2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Chris Gambino

LinkedIn

Buket Urgen

### Ph.D. — Animal Sciences

Washington State University

About Chris - Chris Gambino for State Representative

### Master of Public Administration

North Carolina State University

### Graduate Certificate — Sustainable Agriculture

Washington State University

### B.S. — Biological Sciences

North Carolina State University, summa cum laude

Chris Gambino earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a master's degree in public administration from North Carolina State University, as well as a graduate certificate in sustainable agriculture and a Ph.D. in animal sciences from Washington State University.

I’m a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer for a national foundation stewarding over $200 million in public-interest research. My responsibility is to ensure that complex initiatives deliver real results, that evidence informs decisions, and that institutions remain accountable to the people they exist to serve.

### Educator & Mentor

Former professor, researcher, and curriculum developer who taught students, trained professionals, and helped others navigate complex challenges.

Chris currently works as a senior monitoring, evaluation, and learning officer for a national foundation. He previously worked as a professor, researcher, and curriculum developer.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing residents of your district, and how would you address them?
Families are being squeezed from three directions at once: taxes, housing, and school costs. These are not separate problems. When the state does not adequately fund public schools, local property taxpayers are forced to carry more of the burden. When housing costs rise, families have less room for everything else. I’m the only candidate proposing both a Pennsylvania standard deduction to give working families direct tax relief and seller-side housing incentives that help first-time buyers and older homeowners maintain the equity they earned.

Pennsylvania State Representative District 143 — VOTE411 Voter Guide

### Childcare & Tax Relief
Updating tax credits to reflect real childcare costs so parents can work without falling behind.

Chris Gambino for PA State Representative | Independent Candidate

What are your thoughts on the state budget process? What changes, if any, would you support so that the budget is enacted in a timely manner?
A state budget should be a governing document, not an annual partisan standoff. The legislature should begin negotiations earlier, communicate fiscal assumptions openly, and give members and the public enough time to understand major spending and revenue decisions before a final vote.

What are your thoughts on the state budget process? What changes, if any, would you support so that the budget is enacted in a timely manner?
A state budget should be a governing document, not an annual partisan standoff. The legislature should begin negotiations earlier, communicate fiscal assumptions openly, and give members and the public enough time to understand major spending and revenue decisions before a final vote. I would support a process built around clear deadlines, transparent projections, and regular public reporting on areas of agreement and disagreement. No party should be able to use schools, counties, nonprofits, or families as leverage in a political fight.

Proposes a Pennsylvania standard deduction to provide tax relief for working families.

Proposes incentives for home sellers to help first-time buyers and older homeowners maintain home equity.

Advocates for updating tax credits to reflect childcare costs.

Supports earlier state budget negotiations, transparent fiscal projections, clear deadlines, and public reporting before final votes.

- Proposes a Pennsylvania standard deduction to provide tax relief for working families.
- Proposes incentives for home sellers to help first-time buyers and older homeowners maintain home equity.
- Advocates for updating tax credits to reflect childcare costs.
- Supports earlier state budget negotiations, transparent fiscal projections, clear deadlines, and public reporting before final votes.

Economy

### Preventing Youth Suicide
Banning conversion therapy, holding practitioners accountable, and protecting children from practices proven to increase suicide risk.

Advocates for banning conversion therapy and holding practitioners accountable.

- Advocates for banning conversion therapy and holding practitioners accountable.

Healthcare

### Schools & Education
Directing state funding based on student need so every child has access to real pathways, no matter where they live.

Advocates for directing state education funding based on student need.

- Advocates for directing state education funding based on student need.

Education

### Food & Farming
Strengthening local food systems, preserving farmland, and supporting the farmers who feed our communities.

Should the state legislature enact laws concerning the impacts on water, energy, or land use from the development and operation of data centers? Would state regulation of data center development and operation interfere with the authority of municipalities to establish ordinances under the MPC (Municipal Planning Code)?
Data centers can expand our tax base without bringing the same population growth and demands on schools and services that often accompany other development. But communities should receive more than tax revenue. Because these facilities can place substantial demands on electricity, water, and land, developers should fund grid, water, and infrastructure improvements that benefit residents.

Should the state legislature enact laws concerning the impacts on water, energy, or land use from the development and operation of data centers? Would state regulation of data center development and operation interfere with the authority of municipalities to establish ordinances under the MPC (Municipal Planning Code)?
Because these facilities can place substantial demands on electricity, water, and land, developers should fund grid, water, and infrastructure improvements that benefit residents. Right now, development is moving faster than many local ordinances can adapt. The state should establish interim standards to prevent a rush to grandfather projects under outdated rules, while municipalities update their own protections. State action should set a responsible floor, not permanently replace local land-use authority.

Advocates for strengthening local food systems, preserving farmland, and supporting farmers.

Supports requiring data-center developers to fund grid, water, and infrastructure improvements benefiting residents.

Supports interim state standards for data-center development while preserving municipal land-use authority.

- Advocates for strengthening local food systems, preserving farmland, and supporting farmers.
- Supports requiring data-center developers to fund grid, water, and infrastructure improvements benefiting residents.
- Supports interim state standards for data-center development while preserving municipal land-use authority.

Energy & the Environment

## Solutions exist. We know what works.

  * Close the loopholes that allow long guns to be sold without background checks. Keeping firearms out of dangerous hands is the single most effective way to prevent tragedy before it starts.
  * Fund school-based mental health programs that reduce isolation and crisis before they escalate. Early care builds resilience and keeps kids connected long before violence becomes an option.
  * Pass Child Access Prevention laws that make responsibility the rule, not the exception. When adults leave firearms unlocked and a child is hurt or killed, the law should speak for the child.

Guns & Safety - Chris Gambino for State Representative

Calls for closing loopholes that allow long-gun sales without background checks.

Calls for funding school-based mental-health programs to reduce isolation and crises.

Calls for Child Access Prevention laws addressing unsecured firearms when a child is harmed or killed.

- Calls for closing loopholes that allow long-gun sales without background checks.
- Calls for funding school-based mental-health programs to reduce isolation and crises.
- Calls for Child Access Prevention laws addressing unsecured firearms when a child is harmed or killed.

Public Safety

### Representation & Access to Government
Opening access early, sharing information clearly, and inviting residents to help shape policy before votes happen.

Supports opening Pennsylvania primaries to independent voters and adopting fusion voting and ranked-choice voting.

What changes, if any, would you support to enable better access, ensure security, and support the processes of our elections?
Voters deserve more choice, more participation, and confidence that elections are secure. I support opening Pennsylvania’s primaries to independent voters, along with reforms such as fusion voting and ranked-choice voting that can encourage broader coalitions and reduce the incentive for candidates to appeal only to partisan bases. Election security and access should reinforce one another, not compete.

Advocates for earlier public access to policy information and opportunities for residents to shape policy before votes.

- Advocates for earlier public access to policy information and opportunities for residents to shape policy before votes.

Voting & Elections

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Tim Hayes

- 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. 
- State representatives oversee the executive branch and can vote to overrule a veto by the Governor.  
- They are elected to two-year terms and have a salary of $106,000, with a 1-3% annual increase

Your representative and state lawmaker in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives