Gordon R. Denlinger is a former

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 ...

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 ...

(2003–2015). In December 2017, he entered the 2018 race for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, dropping out in February 2018.

Early life and education

Denlinger was born in

Ephrata, Pennsylvania Ephrata ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Effridaa'') is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg and about west-northwest ...

, on July 16, 1963.Historical Biographies: Gordon R. Denlinger
Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He graduated from High Point Baptist Academy in 1981. He graduated

Bob Jones University , motto_lang = Latin , mottoeng = We seek, we trust , top_free_label = , top_free = , type = Private university , established = , closed = , f ...

with a B.S. in accounting in 1985.

Career before politics

Denliger is an accountantCharles Thompson
Rare 36th state Senate District race pits two House colleagues against each other: primary 2014
''PennLive'' (May 16, 2014). and CPA. He was an assistant controller at

Newell Rubbermaid Newell Brands is an American manufacturer, marketer and distributor of consumer and commercial products. The company's brands and products include Rubbermaid storage and trash containers; home organization and reusable container products; Contig ...

Graco Children's Products Division and controller at Sharp Shopper, Inc.

Political career

Denlinger represented the 99th District (within Lancaster County) of the Pennsylvania House for nearly 12 full years after winning a special election on March 18, 2003, to fill the remainder of

Leroy Zimmerman LeRoy S. Zimmerman (born December 22, 1934) is a former Pennsylvania Attorney General. In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA list of politically influential individuals. He was named again in 2003 and deemed a "power broker in Central Pennsy ...

's term. Denlinger was a member of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Appropriations, Finance and Tourism Committees. He also served as the Republican Chair of the Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy for the House Appropriations Committee, Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee, and Co-Chair of the Jobs Creation Working Group under the Republican Policy Committee. In the state House, Denlinger had a "pro-business,

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

" voting record. He opposes the legal recognition of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

and supports the privatization of alcohol sales in Pennsylvania. He supported legislation to eliminate school property taxes but raise the

state sales tax Sales taxes in the United States are taxes placed on the sale or lease of goods and services in the United States. Sales tax is governed at the state level and no national general sales tax exists. 45 states, the District of Columbia, the t ...

(from 6% to 7%) and the

state income tax In addition to federal income tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, often based on state income tax calculations. Forty-two states and many ...

(3.07% to 4.34%). He describes himself as a "strong

school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools. The most common in the United States, by both the number of programs and by the number of participating students are scho ...

advocate." In 2014, Denlinger sought his party's nomination for the

Pennsylvania 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 ...

instead of running for re-election in the House, but lost the primary in the 36th District to

Ryan Aument Ryan P. Aument (born December 16, 1976) is an American politician and Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 36th district. Prior to his election to the State Senate in 2014, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of ...

, who went on to win that seat in the general election. Fellow Republican David H. Zimmerman won Denlinger's former seat in the 99th district. In 2016, Denlinger was named by the

Republican Party of Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Republican Party (PAGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the state of Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in Harrisburg. History Founding The party was founded on November 27, 1854, in Towanda ( Bradford County) b ...

as one of three delegates to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

from the state's 16th congressional district. On December 18, 2017, Denlinger announced via a letter to Pennsylvania's Republican Party members that he was entering the 2018 race for Lieutenant Governor. Denlinger would have faced businessman Jeff Bartos and others in the Republican primary, though he dropped out of the race in February 2018.

Election results

*2003 special election for Pennsylvania House representative from 99th District : *2004 race for Pennsylvania House representative from 99th District : *2006 race for Pennsylvania House representative from 99th District : *2008 race for Pennsylvania House representative from 99th District : *2010 race for Pennsylvania House representative from 99th District : *2012 race for Republican House representative from the 99th District : *2014 Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senator from the 36th District :

Personal life

Denlinger and his family are members of Zeltenreich Reformed Church in New Holland, where he has served as an elder. Formerly named Covenant Reformed, the church merged with Zeltenreich UCC in 2011. Denlinger and his wife reside in

Narvon, Pennsylvania Narvon is an unincorporated community in Caernarvon Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a sizeable Amish population. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to coo ...

and have four children: Evan, Abram Preston, Blake, and Mariah. Denlinger's brother-in-law is

Sam Rohrer Samuel E. Rohrer (born August 11, 1955) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 128th District. Before entering politics, Rohrer ...

, who previously was a state representative from

Berks County, Pennsylvania Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware Ri ...

References

External links

Ballotpedia profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denlinger, Gordon R. Living people Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Bob Jones University alumni 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people)