Todd Polinchock (born August 16, 1963) is a former representative of the 144th Legislative District of Pennsylvania, United States. He was first elected in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, winning against Democrat Meredith Buck.

Early life and education

Polinchock was born on August 16, 1963 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He attended Whitehall High School, graduating in 1981, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1985 with a bachelors in political science. He also attended

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

from 1992 to 1995. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Polinchock began a 20 year career in the United States Navy, retiring in 2005.

Career

After retiring from the military, he became a

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

, and was subsequently appointed as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors in 2016. He was re-elected in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, then defeated in 2022 by Democrat Brian Munroe. During his legislative term, Polinchook supported policies to stop climate change, becoming the first Republican to support a bill by fellow representative Chris Rabb designed to transition the commonwealth to complete renewable energy source use by 2050. In 2019, he introduced a bill allowing agritourism at small farms and orchards where local ordinances prohibited them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated that societal shutdowns were necessary to reduce the spread of the disease, but preferred giving control of measures to counties and thought the restrictions imposed by Governor Tom Wolf were too strict. Polinchock says he supports bipartisanship over partisan politics. Polinchock sat on the Gaming Oversight, Human Services, Professional Licensure, and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committees.

Personal life

Polinchock has 2 children and is a Catholic.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polinchock, Todd Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Catholics from Pennsylvania Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians 1963 births