Joseph Hohenstein
Joseph Hohenstein (Democratic Party) is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 177. He assumed office on December 1, 2018. His current term ends on November 30, 2024.
Hohenstein (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 177. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024. He advanced from the Democratic primary on April 23, 2024.
Hohenstein was a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 177 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[1]
Biography
Joseph Hohenstein earned a bachelor's degree from Earlham College in 1989 and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1993. His professional experience includes working as an immigration attorney, in nonprofit organizations, and in private practice. He also taught at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. He was the clerk (chair) on the Board of Frankford Friends School and served on the National Amicus Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).[2]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Hohenstein was assigned to the following committees:
- House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee
- House Game & Fisheries Committee, Secretary
- House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee Chair on Courts
- House Transportation Committee, Subcommittee Chair on Ports
2021-2022
Hohenstein was assigned to the following committees:
- House Transportation Committee
- House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee
- House Game & Fisheries Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
2019-2020
Hohenstein was assigned to the following committees:
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2024
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein is running in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Joseph Hohenstein (D) | ||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joseph Hohenstein | 98.7 | 3,683 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 50 | ||
| Total votes: 3,733 | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
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2022
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein defeated Mark Lavelle in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on November 8, 2022. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
✔ Joseph Hohenstein (D)
11,070 Mark Lavelle (R)
5,751 Total votes: 16,821 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joseph Hohenstein | 98.6 | 4,339 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.4 | 60 | ||
| Total votes: 4,399 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Mark Lavelle advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Lavelle | 99.2 | 1,711 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 13 | ||
| Total votes: 1,724 | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein defeated John Nungesser in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on November 3, 2020. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
✔ Joseph Hohenstein (D) 15,640 John Nungesser (R)
10,470 Total votes: 26,110 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Incumbent Joseph Hohenstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joseph Hohenstein | 100.0 | 6,268 | |
| Total votes: 6,268 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
John Nungesser advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Nungesser | 100.0 | 2,184 |
| Total votes: 2,184 | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Hohenstein's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2018
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Joseph Hohenstein defeated Patty Kozlowski in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joseph Hohenstein (D) | 59.4 | 11,436 | |
| Patty Kozlowski (R) | 40.6 | 7,808 | |
| Total votes: 19,244 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Joseph Hohenstein defeated Margaret Borski, Sean Kilkenny, and Daniel Martino in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joseph Hohenstein | 37.3 | 1,690 | |
| Margaret Borski | 23.9 | 1,084 | |
| Sean Kilkenny | 23.8 | 1,081 | |
| Daniel Martino | 15.0 | 678 | |
| Total votes: 4,533 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177
Patty Kozlowski advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patty Kozlowski | 100.0 | 1,541 |
| Total votes: 1,541 | ||||
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2016
| Obama endorsement |
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| During the 2016 election cycle Hohenstein was one of the candidates endorsed by President Barack Obama |
Full list of Obama's 2016 endorsements |
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on April 26, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016.
Incumbent John Taylor defeated Joseph Hohenstein in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 general election.[3][4]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  John Taylor Incumbent |
55.15% | 14,128 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Hohenstein | 44.85% | 11,491 | |
| Total Votes | 25,619 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Joseph Hohenstein ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 177 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Joseph Hohenstein (unopposed) | |
Incumbent John Taylor ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 177 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | John Taylor Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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You can ask Joseph Hohenstein to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing votehohenstein@gmail.com.
2022
Joseph Hohenstein did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 18, 2020 |
Joseph Hohenstein completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hohenstein's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I was elected State Representative of the 177th District in 2018 to serve the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Bridesburg, Fishtown, Mayfair, Port Richmond, Northwood, Kensington, Wissinoming, Harrowgate, and Frankford-where I was born and raised. I'm a husband, father, and dedicated community leader.
I seek to give voice to a community that has often felt overlooked and neglected. My district consists of traditional working class neighborhoods whose interests historically have not been protected and whose concerns have gone unheard. But I am working hard to ensure my constituents' needs are met and to help their vision for a better community become a reality.
My top priorities include fighting for education funding, worker protections, raising the minimum wage, affordable healthcare, criminal justice reform, environmental protections, ending gun violence, addressing the opioid epidemic, supporting equal rights (including women, LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities), fair districts, and government transparency and accountability.
Before assuming office, I served our community as an attorney and small business owner. Nationally renowned for my experience solving challenging immigration cases, my work focused on keeping families united and protecting their rights. Notably, when President Trump signed the infamous Travel Ban in early 2017, my legal team successfully reunited a Syrian Christian family who was legally immigrating but ruled ineligible mid-flight.
- I believe we must respond to the COVID pandemic and prioritize public health and safety. This means investing in PPE, supporting hazard pay and paid sick leave, and doing everything we can to provide sufficient unemployment compensation for working families. Economic recovery has to start with our workers, not corporations.
- I will support working families with simple, but powerful policies that: establish and provide early childhood education and fair funding for Philadelphia's public schools; protect and value workers by securing safe worksites and living wages; and create a comprehensive safety net through universal health care and a functioning unemployment system.
- I am dedicated to working to address the systemic inequalities in our society to create a brighter future for everyone. Justice for all includes creating safer communities by addressing the opioid epidemic, ending gun violence, and protecting our environment.
I am passionate about achieving educational, environmental, and economic justice for all. The current system simply does not work for the majority of us. The status quo is unsustainable, and the issues facing our society have only increased since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am passionate about providing a brighter future for all. Everyone should have affordable access to food, housing, healthcare, education, and public transportation.
I am passionate about achieving true equality. Everyone deserves equal protection under the law, no matter who they are, where they come from, how they identify, or who they choose to love. As such, I will always fight for all members of our society. I support women's rights and their access to reproductive services, I will protect LGBTQ+ rights, I will advocate and recognize the gifts of differently abled and disabled people, and I will stand by our BIPOC neighbors and immigrant communities.
I choose to identify my heroes from people I know, not famous people I've never met. My parents remain the biggest influence in my life. They have lived lives of service, and have accepted and supported me, my 6 siblings, our partners, and their 16 grandchildren with the grace of saints and the wisdom of sages.
I listen, keep an open mind, and then make my decisions. I also follow Quaker teachings to both recognize and value everyone I encounter and try to understand them on their own terms.
I hope to leave my communities more unified than when I started.
Richard Nixon's resignation. I was seven years old.
My first paid job was for the summer when I was 15 years old. I worked as a gofer for a construction contractor who was a friend of my family. It was rehabbing of houses, 7AM-3PM everyday for that whole summer. Even though I was the low man on the totem pole, I still had other guys on the job counting on me. If I messed up, it would cost time and money - so I learned fast to mess up as seldom as possible and to take responsibility for it when I did.
The Harry Potter series. I am a fan of fantasy and my kids were the right age, so I was able to read these out loud to them.
No Sugar in My Coffee
Not hearing as well as other people. I have had a moderate hearing loss for most of my life and accommodating that without calling attention to myself as 'different' was always something I struggled with. As I have gotten older, I have dropped the stigma of being embarrassed by my moderate disability and advocated to get full access, instead of trying to pretend I was getting along.
In Pennsylvania, Senators retain power over specific appropriations for projects in their districts. Representatives no longer have this power.
I believe that prior life experience is important, but not necessarily experience in politics or the government. A legislator's function as a representative of the people of their district requires an understanding of the different life experiences of those people. This usually requires a person who has seen enough of life that they can engage, understand, and ultimately represent all of the people in their district - not just those who look and think like them. I think this quality is important for my district, which is extremely diverse.
Right now, in the next several months, we need to find ways to effectively address both the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. I believe this requires us to recognize that there cannot be a true economic recovery without first adopting appropriate and comprehensive public health containment of the virus, either through social practices or a vaccine.
In the longer term, three issues will be the focus: 1) funding our state pensions and continuing to pay for years of neglect; 2) a transition from Act 89 to fund infrastructure and transportation; and 3) completing the implementation of the fair funding formula for public education.
Communication is essential, especially from the Governor to the Legislature. Respect is also key, especially from the Legislature to the Governor. The ideal relationship balances these two elements and includes the basic principle that each body has its own area of expertise.
Yes, it is important to develop a relationship with my legislative colleagues so that we can better work together to solve the problems facing our districts and our commonwealth. Understanding one another and gaining insight into each of our individual perspectives provides the best opportunity for us to find the common ground necessary for joint solutions. I will always be ready to seek out relationships with all of my colleagues, regardless of their political party.
I support Fair Districts PA's plan for a nonpartisan commission to determine our legislative districts. I would support legislation like SB22 and HB722 to establish such a nonpartisan commission.
Human Services - I joined this committee specifically because it addresses one of the main problems in my district: the crisis created by addiction. I also chose it because, when I joined, it was chaired by Rep. Gene DiGiralomo, a Republican who was dedicated to addressing the scourge of addiction and the myriad of problems it creates for our communities.
State Government - I joined this committee because I knew it would be a place where larger questions of state policy, like election security, redistricting, and equality would be resolved. During COVID, it has become the place where all the legislation relating to reopening of the economy has been debated.
Urban Affairs - This is the committee that deals with all the issues affecting the City of Philadelphia.
Yes, but it would depend upon the role and the circumstances. I hope to provide the best leadership for my district and the commonwealth at-large, and I would accept such a responsibility if it is asked of me.
Mike O'Brien - He never forgot where he came from.
Bob O'Donnell - He was willing to re-examine his views and work with everyone to come to a solution.
Barbara Jordan - She persisted and always reached for something more, both for herself and her constituents.
Just 50 cents - but so much more.
I was in Port Richmond one day, helping get people mail-in voting applications and talking with them about the importance of voting. Not everyone is voting by mail, but they are all making their plans.
On my way back to my car, I saw an older woman working in a nice, well-tended garden with a lot of plants and flowers in large pots. I commented on how beautiful it was. Her husband came to the door and told me he was going to vote in person at his polling place. He pointed to his POW/MIA flag. He told me about his service in Vietnam as a machine gunner on river boats. I told him my uncle had served on those same boats after graduating from Annapolis.
He also told me of his admiration for JFK because of his dedicated service to the country. At that point, he told me to wait and went inside. He came back out and handed something to his wife to give to me; told me it was just .50 cents, and wished me well. She handed me a JFK commemorative half dollar, just 50 cents - but so much more.
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Campaign finance summary
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Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Pennsylvania scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 3 to December 13.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 4 to November 30.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 5 to December 31.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was in session from January 7 to November 30.
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Noteworthy events
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| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
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Hohenstein announced on December 13, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19.[7]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 |
Officeholder Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Election Information," accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 18, 2020
- ↑ Pennsylvania Voter Services, "Candidate listing," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "November 8, 2016, official election results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pennsylvania Secretary of State, "Election Information," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Presidential Primary," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Capital-Star, "State Rep. Joe Hohenstein and staffer test positive for COVID-19," December 13, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Taylor (R) |
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 177 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
