James J. Christiana III (born October 3, 1983) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019.[1]

Jim Christiana
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 6, 2009 – January 1, 2019
Preceded byVince Biancucci
Succeeded byJosh Kail
Personal details
Born (1983-10-03) October 3, 1983 (age 41)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJayann (2012–present)
EducationWashington and Jefferson College (BA)

Early life and education

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The great-grandson of Italian immigrants, Christiana is a fourth-generation resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Beaver, Pennsylvania.[2][3] He graduated from Beaver High School in Beaver, Pennsylvania, in 2002.[3]

He attended Washington & Jefferson College, where he played on the men's soccer team.[3][4] As a college senior in 2005, Christiana became the youngest member of the Beaver Borough Council.[5] He graduated in 2006 with a degree in political science.[3]

He also worked as a salesman at the Bobby Rahal Car Dealership in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3] As a Republican member of the Beaver Borough Council, Christiana served as the chair of the Finance Committee.[5]

State House

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In November 2008, he defeated Democratic incumbent Vince Biancucci to represent the 15th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[6][7]

Senate race

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In April 2017, Christiana announced he was running for Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, seeking to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr. in 2018.[8] Christiana ran against Berwick borough councilman Andrew Shecktor and Representative Lou Barletta.[9][10] He was defeated by Barletta in the primary 63 percent to 37 percent.[11]

Electoral history

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15th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Year Republican Votes Pct Democrat Votes Pct
2008[7] Jim Christiana 15,134 51.5 Vince Biancucci 14,280 48.5
2010[12] Jim Christiana 13,308 62.3 Frank Bovalino 8,062 37.7
2012[12] Jim Christiana 17,473 61.1 Robert Williams 11,144 38.9
2014[12] Jim Christiana 12,585 69.4 Paul Cain 5,545 30.6
2016[13] Jim Christiana 18,368 63.1 Michael Rossi 10,759 36.9
Republican primary results[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lou Barletta 433,312 63.03%
Republican Jim Christiana 254,118 36.97%
Total votes 687,430 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ "Bio" (PDF). house.state.pa.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  2. ^ "Representative Jim Christiana (PA)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e "About Me". Official Legislative Biography. Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  4. ^ "Wash. and Jeff. Game-by-Game Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2002)". Washington and Jefferson. November 11, 2002. Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  5. ^ a b Trifaro, Emily (Spring 2009). "Climbing the Political Ladder: W&J's Rising Young Politicians" (PDF). Washington and Jefferson College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  6. ^ "SESSION OF 2009 - 193D OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2009-01-06.
  7. ^ a b "2008 General Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. Archived from the original on 2008-12-08.
  8. ^ Jill Daly, Christiana says he's candidate for U.S. Senate, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (April 8, 2017).
  9. ^ "Shecktor drops Senate bid; will run for House seat - Times Leader". www.timesleader.com.
  10. ^ John L. Micek, A third Republican announces he's in to win it against Sen. Bob Casey, (April 10, 2017).
  11. ^ "U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta captures GOP nomination for U.S. Senate". PennLive.com. 2018-05-16.
  12. ^ a b c "Jim Christiana - Ballotpedia".
  13. ^ "Pennsylvania 15th District State House Results: Jim Christiana Wins". 1 August 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ^ Pennsylvania Secretary of State. "Pennsylvania primary election results, 2018". Retrieved June 5, 2019.
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