Penns Valley resident Robert Zeigler announces plans to run for Jake Corman’s PA Senate seat
Millheim’s Borough Council president plans to run for the seat occupied by the state Senate’s top Republican in the 2022 election.
Robert Zeigler, 37, announced his candidacy Tuesday for the Democratic nomination for the state Senate’s 34th District, which covers Centre County.
It’s the first time Zeigler has run for state office. He was appointed in 2018 to Millheim Borough Council and was elected to the same post one year later.
“Thinking outside of the box and being driven to finding solutions to help better my community is something I have done for a few years,” Zeigler wrote in a statement. “The same thoughts that worked 30 years ago don’t work now and that has to be recognized. Just like everyone else, I want to help give my kids a better tomorrow.”
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, has maintained control of the seat for more than two decades. The sixth-term Republican has not announced plans to seek reelection as of Tuesday.
Corman won about 56% of the vote in the district — which also covers Mifflin, Juniata and part of Huntingdon counties — during the 2018 election. He defeated Ezra Nanes, who won about 53% of the vote in Centre County.
“Unlike some elected leaders who appear to inherit their positions, I believe it’s best to earn such a role and I think I have the opportunity to continue to do that at a higher level,” Zeigler wrote. “... I believe that the commonality we all have — wanting to create a better community for our kids and our neighbor’s kids — will help us move forward as a society. I think we all generally agree we need to reimagine some things, reinvest in our society and renew what we stand for.”