John Eichelberger (born September 1, 1958) of

Blair Township, Pennsylvania Blair Township is a township in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,792 at the 2020 census. General information *ZIP codes: 16635, 16648, 16665 *Area code: 814 *Local telephone exchanges: 693, 695, 696 Geography Blair ...

is an American politician and former

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

State Senator. He is a member of the Republican Party. He represented the 30th district of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Eichelberger gained notoriety following his defeat of Senate President Pro-Tempore Robert Jubelirer in the May 2006 primary election. In 2018, he ran to represent Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House, though lost his party's nomination in the primary.

Biography

Prior to his career in government, Eichelberger was the President of an insurance brokerage in

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...

. In 1995, he was elected to the Blair County Commission. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2003. During his tenure as county commissioner, he was a major critic of local Congressman

Bud Shuster Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster (; born January 23, 1932) is an American politician who represented Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1973 to 2001. He is best known for hi ...

, focusing on Shuster's "ethical clouds" in the later years of his tenure. When Shuster resigned in February 2001, Eichelberger's name was floated as a possible successor. Instead, the Republican State Committee selected Shuster's son,

Bill Shuster William Franklin Shuster (; born January 10, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party, and is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster. In J ...

, to be the Republican nominee for the May 2001 special election. Bill Shuster won the committee's nomination after replacing 18 members of the Blair County, Pennsylvania Republican Committee with his own supporters.

2006 Election

His Senate campaign was sparked by the 2005 Pennsylvania pay raise. Senate President Pro Tem Robert Jubelirer was a rival in Blair County politics who had supported the pay increase. His campaign was aided by conservative Bob Guzzardi. Eichelberger attacked Jubelirer for his support of the raise as well as his stance on abortion. During the campaign, Eichelberger received support from conservatives such as former congressman

Pat Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representa ...

and former Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton. Jubelirer counter-attacked, noting that Eichelberger had benefited from pay raises as a commissioner. In addition, Jubelirer alleged that Eichelberger had a poor voting record on the commission. On primary election day, Eichelberger took 44% to Jubelirer's 36% and C. Arnold McClure's 20%. Jubelirer and David Brightbill were the first top-ranked General Assembly leaders to be defeated in a primary since 1964. Eichelberger went on to defeat businessman and Democratic candidate Greg Morris in the general election with 62.7% of the vote. He was unopposed for re-election in 2010 and in 2014.

Electoral history

References

External links

State Senator John Eichelberger
official website
I Like Eich
official campaign website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eichelberger, John 1958 births Living people Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Altoona, Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians Blair County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)