W. Todd Stephens is an American politician who served as a

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 ...

, representing the 151st District from his election in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, until he lost re-election to Democrat Melissa Cerrato in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Early life and education

After graduating from Hatboro-Horsham High School in 1989, Stephens attended

Shippensburg University Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Government and served in student government. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he worked briefly as an insurance agent before becoming a clerk in the Montgomery County Prothonotary's Office. Stephens eventually became the Second Deputy Prothonotary. In addition to working full-time in the Prothonotary's Office, he worked two part-time jobs and attended

Widener University School of Law Widener University Delaware Law School (Delaware Law School and formerly Widener University School of Law) is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener Univ ...

in the evening. In 2000, Stephens graduated from Widener, was admitted to the bar and began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Pre-Trials Division of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. In 2001, he was promoted to the Trials Division and assigned to the Sex Crimes Unit, where he prosecuted crimes against children.

Assistant United States Attorney

In 2004, Stephens was appointed Special Assistant United States Attorney. During his tenure with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Stephens was assigned to the Firearms Unit where he prosecuted individuals who violated federal gun law. Stephens served as the Captain of the Sex Crimes Unit, the C.L.E.A.N. Team, the Firearms Unit, and the Major Crimes Unit. Upon his resignation in July 2010, he achieved a 99 percent conviction rate as a prosecutor with more than 1500 convictions, and 18 homicide convictions.

Political career

In 2008, Stephens challenged Democratic

state Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Rick Taylor :''This is about the politician. For the fictional character, see '' Splatterhouse''. For the American college football coach, see Rick Taylor (American football). For the radio personality also known as Rick Taylor, see Rick Emerson. Rick Tay ...

, for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, but lost in a hotly contested election. On November 2, 2010, Stephens defeated Taylor in a rematch of their 2008 race, garnering 53.05 percent of the votes to win the 151st district's seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. On January 4, 2011, he was sworn in as State Representative and began his first term in Harrisburg. Stephens was re-elected to his sixth term on November 3, 2020. Stephens currently sits on the Children & Youth, Committee On Ethics, Consumer Affairs, Government Oversight, Judiciary, and Transportation committees. In 2022, redistricting made his district more Democratic leaning. In the November election that year, Democratic nominee Melissa Cerrato defeated him by 58 votes.https://ballotpedia.org/Todd_Stephens

References

External links

State Representative Todd Stephens
official caucus website
Todd Stephens (R)
official PA House website
Todd Stephens for State Representative
official campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Todd 1971 births Living people Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania People from Horsham Township, Pennsylvania Widener University alumni 21st-century American politicians