Pennsylvania’s 2026 primary election is still 10 months away, but at least one candidate is already planning a run for one of the state House districts representing Centre County.
Zach Womer, a Philipsburg resident who ran for Congress in 2024, said in a statement on Friday that he intends to seek the Democratic nomination for the 77th House District next year. The seat has been held since 2007 by Democrat Scott Conklin, who was elected to his 10th term in November.
Womer said his announcement was spurred by Thursday’s passage by the U.S. House of President Donald Trump’s massive tax breaks and spending cuts bill “that will take away healthcare for millions, gut SNAP funding, force the closure of hundreds of hospitals, and shift responsibility for our social safety net to state legislatures.”
“Whether the decisions were made in Washington D.C. or Harrisburg, I have watched a decades long tragedy of the wealth of our nation transferring from the poor and working class to people who have never swung a hammer, never milked a cow, but hold a large portion of our nation’s wealth,” Womer said. “We now sit at a greater disparity in wealth than in the gilded age. As a state legislator, I will fight to the greatest extent I am able to ensure that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania represents the interests of the working men and women that call it home.”
Womer ran for Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District last year against incumbent Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, who captured 71% of the vote en route to winning his ninth term.
He is currently running for Philipsburg mayor, winning an uncontested Democratic primary to face Republican incumbent John Streno in the November election.
The 77th District includes State College (partial), Philipsburg and Port Matilda boroughs and Ferguson, Halfmoon, Huston, Patton, Rush, Taylor and Worth townships.
