Mifflin County’s John Zangari announces campaign for Pennsylvania’s 171st House District
A new political candidate is entering the race for Pennsylvania’s House District 171, which represents parts of Centre and Mifflin counties in Harrisburg.
John Zangari announced this past weekend he is running for PA HD-171, which has long been represented by Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte. Zangari, a Democrat, was raised in Northampton County and said he’s running for office because he believes “Harrisburg should work for everyday Pennsylvanians — not insiders.”
“I’m running for State Representative because too many working families and seniors in our district are one emergency away from financial disaster,” Zangari said in a press release. “People are doing everything right, but wages haven’t kept up with rising costs for housing, health care, utilities, and groceries. Harrisburg should be on their side, not on autopilot for special interests.”
Zangari has degrees in criminal justice from Northampton Community College and Kutztown University, and previously served as a Lehigh County corrections officer. His campaign website states working as a corrections officer gave him a firsthand understanding of public safety and what reforms are needed to strengthen both trust and effectiveness. He also owns a small business, Zangari Media, and works at Penn State.
His website lists his top priorities and “common-sense solutions.” A press release further outlines that, highlighting lowering costs for essentials, reducing Pennsylvanian’s gas tax while protecting funding to fix local roads and bridges, cutting wasteful spending in Harrisburg, requiring plain-language and transparent state budgets, modernizing and streamlining state services with user-friendly online tools, and holding “help days” in the 171st district to help residents with state programs.
“John’s priorities are straightforward: cut unnecessary red tape, lower the tax burden on working people, support small businesses, and make state government more transparent and accountable — by staying accessible year-round and clearly explaining his votes and decisions,” the site states.
On social media, Zangari listed a few upcoming petition signing events in both Centre and Mifflin counties:
- Petition signing with Mifflin County Democrats, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at USW Union Hall in Lewistown
- Petition signing with Bellefonte Area Democrats, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at The Queen BnB in Bellefonte
- Petition signing with Penns Valley Democrats, 3-5 p.m. Sunday in Room 203 at the Old Gregg School in Spring Mills
- Soup and Sign with Mifflin County Democrats from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 28 at USW Union Hall in Lewistown
“My career has always been rooted in wanting to help people, whether that was in the criminal justice system, supporting students, or working with small businesses,” Zangari said in the release. “Now I’m ready to take that experience to Harrisburg and fight for a government that answers the phone, spends taxpayer money responsibly, and makes it possible for families in District 171 to build a stable life here.”
The 171st house district, which includes areas in Centre County like Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Millheim, has been represented by Benninghoff, a Republican, since 1997.
