Christine M. "Tina" Tartaglione (born September 21, 1960) is an American politician from Pennsylvania currently serving as a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

, representing the 2nd District since 1995. The district is located in lower

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

Early life and career

Christine Tartaglione was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Eugene M. and Margaret (née Warenecki) Tartaglione. Her mother is a longtime political figure in Philadelphia, serving as a Democratic ward leader and

city commissioner City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

(1976-2011). She received her early education at the

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

of St. Martin of Tours Church and later graduated from St. Basil Academy in 1978. Tartaglione studied at

Peirce College Peirce College is a private college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It focuses on adult learners. History In 1865, Thomas May Peirce, a Philadelphia educator, founded the Union Business College. The curriculum was designed to provide returni ...

, from where she graduated ''

maxima cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' in 1980. She served as an assistant to Joan L. Krajewski, a member of the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

, from 1986 to 1989. She then worked as a senior executive assistant to

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

Catherine Baker Knoll Catherine Baker Knoll (September 3, 1930 – November 12, 2008) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008, when she di ...

from 1989 until 1992, when she became a business representative for the

United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in industries including retail; meatpacking, food processing and manufacturing; hosp ...

, Local 1776.

Political career

In 1992, Tartaglione unsuccessfully ran against

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

incumbent

John Perzel John Michael Perzel (born January 7, 1950) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party. Perzel represented 172nd Legislative District (Northeast Philadelphia) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1978 until 2010. ...

for the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

in the 172nd District. During the campaign, Perzel characterized her as a puppet for her mother while Tartaglione accused him of being out of touch with his constituents. Despite a Democratic registration advantage of about 2,000, she was defeated by more than 3,000 votes. On March 1, 1994, Tartaglione announced her candidacy for the

in the 2nd District. During the campaign, she ran on a platform of increased gun control, better day care, racial and ethnic harmony, more jobs, and affordable housing. She defeated Harvey Rice, a lawyer supported by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...

and party chairman

Bob Brady Robert A. Brady (born April 7, 1945) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2019. He was the ranking Democrat and Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration from 2007 to 2019. ...

, in the Democratic primary. In the general election, she narrowly defeated Republican incumbent

Bruce Marks Bruce S. Marks (born March 14, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 2nd district from 1994 to 1995. Early life Marks was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia. ...

by 393 votes. With her victory, she became the fifth woman elected to the State Senate in Pennsylvania. Tartaglione has subsequently been re-elected to six more terms, never receiving less than 76% of the vote. She has served as Democratic chair of the Aging and Youth Committee, and is currently chair of the Senate's Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania delegations, as well as Democratic chair of the Labor and Industry Committee. She sponsored successful legislation that raised Pennsylvania's

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

, and was a leading advocate for the creation of the Office for People with Disabilities in the governor's office. She served as a delegate to the

2000 Democratic National Convention The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore for president and Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut for vice president. The ...

Boating accident and recovery

During the

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend of 2003, Tartaglione was severely injured when she fell on the deck of a small powerboat while off the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

. A larger boat had whipped up a large wake which caused her boat to rock and resulted in her injuring her spinal cord and needing to use a wheelchair. After a number of surgeries and intense physical therapy, Tartaglione was able to walk for the first time in seven years to her seat in the Senate chambers at an October 2010 ceremony before her colleagues and well-wishers.

References

External links

Pennsylvania State Senate – Christine M. Tartaglione
official PA Senate website
Senator Tartaglione
official caucus website * ''Follow the Money'' – Christine M. Tartaglione *
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Tartaglione, Christine 1960 births Living people Peirce College people Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairs Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators American politicians with disabilities Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 2000 United States presidential electors American politicians of Italian descent Politicians from Philadelphia 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians