Jacob Doyle Corman III (born September 9, 1964) is an American politician and former
President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate.
He was a member of 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 ...
1999 to 2022, holding the same seat his father,
Doyle Corman
Jacob Doyle Corman Jr. (September 17, 1932 – December 8, 2019) was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate.
Prior to his Senate service, Corman worked in the insurance and real estate business. He also served as Centre County Commissioner from 196 ...
, previously held. A member of the
Republican Party, he was majority leader from 2015 to 2020, and
president pro tempore from 2020 to 2022. Corman represents the
34th Senate District, which includes all of
Centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
,
Mifflin and
Juniata Counties and portions of
Huntingdon County
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...
, and includes
State College.
In the lead-up to the 2020 elections, Corman and other Republicans in the state legislature refused to implement changes that would allow Pennsylvania officials to process mail-in ballots before election day. As a result of the inaction, counting of ballots 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 ...
took several days, leaving it unclear for days who had won the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
. After
Joe Biden won the 2020 election and
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
refused to concede while making false claims of fraud, Corman called for an audit of the election in Pennsylvania and called on Pennsylvania Secretary of State
Kathy Boockvar to resign. He supported Republican efforts to obtain a wide range of data and personal information on voters to pursue baseless claims of fraud.
In November 2021, Corman announced he would be seeking the
2022 Republican nomination for
Governor of Pennsylvania
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. He withdrew from the race on April 12, 2022, but then re-entered the same day. He dropped out again on May 12, endorsing
Lou Barletta
Louis John Barletta (born January 28, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2010. ...
.
From May 17, 2022 to May 23, 2022, Corman served as acting lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania while Lieutenant Governor
John Fetterman
John Karl Fetterman (born August 15, 1969) is an American politician who is the United States senator-elect from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since 2019. Fet ...
recovered from the implantation of a pacemaker.
Personal
Corman was State Director for Central Pennsylvania for United States Senator
Rick Santorum
Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...
from 1994 through 1998.
He was Field Service Director for the Pennsylvania Builders Association from 1993 through 1994.
Career
In 1998, Corman's father,
Doyle Corman
Jacob Doyle Corman Jr. (September 17, 1932 – December 8, 2019) was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate.
Prior to his Senate service, Corman worked in the insurance and real estate business. He also served as Centre County Commissioner from 196 ...
, a Pennsylvania State Senator for 21 years, announced his retirement from the Senate. Corman announced that he would run for his father's seat. During the three-way GOP primary, Corman was attacked by the other candidates for a 1995 drunk driving conviction, as well as his admission to experimenting with marijuana in the 1980s.
In 2002, Corman was re-elected with over 92% of the vote, facing only minimal opposition from a
Libertarian Party
Active parties by country
Defunct parties by country
Organizations associated with Libertarian parties
See also
* Liberal parties by country
* List of libertarian organizations
* Lists of political parties
Lists of political part ...
candidate. In 2006, Corman defeated
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Jon Eich, Robert J. Cash, and Libertarian Thomas Martin with 56% of the vote. After the leadership shakeup following the
2006 elections, Corman bid for the position of Senate Majority Leader, but was edged out by
Dominic Pileggi
Dominic F. Pileggi (born December 15, 1957) is an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania who served as Republican mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2002 and as a member of the Pennsylvania 9th Senatorial district from 2002 unt ...
and was ultimately elected as the Majority Policy Chairman, succeeding
Joe Scarnati
Joseph B. Scarnati III (born January 2, 1962) is an American politician from the U.S. State of Pennsylvania. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Pennsylvania State Senate as the member from the 25th District from 2001 to 2020, a ...
. After the 2008 election, Corman became Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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 ...
'' named him to the 2009 "The Pennsylvania Report 100" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics and called him of the state's "rising stars."
In 2010, Corman again defeated
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Jon Eich for re-election garnering 69.4% of the vote. In 2014 and 2016, Corman was unopposed for re-election. In 2018, he again won re-election after defeating Democrat Ezra Nanes by more than 10,500 votes. After the 2014 election, Corman became Senate Majority Leader.
2020 elections
Prior to the 2020 election, Corman and other Republicans in the state legislature refused to implement changes that would allow Pennsylvania officials to process mail-in ballots before election day. As a result, counting of ballots in Philadelphia took several days, leaving it unclear for days who had won the
2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
The 2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Pennsylvania voters ...
. On the night of the election, Corman called for the resignation of Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar for allowing county boards to give voters an opportunity to "cure" their ballots if they were rejected.
In January 2021, Corman and other Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate refused to seat incumbent
Jim Brewster
James R. Brewster is an American politician who has served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 45th District since 2010.
Education
Brewster earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the California University of Pennsylva ...
who won a close reelection against his opponent who refused to concede the race. Even though Brewster's election victory had been certified by state officials. The Republican majority then had
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman
John Karl Fetterman (born August 15, 1969) is an American politician who is the United States senator-elect from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since 2019. Fet ...
removed from presiding over the Senate and installed Corman in Fetterman's place.
Even though there were no indications of fraud in the 2020 election, Corman called for a "full forensic investigation" into the 2020 election. Corman supported Republican efforts to obtain a wide range of data and personal information on voters to pursue baseless claims of fraud.
Gubernatorial run
In November 2021, Corman announced he would be running in the Republican primary race for Pennsylvania governor. He campaigned as the "conservative who stood up to" Governor
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 guber ...
citing his legal efforts to overturn Wolf's mask mandate in schools during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, successful opposition to Wolf's proposed taxes, and his support for a
partisan investigation into 2020 presidential election.
On April 12, 2022, Corman filed a petition in state court to remove his name from the primary ballot, he however reversed that decision later that day saying that former President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
encouraged him to stay in the race.
Still, Corman remained low in the polls.
He announced on May 12 that he would be dropping out of the race again and endorsed former Congressman
Lou Barletta
Louis John Barletta (born January 28, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2010. ...
for governor. Corman's name still appeared on the ballot though and received 26,000 votes .
Acting lieutenant governor
On May 17, 2022, Governor Wolf announced that Corman would temporarily assume the duties of acting lieutenant governor while Lieutenant Governor
John Fetterman
John Karl Fetterman (born August 15, 1969) is an American politician who is the United States senator-elect from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since 2019. Fet ...
had a pacemaker implanted and following the procedure. Corman served in this capacity until May 23, 2022.
Political positions
In 2017, Corman sponsored Senate Bill 1, a pension reform legislation that was enacted.
Corman, as well as former Pennsylvania Treasurer
Rob McCord
Robert Maxwell McCord (born March 5, 1959) is an American former politician and convicted felon. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2015. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic n ...
, sued the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
, seeking to reverse sanctions that the athletic association imposed against Penn State after the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal
The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen years ...
.
[Marc Levy]
Lawmaker: NCAA should fire chief over Penn State sanctions
Associated Press (February 11, 2015). In a settlement, the NCAA lifted the sanctions against the university. The lawsuit initially aimed to require Penn State's $60 million fine to be spent on child abuse prevention in Pennsylvania, rather than across the U.S., but the suit later morphed to challenge the legality of the sanctions themselves.
[Jan Murphy]
''PennLive'' (January 16, 2020). Corman accused the NCAA of unfairly singling out Penn State[ and said that the sanctions were "extremely damaging to my community";][ the NCAA responded that Corman was seeking to politicize the NCAA's safety efforts.][
While Corman voted for Pennsylvania's ]medical cannabis
Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...
program, he is against both the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
in Pennsylvania. He believes cannabis is a gateway drug
The gateway drug effect (alternatively, stepping-stone theory, escalation hypothesis, or progression hypothesis) is a comprehensive catchphrase for the often observed effect that the use of a psychoactive substance is coupled to an increased probab ...
. He stated that: "I will do everything in my power to prevent legalization of recreational marijuana."
In 2018, Corman was the prime sponsor of an anti-hazing bill (Senate Bill 1090), which was signed into law later that year as Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law (Act 80). The law, which passed the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously, strengthened anti-hazing laws.
As part of the 2018–19 budget process, Corman identified school safety funding as a priority.
In June 2019, Corman made national headlines for aggressively yelling over Democratic State Senator Katie Muth, as she read into record a letter from formerly homeless resident John Boyd, who encouraged representatives to not take away monthly General Assistance funds from him and other vulnerable citizens.
References
External links
Pennsylvania Senate: Jake Corman
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corman, Jake
1964 births
21st-century American politicians
Methodists from Pennsylvania
Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications alumni
Living people
Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators
People from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Presidents pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate