Greg Rothman
Greg Rothman | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party | |
| Assumed office February 8, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Tabas |
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 34th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jake Corman |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 87th district | |
| In office August 25, 2015 – November 30, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Glen Grell |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kutz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Gregory Rothman December 10, 1966 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MS) |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1991–2001 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | Marine Corps Reserve |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War |
William Gregory Rothman (born December 10, 1966) is an American politician who has served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party since 2025. He is also serving as a state senator for Pennsylvania's 34th District since 2023, and previously a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2015 to 2022, representing the 87th District.[1][2]
Early life and education
Rothman was born on December 10, 1966, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[2] He graduated from Cumberland Valley High School in 1985, received a B.S. in political science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1989, and an M.S. in real estate from Johns Hopkins University in 2005.[2] He served in the Marine Corps Reserves.[3]
Political career
Rothman was chair of the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.[3] He was a volunteer aide on the Rick Santorum's 2012 presidential campaign, often appearing in Santorum's entourage.[4]
In August 2015, Rothman was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election to fill a vacancy in the 87th House district.[5][6] The vacancy arose from the resignation of Glen Grell, who stepped down to become executive director of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System.[3] The district included Camp Hill, East Pennsboro Township, and Hampden Township, as well as a part of Silver Spring Township; Rothman lives in Silver Spring Township.[6] He was reelected in 2016, 2018,[6] and 2020.[7]
In 2016, Rothman was the chair of the Cumberland County Republican Party.[8] He supported Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign,[9] and was on Trump's team at the 2016 Republican National Convention arranging convention operations.[10] He defended Republican Senator Pat Toomey from intra-party critics who asserted that Toomey was insufficiently pro-Trump.[8]
In 2020, Rothman was chair of the House Republican Campaign Committee, leading the campaign efforts for the Pennsylvania House Republicans.[11][12][13]
In 2019, Rothman sponsored legislation to shorten the time period for evictions in Pennsylvania. The bill was supported by landlords' organizations and opposed by tenant and low-income housing advocacy organizations.[14] He supports a reduction in Pennsylvania's corporate net income tax and abolition of the state's inheritance tax.[6] Rothman was the leading supporter of legislation, signed into law in 2019, that established 21 as the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, except for active-duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans, for which the minimum age remained 18.[6] The exemption was criticized by tobacco control groups.[15]
In 2021, as part of Republican efforts to enhance voting credibility following the 2020 presidential election, Rothman supported a bill to rewrite Pennsylvania's election laws by requiring voter ID.[16] Governor Tom Wolf vetoed the bill.[17]
In 2022, Rothman was elected to represent the 34th District in the Pennsylvania State Senate.[18]
In December 2024, Lawrence Tabas, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, announced he would not seek reelection, Rothman declared a run for the chairmanship. He gained the support from U.S. Senator Dave McCormick and Congressman Dan Meuser.[19] In February 2025, Rothman was elected chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.[20]
Personal life
Rothman has spent several decades in the real estate business.[6] He was a real estate agent and then CEO of RSR Realtors, a real estate company based in Lemoyne.[21] Rothman was also part owner of the Harrisburg Senators minor league baseball team, and played a large part in moving the team to the State’s capitol.[21]
In 1991, Rothman pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit forgery. The conviction was later expunged by governor Ed Rendell who issued Rothman a pardon in January 2011. In 2015, Rothman said that he had learned from his mistake and took responsibility for it.[3]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman | 4,202 | 59.76% | |
| Democratic | Robert Charles | 2,829 | 40.24% | |
| Total votes | 7,031 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman (incumbent) | 22,991 | 62.68% | |
| Democratic | Jim Massey | 13,687 | 37.32% | |
| Total votes | 36,678 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman (incumbent) | 18,546 | 56.61% | |
| Democratic | Sean Patrick Quinlan | 14,214 | 43.39% | |
| Total votes | 32,760 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman (incumbent) | 24,239 | 55.92% | |
| Democratic | Nicole Miller | 19,104 | 44.08% | |
| Total votes | 43,343 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman | 27,666 | 68.14% | |
| Republican | Mike Gossert | 12,933 | 31.86% | |
| Total votes | 40,817 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Rothman | 74,238 | 63.54% | |
| Democratic | Jim Massey | 42,598 | 36.46% | |
| Total votes | 116,836 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
- ^ "Senator Greg Rothman". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Greg Rothman". Pennsylvania House of Representatives Archives. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Marroni, Steve (July 8, 2015). "'I did something stupid': GOP candidate in Pa. House race on decades-old charge". The Patriot-News. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Jacobs, Samuel (February 24, 2012). "Now a front-runner, Santorum is still winging it". Reuters. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "SESSION OF 2015 - 199TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 61" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Murphy, Jan (November 29, 2019). "Rep. Greg Rothman to seek re-election to the state House of Representatives". The Patriot-News. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Benscoter, Jana (November 6, 2020). "Rep. Greg Rothman earns third term in Pa.'s 87th House District". The Patriot-News. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Levy, Marc (September 26, 2016). "Toomey tries to use disagreements with Trump to advantage". Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Veronikis, Eric (November 9, 2016). "Trump supporters celebrate: 'I hope he really does stick to building the wall'". The Patriot-News. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Tamari, Jonathan (July 19, 2016). "Meet Pa.'s David Urban, Trump tactician and 'traffic controller' at RNC". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (May 18, 2020). "Mail voting, new machines feature in Pennsylvania primary". Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (April 21, 2021). "Lawmakers take record before voters under new election rules". Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Caruso, Stephen (May 29, 2019). "GOP targets House Democrats in Trump districts using viral video of Philly lawmaker harassing anti-abortion protesters". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Kate Giammarise, Bill would shorten eviction process in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May 14, 2019).
- ^ Meyer, Katie (December 3, 2019). "Pennsylvania restricted tobacco sales. Some tobacco control groups are still uneasy". WHYY. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (June 22, 2021). "GOP voting law bill clears state House amid Wolf veto threat". Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (June 30, 2021). "Wolf vetoes GOP bill with voter ID, other elections changes". Associated Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Urie, Daniel (November 9, 2022). "After election win, state representative to move to Pa. Senate". PennLIVE Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ Terruso, Julia; McGoldrick, Gillian (December 13, 2024). "Pennsylvania's GOP chairman is not running for reelection, and top Republicans are pushing for a state senator to succeed him". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Lindenmuth, Kaylee (February 8, 2025). "Rothman named chair of Pennsylvania Republican committee". abc27. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Robert J. Vickers, Election 2012: Sticking close to Rick Santorum is Senators co-owner and Harrisburg-area Realtor Greg Rothman, PennLive (April 8, 2012).