David G. Argall, Ph.D. (born November 21, 1958) is a 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 ...

, elected in a special election on March 3, 2009 following the death of fellow Republican James J. Rhoades. He was elected a member of 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 1984 and served as Republican Whip from 2004 to 2008. Argall lost the 17th Congressional District election in 2010 after challenging incumbent Congressman

Tim Holden Thomas Timothy Holden (born March 5, 1957) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2013. Holden was the dean of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation durin ...

Eisenhower Fellowships Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organiz ...

selected David Argall as a USA Fellow in 1998.

Early life, education and career

As an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

, Argall earned a bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and international studies from

Lycoming College Lycoming College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church but operates as an in ...

and a master's degree in American studies at

Penn State Harrisburg Penn State Harrisburg, also called The Capital College, is an undergraduate college and graduate school of the Pennsylvania State University located in Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. The campus is located 9 miles (15 km) south of Ha ...

. In May 2006, he earned his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in public administration from Penn State. Argall is a part-time instructor that has taught at various educational institutions including Lycoming College and

Penn State Schuylkill Penn State Schuylkill is a Commonwealth Campus of the Pennsylvania State University in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. History The Schuylkill campus was originally chartered in 1934 and was located in Pottsville, approximately six miles (10& ...

. The name Argall is of Cornish origin.

Pennsylvania Legislature

Argall was Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, a position that led him to being named to the 2003 "The

Pennsylvania Report The ''Pennsylvania Report'' is an independent bi-weekly subscription-based political newspaper published in Pennsylvania. It is "widely read by the state's political junkies." It was founded in 1985 by David Buffington, a former public relations ...

Power 75" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics. He was elected to serve as the Republican Whip in 2004 and again in 2006. Argall did not run for re-election to the post of Minority Whip in order to run for the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

seat from the 29th district which was vacated by the death and posthumous re-election of Senator James Rhoades. He was elected to the seat over his Democratic opponent, Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts Steven Lukach, by a margin of 62% to 38%.Argall victory gives Republicans new pride
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2010 U.S. Congressional campaign

On January 11, 2010, Argall announced his intention to challenge incumbent Democratic Congressman

in the November elections. Argall's state senate district covered much of the eastern portion of the congressional district, including Holden's hometown of St. Clair. On November 2, 2010, Argall's 95,000 votes weren't enough as he lost for the first time in his political career, falling to Holden's 118,486 votes

He did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress; Pennsylvania state senators serve staggered four-year terms, and Argall was not up for reelection until 2012.

References

OpenSecrets.org OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

1958 births Living people Lycoming College alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni People from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from West Chester, Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-PASenate-stub

Early life, education and career

Pennsylvania Legislature

2010 U.S. Congressional campaign

References

External links