2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Christina D Sappey

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Biographical Information
COUNTY
Chester
OCCUPATION
Legislator
EDUCATION
BA Penn State university

Vote411 | Pennsylvania State Representative District 158

State Representative Christina Sappey, known to many as Chris, is a longtime resident of Chester County, where she has worked, been an active member of the community and raised a family.

Rep. Christina Sappey | Biography

Christina D Sappey earned a BA from Penn State University. She is a longtime resident of Chester County, where she has raised a family.

Pennsylvania State Representative District 158 - VOTE411.org

Chris managed businesses in the fashion industry for many years. Later, as a stay-at-home parent, she became active in open space, natural resource protection and infrastructure issues in her community. Upon returning to the workforce, Chris used her knowledge and experience to serve the people of Chester County as chief of staff to former state Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, director of legislative initiatives for former state Sen. Andy Dinniman, and as chief of staff to former state Rep. and now-state Sen. Carolyn Comitta.

Christina D. Sappey previously managed businesses in the fashion industry. She later served as chief of staff to former state Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, director of legislative initiatives for former state Sen. Andy Dinniman, and chief of staff to state Sen. Carolyn Comitta.

About Christina

Christina Sappey was elected in 2018 to the PA House of Representatives to serve the 158th legislative district. Known to many as Chris, she has worked in the community, the private business sector and as a senior staffer for three state legislators.

Christina Sappey for PA House District 158 | About

As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2019 representing the 158th Legislative District, she is committed to protecting our quality of life and working to create opportunity for all.

Christina currently serves in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 158th Legislative District. She was elected in 2018 and has served since 2019.

I am pleased to report that my legislation, the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC), was signed into law as part of the 2025-2026 state budget. The WPTC will help put up to $805 back into the pockets of nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians.

News From State Representative | 158th Legislative District | Chester County | Winter 2026 (Christina Sappey)

This new state law, which is modeled after the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit program, helps keep low-to-moderate wage workers in the workplace. In Chester County that’s up to $3.3 million back in our local economy with an investment in nearly 18,000 working families.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing residents of your district, and how would you address them?
Rising cost of living, especially untilities. I have requested PUC hearings in my district for residents to testify on the impact to their household finances and I introduced legislation that created the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit.

Growth Economy

A strong, reliable economy helps create jobs. Jobs create opportunity for our families.

Christina Sappey believes we need to develop our business climate responsibly to ensure that Pennsylvania is an attractive place to start and grow businesses that create family-sustaining jobs. She works to pass state budgets that fund programs and support small and mid-sized businesses.

Christina Sappey for PA House District 158 | Issues

Women’s Rights

Women should be treated and compensated equally in every sector. Equal pay for equal work. Furthermore, providing families with affordable and accessible childcare options allows PA women to stay in or re-enter the workforce, growing our economy.

As a state representative, she introduced the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, enacted in the 2025–26 budget, which provides eligible residents up to $805.

Supports responsible development of Pennsylvania's business climate and passing budgets that support small and mid-sized businesses.

Supports equal pay and affordable, accessible child care to help women remain in or re-enter the workforce.

- As a state representative, she introduced the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, enacted in the 2025–26 budget, which provides eligible residents up to $805.
- Supports responsible development of Pennsylvania's business climate and passing budgets that support small and mid-sized businesses.
- Supports equal pay and affordable, accessible child care to help women remain in or re-enter the workforce.

Economy

Reproductive Rights

We must protect the freedom of individuals to make choices about their own bodies.

Christina fights for accessible abortion care and birth control so Pennsylvania’s women are able to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions with their doctors. Abortion bans disproportionately impact poor women, women of color, and women with children, and put women’s lives at risk and health care professionals’ careers at risk. Reproductive care is essential healthcare.

Healthcare

Healthcare is a universal human right.

Christina hears frequently from the people of Chester County that healthcare is a universal human right. Pre-existing conditions should not exclude someone from receiving healthcare coverage.

As a member of the House Mental Health and Women’s Health caucuses, Christina works to lower costs for small and mid-sized businesses so that pre-existing conditions and mental healthcare support are affordable coverage options for businesses to offer.

Christina champions access to mental health services for everyone. We need a proactive, holistic, and compassionate approach that incorporates mental health conversations earlier in life. We also need to ensure that families and healthcare providers have the tools to access mental health resources, including telemedicine, which Christina passed in the legislature.

Advocates for accessible abortion care and birth control so patients can make reproductive health care decisions with their doctors.

Believes health care is a universal human right and that pre-existing conditions should not prevent people from obtaining coverage.

Works to lower small- and mid-sized business costs so coverage can include pre-existing conditions and mental health care.

Advocates for mental health services, earlier mental health conversations, and telemedicine access for families and health care providers.

- Advocates for accessible abortion care and birth control so patients can make reproductive health care decisions with their doctors.
- Believes health care is a universal human right and that pre-existing conditions should not prevent people from obtaining coverage.
- Works to lower small- and mid-sized business costs so coverage can include pre-existing conditions and mental health care.
- Advocates for mental health services, earlier mental health conversations, and telemedicine access for families and health care providers.

Healthcare

Christina Sappey is the proud mom of three kids who each received an excellent education in our public schools. She knows first-hand that it takes a strong partnership between families, communities, teachers, and administrators to produce a 21st-century-ready workforce. We need to test less and encourage more creativity to foster innovative thinkers.

After years of fighting to raise the state’s share of basic education funding, Christina has helped to deliver state budgets that finally live up to our constitutional responsibility to equitably “provide a thorough and efficient system of public education”. Not only does this historic funding support underfunded, struggling schools, it helps prevent local property tax hikes in all districts, includes special education, provides more mental health and safety resources, expands apprenticeships and job training opportunities, and expands Pre-K and early intervention education.

Calls for less testing and more creativity in schools to foster innovative thinkers.

Advocates for increased, equitable state education funding, including special education, mental health and safety resources, apprenticeships, and early education.

- Calls for less testing and more creativity in schools to foster innovative thinkers.
- Advocates for increased, equitable state education funding, including special education, mental health and safety resources, apprenticeships, and early education.

Education

Funding the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The state budget directly represents the priorities of the state government, and our Commonwealth can do better. Christina has fought hard to properly fund the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after being chronically underfunded for decades. With current staffing levels at an all time low, machine learning and mechanization could be more effectively used within the DEP to make permitting and enforcement processes more efficient.

Promoting sustainable industries in Chester County. As we work towards carbon reduction goals, Pennsylvania has an opportunity to create businesses that create jobs and economic growth, while complimenting environmental sustainability. Promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly industries will also allow Chester County to retain top talent, as 74% of the millennial workforce prioritize working for companies that support environmental stewardship (Talent Economy). The agricultural industry also benefits from sustainability, as it requires high-quality air and water sources for production.

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)?
Yes, the state should act and we are deliberating model ordiance legislation right now. This would not preclude counties from drafting their own ordinances however.

Supports meeting Clean Power Plan emissions guidelines and policies that incentivize renewable-energy production, distribution, and research in Pennsylvania.

Championing renewable energy. Christina is committed to meeting emissions guidelines set in the Clean Power Plan. She strongly supports policies that promote and incentivize renewable energy production, distribution, and research throughout Pennsylvania. Approaching the environment with an "and'' rather than an "or'' method is critical in combating climate change. Economic competitiveness and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, and renewable energy is a job-producing industry.

Supports funding public and multimodal transportation maintenance and infrastructure to reduce fossil-fuel use.

Supporting public transportation. Christina believes that public transit benefits all of us, particularly our workforce. Funding public and multi-modal transportation maintenance and infrastructure throughout Pennsylvania is not only important socially but is also critical in decreasing fossil fuel use.

Advocates for properly funding the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and using technology to improve its permitting and enforcement processes.

Supports promoting sustainable industries to advance carbon-reduction goals while creating jobs and supporting environmental sustainability.

Supports state legislation addressing data centers' water, energy, and land-use impacts while preserving counties' authority to adopt their own ordinances.

- Advocates for properly funding the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and using technology to improve its permitting and enforcement processes.
- Supports promoting sustainable industries to advance carbon-reduction goals while creating jobs and supporting environmental sustainability.
- Supports state legislation addressing data centers' water, energy, and land-use impacts while preserving counties' authority to adopt their own ordinances.

Energy & the Environment

Supports training for firearm purchasers, stronger background checks, waiting periods, extreme-risk protection orders, and restrictions on assault-style weapons, bump stocks, and high-capacity magazines.

Christina Sappey grew up in a family of hunters and respects responsible gun ownership.

She believes the Second Amendment should be protected and feels strongly that we must work together to re-interpret the intent of the founding fathers by balancing it with the reality of technology in the 21st Century by

- Implementing training with first purchase and enforcing stronger background checks

- Ensuring domestic abusers and stalkers cannot get access to guns

- Closing the gun show loophole

- Instating mandatory waiting periods

- Banning assault-style weapons for civilians

- Banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines

-Implementing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)

Public Safety

What changes, if any, would you support to enable better access, ensure security, and support the processes of our elections?
I support open primaries to increase access to voters. Independents should not be left out. i also believe the state should appropriate more funding to elections, which are largely left to counties currently.

Government Reform

The government should serve the public.

Christina works across the aisle to advance good government measures and will continue to fight for reforms such as gift bans, transparent expense reporting, and amending House rules to allow legislation to be considered through the committee process more efficiently and fairly.

We need to hold the government accountable by making better use of tax dollars and cutting waste rather than increasing taxes.

Christina also believes the foundation for truly representative government begins with an independent redistricting commission.

Supports open primaries and increased state funding for elections, which are largely administered by counties.

Advocates for gift bans, transparent expense reporting, and House rule changes to make committee consideration more efficient and fair.

Supports an independent redistricting commission.

- Supports open primaries and increased state funding for elections, which are largely administered by counties.
- Advocates for gift bans, transparent expense reporting, and House rule changes to make committee consideration more efficient and fair.
- Supports an independent redistricting commission.

Voting & Elections

- 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