Jerry Birmelin

Who is Jerry Birmelin?

Jerry Birmelin is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

He is a 1967 graduate of Lake Ariel High School. He earned a degree in education from University of Scranton in 1973.

He was first elected to represent the 139th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1984. During his career, Birmelin was known for his Pro-life stand on abortion and for his opposition to Same-sex marriage. He retired prior to the 2006 elections.

Birmelin voted in favor of the controversial legislative pay raise, passed in the middle of the night without debate or public comment, inspiring several candidates to challenge him in the 2006 election. Several of these candidates were affiliated with PACleanSweep, a state-wide effort to defeat any legislators voting for the pay raise. On January 26, 2006, Birmelin joined 26 of his colleagues and announced that he would not seek re-election. Pike County treasurer, Michael Peifer went on to win the Republican nomination and won the election.