Jennifer O’Mara had always been politically engaged and aware, but the results of the 2016 election were the tipping point in her decision to run for office. Concluding that she could have the most impact helping the community, she set her sights on Harrisburg, which is as dysfunctional, if not more so, than Washington D.C. and where laws directly impact PA resident lives.
After that election, Jennifer thought back on her life experiences – when her father, a Philadelphia Firefighter and union employee, died by gun-suicide, and her mom became the sole provider of three children. Her family survived because of her mom’s union job as a bus driver, her father’s pension and state-funded public services like CHIP and public education that were available to her family.
Prior to this run, Jennifer volunteered with the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC). She teaches Organization & Personal Time Management to high school students at PASC’s Summer Leadership Program and serves on the PASC Board of Directors as their Alumni Coordinator. She and her husband also fund a scholarship, which enables one high school student to attend a PASC summer camp; a way to give back to an organization that had a significant impact on her.
“When I learned how sorely underrepresented women remain in all levels of public office in our state, I knew I had to put myself out there and run.”
