Judy Ward

Judith "Judy" Ward is a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 30th Senatorial district in Blair County, Pennsylvania in the United States. A Republican, she previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[1][2][3]

Judy Ward
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 30th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byJohn Eichelberger
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 80th district
In office
January 6, 2015 – November 30, 2018
Preceded byJerry Stern
Succeeded byJim Gregory
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseWilliam T. Ward
Children2 sons
ResidenceFrankstown Township
ProfessionRegistered nurse

Education and career

Ward graduated from Hollidaysburg High School and was awarded a nursing degree by the Altoona Hospital School of Nursing. Employed as a registered nurse for twenty-two years, she was subsequently employed by Allegheny Lutheran Social Services, Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School, and as a medical, health and wellness coordinator at Ward Transport and Logistics. She also founded All About Towne, a relocation assistance company.[4]

Ward is also a graduate of Pennsylvania State University's Rural and Urban Leadership (RULE) Program.[5]

Political career

In 2014 Ward was elected to represent the 80th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives,[6] the first woman elected from the district.[7] In July 2018 she won the Republican Party nomination for the election to succeed John Eichelberger representing the 30th District in the Pennsylvania State Senate;[8] the Democratic nominee was also a woman, Emily Garbuny Best.[7]

In January 2018, Ward and her fellow Republican House member Mike Turzai proposed HB2050 to ban abortions in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to prevent women from terminating pregnancies in cases when fetuses are diagnosed with Down syndrome. The bill was passed out of the Pennsylvania House's Health Committee without a public hearing of the proposed legislation on April 9, 2018 and rapidly scheduled for a final vote the next week.[9]

On November 6, 2018, State Representative Judy Ward won the 30th State Senatorial District Seat, replacing Hon. Senator John Eichelberger. On January 1, 2019 Senator-elect Ward was sworn into office, as the first female state senator from the Pennsylvania 30th Senatorial District

Political views

Described as one of the most consistently reliable conservative votes in the Pennsylvania Senate, she has received the support of multiple conservative groups, including the Pro-Life Federation of Pennsylvania, the NRA Political Victory Fund,[10] and the conservative business entrepreneurs organization Commonwealth Partners. She was also the recipient of the "Award for Conservative Achievement" from the American Conservative Union.

In 2023, Ward introduced a bill to limit the impact of inflation on Social Security recipients.[11]

Personal

Ward and her husband Bill have two sons.[4][7]

References
  1. "Full Statewide Results." Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Sentinel, November 7, 2018 (subscription required).
  2. "Ward running for Pa. Senate." Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Public Opinion, January 19, 2018, p. 1 (subscription required).
  3. "2018's New Legislators." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Farming, November 24, 2018 (subscription required).
  4. Shawn Hardy (January 23, 2018). "Rep. Ward running for Pa. Senate". Echo-Pilot.
  5. "Biography".
  6. "SESSION OF 2015 - 199TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2015-01-06.
  7. Phil Ray (May 16, 2018). "Ward credits family for win: Women to represent both parties in fall election for Senate". Altoona Mirror.
  8. Amber South (May 16, 2018) [May 15, 2018]. "Pa. primary election: Rep. Judy Ward wins GOP race in 30th Senate District". Chambersburg Public Opinion.
  9. Polaneczky, Ronnie. "Bill isn't really about caring for the disabled." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 11, 2018 (subscription required).
  10. "NRA-PVF | Grades | Pennsylvania". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. Staff Report (2023-04-08). "PA Senator Ward introduces bill to to[sic] limit inflation's impact on Social Security recipients". Tri-State Alert. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
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