Sen. Jake Corman will not seek reelection to PA Senate, will focus on governor campaign
State Senator Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, announced Monday that he will not seek reelection to the seat he’s held in the Pennsylvania Senate for more than 20 years and will instead focus on his campaign for governor.
Corman was first elected as the 34th District state senator in 1998, taking over the seat from his father, Doyle Corman, who represented the district from 1977 to 1998.
Jake Corman was named Senate President Pro Tempore in January.
He announced his candidacy for governor in November, saying he’d focus on protecting personal freedoms, expanding education and job opportunities, and improving public safety.
“Pennsylvania is a beautiful place, filled with wonderful communities and hardworking families,” Corman wrote in a Monday press release. “As I prepare to conclude my final term in the Senate, I want to thank the great people of the 34th senatorial district for all of their support and encouragement. I will always be honored by the trust and faith you placed in me. I also want to thank all those who worked on my staff through the years for their hard work and dedication to make Pennsylvania a better place.”
During Corman’s tenure as Senate president, he helped pass legislation that gave the final say on a proposed constitutional amendment to limit the length of future emergency disaster declarations by the governor. This came after Governor Tom Wolf issued statewide stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Corman says hurt small businesses and working Pennsylvanians.
Recently, Corman has drawn criticism in his home district and beyond for committing to conducting a “full forensic investigation” of the 2020 Presidential Election. Republican lawmakers in the state Senate last month announced they signed a contract with Iowa-based Envoy Sage to lead the investigation.
The press release also touted some of Corman’s accomplishments while in the state senate, including the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit program and sponsoring legislation to overhaul and modernize Pennsylvania’s pension system in 2017.
In 2013, he defeated the NCAA by reversing sanctions against Penn State, including the payment of a $60-million penalty, the release states. The funding was then directed to help Pennsylvania children and adult survivors of child sexual abuse.
“None of this would’ve been possible without my colleagues in the Senate,” Corman said in the release. “I want to thank them for their willingness to work together in service to the people of Pennsylvania.”
Democrat Robert Zeigler, who currently serves on the Millheim Borough Council, previously announced his candidacy for Corman’s seat.
Corman is one of about a dozen Republicans to announce their candidacy for governor. Gov. Tom Wolf, a second-term Democrat, is constitutionally restricted from serving a third term. He has endorsed Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the only Democrat to announce a run so far.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 3:25 PM.
