On his campaign website, Benscoter wrote: “My name is Jeremy Benscoter. I grew up in the 117th district. I lived in Hunlock Creek, went to Hunlock Creek Elementary, and graduated from Northwest Area High School.”

Jeremy Benscoter for State Representative

Benscoter wrote: “I lived in Hunlock Creek, went to Hunlock Creek Elementary, and graduated from Northwest Area High School. I worked through college and graduated with a BS in Computer Science from Bloomsburg University.”

The Citizens' Voice reported: “The 2007 graduate from Northwest Area High School said he and his wife both grew up in Hunlock Creek where they still reside with their son.”

Hunlock Creek Democrat running for 117th state House District

Jeremy Benscoter grew up in Hunlock Creek, in the 117th District. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Bloomsburg University. He lives with his wife and their son.

Benscoter wrote: “Today, I work in technology. I have been a programmer for over 15 years and have a wide knowledge of the tech industry, its successes and its failures.”

Benscoter wrote: “Today, I work in technology. I have been a programmer for over 15 years and have a wide knowledge of the tech industry, its successes and its failures. I currently work as Director of Information Technology overseeing a small, privately owned company in Pittsburgh.”

The Times Leader reported: “His opponent, Benscoter, who resides in Hunlock Creek, works in tech and has a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Bloomsburg University. He serves as director of information technology overseeing a small, privately owned company in Pittsburgh.”

Walsh, Benscoter talk data centers, affordability and more in race for 117th House District | Times Leader

Jeremy Benscoter currently works in technology as a director of information technology, overseeing a small, privately owned company in Pittsburgh. He has also worked as a programmer.

2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Benscoter wrote: “I also want to pass legislation to protect families from AI-adjusted price fixing based on algorithms that determine where you stand financially. While this is not something that has occurred in the district, I believe in being proactive vs reactive.”

Issues | Jeremy Benscoter

On property taxes, Benscoter wrote: “My belief is that property tax should not be a barrier to owning a home. Right now, homes cost too much and many are being purchased by investors to rent out with no plans to sell to anyone. My goal is to push to expand the Homestead Exemption, and decrease the tax burden on home owners.”

In a response on affordability, Benscoter wrote: “Utilities greatly affect affordability too. The PUC needs to be pressured to do more to address the rising costs of utilities. Since the PUC is the regulatory body, we need to have more consumer oversight to ensure that the interests of individuals and not businesses are the thing being considered.”

Asked about the state budget process, Benscoter responded: “I think passing an all-encompassing, single budget is a problem. I think if budgets were passed in smaller more meaningful chunks, it would allow them to be more precise and allow them to be more thoroughly vetted to ensure our tax dollars get spent effectively.”

VOTE411 Candidate Guide: Jeremy Benscoter

Benscoter wrote: “I want to begin by immediately looking into how the PUC decides whether or not to approve a rate increase. The fact is when utility companies continue to post profits to shareholders year-over-year, they should not be granted rate increases.”

Benscoter wrote: “My goal is to push to expand the Homestead Exemption, and decrease the tax burden on home owners. I will also be working on a program to incentivize landlords to lower rent.”

Wants legislation to protect families from algorithmic price fixing based on their financial circumstances.

Plans to expand the Homestead Exemption to reduce property taxes for homeowners.

Calls for greater consumer oversight of the Public Utility Commission's decisions on utility costs.

Advocates for passing state budgets in smaller sections to allow more precise review of spending.

Opposes utility rate increases for companies that continue posting year-over-year shareholder profits.

Plans to develop a program that incentivizes landlords to lower rent.

- Wants legislation to protect families from algorithmic price fixing based on their financial circumstances.
- Plans to expand the Homestead Exemption to reduce property taxes for homeowners.
- Calls for greater consumer oversight of the Public Utility Commission's decisions on utility costs.
- Advocates for passing state budgets in smaller sections to allow more precise review of spending.
- Opposes utility rate increases for companies that continue posting year-over-year shareholder profits.
- Plans to develop a program that incentivizes landlords to lower rent.

Economy

Benscoter wrote: “I want to expand the Homestead Exemption and create alternative tax revenue sources to ease the burden of property tax for your primary place of residence. This would not lower taxes of business owners or people who own more than one home. The new tax revenue sources would be taxing skill games and legalizing marijuana.”

The article reported: “Asked about the outbreak of measles this year in Pennsylvania, Benscoter said politicians who spread anti-immunization messages contribute to the resurgence of preventable diseases. ‘I do not believe there is an immediate solution,’ he said. ‘We need to start educating people on how peer-reviewed research is validated so real sciences in not undermined by lies.’”

Walsh, Benscoter face off for state House in 117th District

Supports legalizing marijuana as a new state revenue source.

Calls for educating people about peer-reviewed research to counter misinformation that undermines science.

- Supports legalizing marijuana as a new state revenue source.
- Calls for educating people about peer-reviewed research to counter misinformation that undermines science.

Healthcare

On education funding, Benscoter wrote: “Getting a good education is so important, and the fact that the state keeps failing to fund schools in rural communities is a problem. It’s not that the teachers we have aren’t good, it’s that they aren’t given the tools and resources they need to do their jobs. [...] My plan is to develop new programs that will get the funding to schools who need it desperately. I want to tax skill games and legalize marijuana to generate new tax revenue that can be used to lower property taxes and help fund our schools.”

Benscoter wrote: “The recent Cyber Charter school reforms were a great initial step, but there is still more work to do. We need to ensure that tax dollars are being well spent. That means making sure local schools are not going bankrupt. I also want to hold Cyber Charter schools to the same standards as a our brick and mortar ones.”

Proposes taxing skill games and legalizing marijuana to generate revenue for schools and reduce property taxes.

Wants cyber charter schools held to the same standards as brick-and-mortar schools.

- Proposes taxing skill games and legalizing marijuana to generate revenue for schools and reduce property taxes.
- Wants cyber charter schools held to the same standards as brick-and-mortar schools.

Education

On cost of living and data centers, Benscoter wrote: “Finally, I want to ensure that the existing data centers in the district are forced to pay their fair share. Rapid expansion into our communities has left many feeling the burden of data center construction and operation. We need to make sure that their costs are not passed onto us.”

Benscoter said: “A 3-year moratorium on data center development would give us the time to learn and educate while also giving communities the support they need. SB1359 (3-year moratorium) is currently sitting in committee and the house has not introduced a companion bill to it yet which is a shame. I would have introduced a bill months ago, because every day counts and at this point if a bill gets introduced, by the time it gets passed it will likely be too late for many communities. [...] I will also vote in favor of a 3-year moratorium, and if a bill isn’t introduced, I will introduce it quickly.”

Benscoter said that communities have had little time to prepare for data-center applications and added: “I am currently looking into what needs to change in the MPC to allow townships to say no to large scale development and will take steps to make sure they have more control in the future.”

Asked whether the state legislature should regulate data-center impacts on water, energy, or land use, Benscoter responded: “On one hand, the state has more resources to enact real protections, however they aren't always fully in touch with the communities that they are protecting. I think providing protections at the state level, but allowing the local municipalities to override the state protections would be the best approach, so if the state protections fall short, there is a path for the municipality to protect itself.”

Discussing stormwater fees, the article reported: “'I don’t think you should pay a rain tax for a house,' Benscoter said. 'The majority of people’s homes don’t have that much asphalt that affects how the water drains. I think that should be targeting more big business that have a large impact on the Chesapeake Bay.'”

Wants existing data centers to pay their fair share of costs rather than pass costs to residents.

Supports a three-year moratorium on data-center development and says he would introduce legislation if no bill is brought forward.

Plans to expand local authority to reject large-scale development and override state protections for data-center impacts.

Opposes stormwater fees on homes and favors targeting large businesses with greater effects on drainage into the Chesapeake Bay.

- Wants existing data centers to pay their fair share of costs rather than pass costs to residents.
- Supports a three-year moratorium on data-center development and says he would introduce legislation if no bill is brought forward.
- Plans to expand local authority to reject large-scale development and override state protections for data-center impacts.
- Opposes stormwater fees on homes and favors targeting large businesses with greater effects on drainage into the Chesapeake Bay.

Energy & the Environment

The article reported: “'No matter which way you cut it, skill games are gambling,' said Benscoter, who worked in IT for 10 years at Mohegan Sun Casino before becoming IT director for AVA Assessment, a small firm based in Pittsburgh. He also favors self-exclusion provisions from skill games for people who recognize their gambling problems.”

The article reported: “Benscoter wants to increase funding to hire and equip police, just not with Flock cameras. ‘I have been pretty adamant on my stance against Flock,’ said Benscoter, who wants to provide equipment that doesn’t involve ‘mass surveillance.’”

On privacy, Benscoter wrote: “This is an issue that needs to be addressed. Private companies use every means possible to harvest and sell our data. They should not hold so much information on people without the them opting into it. I want to put restrictions on how our data is collected, how long companies can keep the data, and give the people of PA the right to request all of their data be deleted, and require companies to comply within 30 days.”

Supports self-exclusion options for people who recognize gambling problems when using skill games.

Supports funding to hire and equip police but opposes Flock cameras and other mass-surveillance equipment.

Wants limits on companies' data collection and retention, including a 30-day deadline to comply with deletion requests.

- Supports self-exclusion options for people who recognize gambling problems when using skill games.
- Supports funding to hire and equip police but opposes Flock cameras and other mass-surveillance equipment.
- Wants limits on companies' data collection and retention, including a 30-day deadline to comply with deletion requests.

Public Safety

U.S. Term Limits reported that 2026 Pennsylvania state House candidate Jeremy Benscoter “has committed support for term limits on Congress by signing the term limits convention pledge.” The pledge he signed reads: “I pledge that, as a member of the state legislature, I will cosponsor, vote for, and defend the resolution applying for an Article V convention for the sole purpose of enacting term limits on Congress.”

Jeremy Benscoter Pledges to Support Congressional Term Limits

Asked about election access and security, Benscoter responded: “I would support legislation that would make in-person voting a two week event instead of a single day. I believe this would get more people to vote and calm the controversies around mail-in-voting.”

On campaign finance, Benscoter wrote: “I would support HB266 (placing limits on individual and PAC contributions), but I do not think it goes far enough. It still gives too much control to wealthy parties and invites corruption and wasteful spending. HB497 prevents corporations that are primarily foreign owned from making contributions to a campaign, but I believe this needs to be extended to any corporation. I want to put strict limits on campaign contributions and campaign spending.”

Pledges to cosponsor, vote for, and defend an Article V convention resolution to enact congressional term limits.

Supports making in-person voting available for two weeks rather than a single day.

Supports House Bill (HB) 266's limits on individual and political action committee contributions but wants stricter campaign contribution and spending limits.

- Pledges to cosponsor, vote for, and defend an Article V convention resolution to enact congressional term limits.
- Supports making in-person voting available for two weeks rather than a single day.
- Supports House Bill (HB) 266's limits on individual and political action committee contributions but wants stricter campaign contribution and spending limits.

Voting & Elections

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Jeremy Benscoter

- Opposes utility rate increases for companies that continue posting year-over-year shareholder profits.
- Plans to develop a program that incentivizes landlords to lower rent.

- Wants cyber charter schools held to the same standards as brick-and-mortar schools.

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Buket Urgen

Jamie Walsh

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
- Your state representative can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws, including introducing tax bills. 
- State representatives and their staff respond to constituent concerns and questions through emails, phone calls, and website announcements. 
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- They are elected to two-year terms and have a salary of $106,000, with a 1-3% annual increase

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