Aaron Kaufer
Aaron Kaufer | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 120th district | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2015[1] | |
| Preceded by | Phyllis Mundy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 11, 1988 Kingston, Pennsylvania, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | Kingston, Pennsylvania |
| Education | Lafayette College (BA) |
| Alma mater | Wyoming Valley West High School |
| Website | www |
Aaron D. Kaufer (born July 11, 1988) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 120th district.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Kaufer was born on July 11, 1988, in Kingston, Pennsylvania, the son of Neil and Larinda Kaufer.[2][3] He graduated from Wyoming Valley West High School in 2007 and earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in 'government and law' and 'international affairs' from Lafayette College in 2011.[2][4]
Political career[edit]
Kaufer first ran for state representative in 2012 against incumbent Democrat Phyllis Mundy, losing 56% to 43%.[5] In December 2013, Mundy announced that she would be retiring. For the 2014 election, Eileen Cipriani was chosen as the Democratic nominee.[6] Kaufer ran again against Cipriani and won, defeating her 56% to 44%.[7] He was reelected in 2016 with 68% of the vote against Democrat Robert McDonald.[8] Kaufer was reelected for a third term in 2018 unopposed.[9] He again won reelection to a fourth term in 2020, defeating Democrat Joanna Bryn Smith 63% to 37%.[10] Kaufer will face Democrat Fern Leard in the November 2022 general election.[11]
Kaufer was a co-founder of the PA HOPE (Heroin, Opioid, Prevention and Education) Caucus as part of his effort to improve Pennsylvania's drug and alcohol services.[3]
Kaufer was appointed to the Higher Education Funding Commission in 2019.[2]
Kaufer currently sits on the Gaming Oversight, Professional Licensure, and Transportation committees and chairs the Finance Subcommittee on Tax Modernization and Reform.[12]
Political positions[edit]
Kaufer believes in a smaller state government and has focused on pursuing job and economic development initiatives. He also supports efforts to address the opioid epidemic.[13]
Kaufer is known for his commitment on bipartisan cooperation.[3]
Abortion[edit]
According to Kaufer himself, he has never supported an outright ban on abortion and believes in exceptions for rape, incest, health of the mother, and viability of the child.[14]
Gambling[edit]
Kaufer believes that online gambling should not be tied to a credit card. Prior to being elected, Kaufer worked at Mohegan Sun Pocono where he would see customers repeatedly taking out, often large, sums of money on their credit card "just so they could play one more game."[3]
Israel-Palestine[edit]
Following Ben & Jerry's 2021 announcement that the company would not longer sell its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Kaufer called on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and Treasurer Stacy Garrity to enforce 2016 Act 163, which says the state will not associate with businesses that boycott Israel.[15][16]
Kaufer has said the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) "is little more than a poorly hidden anti-Semitic economic attack."[15]
Taxation[edit]
Kaufer supports the elimination of property taxes. During his first term as a state representative, Kaufer supported a homestead exemption so that property tax would be eliminated on a person's primary residence.[3]
Term limits[edit]
Leading up to the 2014 Pennsylvania state house election, Kaufer campaigned as a supporter of term limits stating he would only serve four terms.[6] In 2022, however, Kaufer ran for a fifth term.[17]
Welfare reform[edit]
Kaufer believes in reforming what he describes as Pennsylvania's "bloated welfare system".[13] In 2015, he helped to pass a bill that closed a loophole in Pennsylvania that allowed individuals to accept welfare from multiple states.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Kaufer is Jewish and attends Temple Israel in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[13]
Kaufer is married and resides in Kingston, Pennsylvania.[2][12]
In 2019, Kaufer visited Poland where he saw the graves of relatives who were victims of the Holocaust.[18]
Electoral history[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Phyllis Mundy (incumbent) | 14,133 | 56.05 | |
| Republican | Aaron Kaufer | 11,050 | 43.82 | |
| Write-In | 31 | 0.12 | ||
| Total votes | 25,214 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Aaron Kaufer | 9,514 | 55.92 | |
| Democratic | Eileen Cipriani | 7,472 | 43.92 | |
| Write-In | 28 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 17,014 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Aaron Kaufer (incumbent) | 18,843 | 67.8 | |
| Democratic | Robert J. McDonald | 8,929 | 32.13 | |
| Write-In | 20 | 0.07 | ||
| Total votes | 27,792 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Aaron Kaufer (incumbent) | 16,677 | 96.04 | |
| Write-In | 688 | 3.96 | ||
| Total votes | 17,365 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Aaron Kaufer (incumbent) | 20,397 | 63.1 | |
| Democratic | Joanna Bryn Smith | 11,913 | 36.85 | |
| Scattered | 16 | 0.05 | ||
| Total votes | 32,326 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write-In | Fern Leard | 590 | 46.06 | |
| Write-In | Aaron Kaufer | 418 | 32.63 | |
| Write-In | Kaufer | 35 | 2.73 | |
| Other write-in candidates | 238 | 18.58 | ||
| Total votes | 1,281 | 100.00% | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "SESSION OF 2015 - 199TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2015-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e "AARON KAUFER". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Aaron Kaufer seeks second term representing 120th District". Times Leader. November 4, 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ admin (January 16, 2012). "ABOUT AARON". Kaufer Now. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "2012-General-ElectionResults-PDF" (PDF). Luzerne County, PA Official Website. November 6, 2012. p. 3. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b Buffer, Michael P. (November 4, 2016). "120th: Kaufer defeats Cipriani". The Citizens' Voice. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "11/04/14 General Election". Luzerne County, PA Official Website. November 24, 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 120th District State House Results: Aaron Kaufer Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; Andre, Mike; Andrews, Wilson; Bloch, Matthew; Bowers, Jeremy; Buchanan, Larry; Cohn, Nate; Coote, Alastair; Daniel, Annie; Fehr, Tiff; Jacoby, Samuel; Katz, Josh; Keller, Josh; Krolik, Aaron; Lee, Jasmine C.; Lieberman, Rebecca; Migliozzi, Blacki; Murray, Paul; Quealy, Kevin; Patel, Jaymin; Pearce, Adam; Shorey, Rachel; Strickland, Michael; Taylor, Rumsey; White, Isaac; Whitely, Maxine; Williams, Josh (May 15, 2019). "Pennsylvania Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Election Results". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Buffer, Michael P. (June 1, 2022). "Leard wins Democratic primary for 120th state House District as write-in candidate". The Citizens' Voice. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Representative Aaron D. Kaufer". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ a b c "About Aaron Kaufer". PA State Rep Aaron Kaufer. PA House Republican Caucus. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Where Pa. law stands on abortion". Times Leader. June 26, 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Kaufer Calls on Wolf, Shapiro, Garrity to Enforce Procurement Law Following Ben & Jerry's Israel Announcement". PA State Rep Aaron Kaufer. PA House Republican Caucus. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "2016 Act 163". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Carroll, Kevin (May 17, 2022). "Ryncavage claims victory in 119th; Williams waiting for mail-ins". Times Leader. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ Strub, Chelsea (October 12, 2020). "UPDATE: No charges being filed against person who wrote hateful messages to State Rep". WNEP-TV. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ 2016 General election, Luzerne County, PA
- ^ 2018 Pennsylvania House of Representatives 120th District election
- ^ 2020 Pennsylvania House of Representatives 120th District election
- ^ 2022 Pennsylvania House of Representatives 120th District Democratic primary election
