After graduating from Interboro High School, Jennifer faced familiar challenges. As the daughter of the single mother with two younger brothers at home, affording college seemed impossible. But, Jennifer supported herself through college by working three jobs and was able to earn a dual degree from West Chester University with the help of financial aid and student loans. Studying history and secondary education, she became a certified teacher.

Meet Jenn

Jennifer O’Mara holds a Masters degree in English and history from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Lion’s Club and sits on the Board of Directors of the Delaware County Historical Society.

Jennifer O'Mara earned a dual degree in history and secondary education from West Chester University and a master's degree in English and history from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Lions Club and sits on the Board of Directors of the Delaware County Historical Society.

But, Jennifer supported herself through college by working three jobs and was able to earn a dual degree from West Chester University with the help of financial aid and student loans. Studying history and secondary education, she became a certified teacher.

Jennifer O'Mara is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 165th Legislative District since 2019. She was elected in a special election on March 12, 2019, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Margo Davidson. O'Mara is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee and has worked as a community organizer and advocate for various social issues. She has focused on issues such as education, healthcare, and women's rights during her time in office. O'Mara is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has a background in public policy.

Jennifer O'Mara

Jennifer O'Mara is a certified teacher and has worked as a community organizer and advocate for various social issues.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 165 - Ballotpedia

Jennifer is a certified teacher and has worked as a community organizer and advocate for various social issues.

Jennifer O'Mara is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 165th Legislative District since 2019. She was elected in a special election on March 12, 2019, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Margo Davidson. O'Mara is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee and has worked as a community organizer and advocate for various social issues.

Jennifer currently serves in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 165th Legislative District. She was elected in a special election in 2019 to fill a vacancy.

2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

The decline of union membership marked the decline of the American middle class, and Jennifer knows that it was thanks to unions that hard-working Americans won important fights over sick leave, a 40-hour work week, child labor laws, and workplace safety standards. Jennifer strongly supports the rights of unions to organize and collectively bargain for better pay and better standards of living. Ensuring the safety of union members, both physically and from verbal and physical harassment and abuse, is one of Jennifer’s key priorities.

Jennifer O’Mara: On the Issues

As a legislator, Jennifer has stood against right-to-work legislation and introduced a bill to strengthen the rights of workers to collectively bargain. This right is fundamental to fair labor conditions and must be protected by lawmakers for workers across the state. Recently, Jennifer introduced legislation to establish paid family and medical leave in Pennsylvania, which would give our state’s workers the opportunity to address crises and transitions in their personal lives.

Additionally, Jennifer voted in support of the Governor's plan to ensure a $12/hour living wage with a plan to incrementally increase it to $15/hour, adjusted or cost-of-living and inflation. This gradual increase will both ensure workers are paid enough to stay afloat while avoiding increases in unemployment or putting a strain on small business owners.

Supports unions' rights to organize and bargain collectively, and opposes right-to-work legislation.

Introduced legislation to establish paid family and medical leave in Pennsylvania.

Voted for a plan to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 per hour, then incrementally to $15 with cost-of-living and inflation adjustments.

- Supports unions' rights to organize and bargain collectively, and opposes right-to-work legislation.
- Introduced legislation to establish paid family and medical leave in Pennsylvania.
- Voted for a plan to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 per hour, then incrementally to $15 with cost-of-living and inflation adjustments.

Economy

ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE

Jennifer understands that quality healthcare is fundamental to a successful, flourishing society. She supports expanding Medicaid and ensuring that Medicaid waiver programs do not limit access to quality care for Pennsylvania’s communities. As a legislator, she advocates for streamlining the waiver process to reduce wait times for essential care and works to uphold the Affordable Care Act’s provisions protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions.

Jennifer understands that quality healthcare is fundamental to a successful, flourishing society. She supports expanding Medicaid and ensuring that Medicaid waiver programs do not limit access to quality care for Pennsylvania’s communities. As a legislator, she advocates for streamlining the waiver process to reduce wait times for essential care and works to uphold the Affordable Care Act’s provisions protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions.

Jennifer further recognizes that large steps need to be taken to help treat those with substance use disorders to keep them and their communities safe. She supports lowering barriers to treatment and ensuring that all communities, including poor and rural communities, have access to high-quality, evidence-based care for those struggling with addiction. Jennifer advocates for the treatments supported by the American Medical Association to give everyone struggling with opioid addiction the chance to get back on their feet.

Jennifer is also fighting to improve health coverage for Pennsylvanians with disabilities. As the daughter of a chronically-disabled worker and the wife of a severely-disabled veteran, Jennifer knows firsthand the challenges facing those who are disabled. As a legislator, she has worked to expand the health benefits savings account so people with disabilities can save more than $10,000 without losing their benefits.

Supports expanding Medicaid and preventing Medicaid waiver programs from limiting access to quality care.

Supports reducing barriers to evidence-based addiction treatment, including in low-income and rural communities.

Supports improving health coverage for people with disabilities, including allowing them to save more without losing benefits.

- Supports expanding Medicaid and preventing Medicaid waiver programs from limiting access to quality care.
- Supports reducing barriers to evidence-based addiction treatment, including in low-income and rural communities.
- Supports improving health coverage for people with disabilities, including allowing them to save more without losing benefits.

Healthcare

IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION

Expanding and improving public education is Jennifer’s number one priority as a legislator. As a certified social studies teacher for secondary education, Jennifer understands the challenges faced by Pennsylvania’s teachers.

Expanding and improving public education is Jennifer’s number one priority as a legislator. As a certified social studies teacher for secondary education, Jennifer understands the challenges faced by Pennsylvania’s teachers. Jennifer has committed to fully implementing the entire fair-funding formula generated by the Basic Education Funding Commission and ensuring quality public schools across Pennsylvania.

Jennifer has committed to fully implementing the entire fair-funding formula generated by the Basic Education Funding Commission and ensuring quality public schools across Pennsylvania. Jennifer opposes merit pay for teachers, favoring instead a model in which teachers can run their classrooms creatively without worrying about standardized test scores for their paycheck. Jennifer is fighting hard for the rights of teachers to organize for better pay, fair hours, and continued pensions, and will do whatever it takes to address the teacher shortage our state is currently facing.

Prioritizes expanding and improving public education.

Committed to fully implementing the Basic Education Funding Commission's fair-funding formula.

Opposes teacher merit pay tied to standardized test scores.

- Prioritizes expanding and improving public education.
- Committed to fully implementing the Basic Education Funding Commission's fair-funding formula.
- Opposes teacher merit pay tied to standardized test scores.

Education

But Jennifer knows it’s not enough to simply vote against legislation that would rollback our environmental protections, and she’s also supported or introduced several pro-environmental bills that would help our state address the challenges of climate change. As Pennsylvania is the only state in the country with a substantial fracking industry that does not have an extraction tax, Jenn has fought to implement a tax on natural gas drawn from the Marcellus Shale and use the additional revenue to improve schools and welfare programs across the state.

As Pennsylvania is the only state in the country with a substantial fracking industry that does not have an extraction tax, Jenn has fought to implement a tax on natural gas drawn from the Marcellus Shale and use the additional revenue to improve schools and welfare programs across the state. She introduced a bill to require energy efficiency standards on commercial appliances, and co-sponsored legislation to transition Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

ADVOCATING FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT

During her first two terms, Jennifer has emerged as a strong advocate for the state’s environment. She’s consistently voted against bills that would weaken our environmental protections and prevent Pennsylvania from joining RGGI, a regional greenhouse gas market that has helped reduce carbon emissions throughout the northeast while saving consumers over $2 billion on their utility bills.

Jennifer has also worked tirelessly to bring back state dollars to address critical storm water projects, to secure funding to maintain and preserve parks throughough the community and address other critical environmental issues. Some of these grants include funding for the Springfield Trail, improving Meadowgreen Park in Springfield, revitalizing Veterans’ Memorial Park in Broomall, and advocating for $600,000 for a new EV fleet for the Delaware County Health Department.

Advocates for taxing natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale to fund schools and social programs.

Introduced energy-efficiency standards for commercial appliances and co-sponsored legislation to transition Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Voted against bills that would weaken environmental protections or prevent Pennsylvania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Worked to secure state funding for stormwater projects and park maintenance and preservation.

- Advocates for taxing natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale to fund schools and social programs.
- Introduced energy-efficiency standards for commercial appliances and co-sponsored legislation to transition Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050.
- Voted against bills that would weaken environmental protections or prevent Pennsylvania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
- Worked to secure state funding for stormwater projects and park maintenance and preservation.

Energy & the Environment

Having lost her father at a young age to gun suicide, Jennifer knows firsthand the horrendous toll gun violence can take on a family and a community and she strongly believes that the state has a duty to protect its citizens from gun violence. As a legislator, Jennifer has fought to close loopholes in firearm legislation and keep our state safe. Jennifer fully supports measures to allow local cities and municipalities to pass their own common sense laws without the threat of lawsuits from outside organizations, including the NRA.

Jennifer also supports statewide efforts to enact reasonable firearm legislation. She’s co-sponsored “red flag law” legislation to allow judges in our state to issue Extreme Risk Protection Orders to remove firearms from individuals who the court has found pose a significant risk to themselves or others. Because more gun deaths occur by suicide than by homicide, she’s a strong advocate for measures that keep firearms out of the hands of people who pose risks to themselves and to others, and is a strong advocate for expanding access to mental health treatment.

Supports allowing municipalities to enact local firearm laws without lawsuits from outside organizations.

Co-sponsored extreme risk protection order legislation allowing judges to temporarily remove firearms from people whom a court finds to pose a significant risk.

- Supports allowing municipalities to enact local firearm laws without lawsuits from outside organizations.
- Co-sponsored extreme risk protection order legislation allowing judges to temporarily remove firearms from people whom a court finds to pose a significant risk.

Public Safety

EXPANDING AND PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO VOTE

The right to vote is essential to any robust, functioning democracy. Pennsylvania is where American democracy was born, and Jennifer believes that our state should be leading on reforms that will protect and expand the right to vote and make it easier for our state’s citizens to cast their ballots. She was proud to vote in favor of Act 77, the election reform bill that established no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania, and will strongly oppose all efforts to weaken and rollback the progress achieved by that bill. Additionally, Jennifer introduced a bill to create a robust early voting period in Pennsylvania.

She was proud to vote in favor of Act 77, the election reform bill that established no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania, and will strongly oppose all efforts to weaken and rollback the progress achieved by that bill. Additionally, Jennifer introduced a bill to create a robust early voting period in Pennsylvania. While Jennifer’s bill has not yet become law, she is pleased that Act 77 effectively allows early vote in the state by allowing voters to request and return their ballots ahead of Election Day.

But Jennifer’s commitment to pro-democracy reforms extends farther than that. She’s firmly in favor of automatic voter registration. She is opposed to gerrymandering and similar practices that create an unfair advantage for one political party, and spoke out against attempts to tamper with the fair, bipartisan redistricting process that concluded earlier this year.

Voted for Act 77, which established no-excuse mail-in voting, and opposes efforts to weaken it.

Introduced legislation to establish an early voting period in Pennsylvania.

Opposes gerrymandering and related practices that give one political party an unfair advantage.

- Voted for Act 77, which established no-excuse mail-in voting, and opposes efforts to weaken it.
- Introduced legislation to establish an early voting period in Pennsylvania.
- Supports automatic voter registration.
- Opposes gerrymandering and related practices that give one political party an unfair advantage.

Voting & Elections

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Opposes hospital closures in Delaware County.

- Supports reducing barriers to evidence-based addiction treatment, including in low-income and rural communities.
- Supports improving health coverage for people with disabilities, including allowing them to save more without losing benefits.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

In her district, Jennifer has fought to make healthcare as accessible as possible to the people who need it. She has worked with Springfield Cares to provide those struggling with substance use disorder with the resources they need to combat addiction. She is an advocate for the new Delaware County Health Department and helped secure funding for the department in the state budget. Lastly, she’s been an opponent of hospital closures, and is working hard to keep these important sources of medical care—not to mention jobs—in Delco.

Deirdre McCleary

- 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

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