Napoleon J. Nelson, Sr. is an American politician. He is a Democrat representing District 154 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Napoleon J. Nelson, Sr.
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 154th district
Assumed office
January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
Preceded bySteve McCarter
Finance Officer, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania[1]
Assumed office
2018
Board Director, Cheltenham School District[1]
In office
2011–2017
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseShareese[2]
Children2[2]
ResidenceCheltenham, Pennsylvania[1]
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
Wharton School (MBA)[1]
OccupationFinancier[3]

Early life

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Nelson attended Central High School and graduated in 1998. He then graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2007.[1][2]

Political career

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Nelson served as Board Director for the Cheltenham school district from 2011 to 2017, and became the Finance Officer for Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania in 2018.[1]

In 2019, former state representative Steve McCarter announced that he would not seek re-election in 2020,[4] and Nelson ran for the open seat. He won a six-way Democratic primary with 39.2% of the vote, and went on to win the general election with 77.5% of the vote. He assumed office on December 1, 2020, becoming the first black state representative for Pennsylvania's 154th District.[5] Nelson currently sits on the Aging & Older Adult Services, Children & Youth, Education, and Finance committees.[6] Nelson was re-elected in 2021 with 80.7% of the vote.[7]

Electoral record

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2020 Democratic primary: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 154[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Napoleon Nelson 7,101 39.2
Democratic Gretchen Wisehart 3,639 20.1
Democratic Adrienne Redd 2,435 13.4
Democratic Ray Sosa 1,994 11.0
Democratic Jay Conners 1,664 9.2
Democratic Jennifer Lugar 1,275 7.0
Total votes 18,108 100.0
2020 general election: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 154[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Napoleon Nelson 29,508 77.5
Republican Kathleen Bowers 8,560 22.5
Total votes 38,068 100.0
Democratic hold
2022 general election: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 154[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Napoleon Nelson 26,418 80.7
Republican Angelina Banks[8] 6,312 19.3
Total votes 32,730 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Napoleon Nelson, Sr.'s Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Heinze, Justin (20 May 2020). "2020 Candidate Profile: Napoleon Nelson, State Rep. 154th". Patch.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Napoleon J. Nelson". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  4. ^ Caruso, Stephen (25 November 2019). "MontCo Dem McCarter announces 2020 retirement". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Napoleon Nelson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Representative Napoleon J. Nelson". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  7. ^ a b "2022 Pennsylvania State House - District 154 Election Results". South Bend Tribune. January 26, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Wolff, J.D. (October 17, 2024). "Busted! Former Republican Candidates Posed As Constituents at Trump's PA Town Hall". MeidasTouch. Retrieved October 17, 2024.