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co.
  8. "2000 General Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27.
  9. Neri, Al. "The Four Corners of Pennsylvania and More - Southwest". The Insider. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12.
  10. "Our Campaigns - PA State House 060 Race - Nov 05, 2002".
  11. "Keystone State Yearbook Committee". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2001. Archived from the original on 2002-08-03.
  12. Toland, Bill (2004-01-30). "Legislator eager to launch career as radio talk-show host". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co.
  13. Roarty, Alex; Sean Coit (January 2010). "Pennsylvania Influencers" (PDF). Politics Magazine. pp. 44–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-29.
  14. Karen Shuey, https://www.readingeagle.com/2022/04/25/jeff-coleman-candidate-pennsylvania-lt-governor/, Reading Eagle (April 25, 2022).
  15. 2022 Republican primary, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor
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