Guy Reschenthaler | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 14th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Doyle (Redistricting) |
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 37th district | |
| In office November 24, 2015 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew H. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Pam Iovino |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Guy Lorin Reschenthaler April 17, 1983 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Pennsylvania State University, Behrend (BA) Duquesne University (JD) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Guy Lorin Reschenthaler[1] (/ˈrɛʃənˌθɑːlər/ RESH-ən-THAHL-ər; born April 17, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, judge, and U.S. Navy veteran. A Republican, he is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district and was previously a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 37th district. He served as a district judge and in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) during the Iraq War.
Reschenthaler was born in Pittsburgh on April 17, 1983.[2] He was raised in Pittsburgh's South Hills and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2001. He graduated from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College in 2004 with a BA in political science. Upon graduation, Reschenthaler attended Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, earning a JD in 2007. While at Duquesne, Reschenthaler founded the Military Law Society chapter and interned at the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.[3]
After law school, Reschenthaler served in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) in Iraq.[4] In the U.S. Navy, Reschenthaler deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, in 2009. In 2010, he was one of three attorneys who defended a Navy SEAL accused of covering up an assault on terrorist Ahmad Hashim Abd al-Isawi while in custody. The Navy SEAL represented by Reschenthaler and the other SEALs charged were eventually acquitted of all charges.[5] Reschenthaler was awarded the Michael Taylor Shelby Award for Professional, Ethics and Dedication in the practice of law.[6] He left military service in 2012.
After his Navy service, Reschenthaler returned to Pittsburgh to practice law in spring 2012 before being elected magisterial district judge in Pittsburgh's South Hills in 2013.[4][7] He was elected district judge in May 2013. As a magistrate, Reschenthaler claimed that he would seek to reduce truancy.[8]
In 2013, Reschenthaler briefly co-hosted a radio program with Carl Higbie, who resigned from the Trump administration in 2018 after what were considered "anti-gay, anti-Muslim, racist and sexist remarks he had made on his radio program."[9] He also wrote the foreword to Higbie's self-published 2012 book, which CNN alleged to contain racist, homophobic, and xenophobic content.[10][9] He said in April 2018 that he denounced the book, and he disavowed the foreword he had written and said he would not have written the foreword, though Higbie's book was a frequent topic of discussion on the radio show that Reschenthaler co-hosted, with Reschenthaler saying that he read parts of the book and citing those parts approvingly.[9]
Reschenthaler was of counsel at Pittsburgh law firm Brennan, Robins & Daley and serves as a member of Penn State Behrend's Political Science Advisory Board.[4][11]
After the resignation of Democratic state senator Matt Smith, Reschenthaler won the Republican nomination for a special election in the 37th state Senate district in July 2015. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Heather Arnet, in the general election to serve the remainder of Smith's term, ending in 2016.[12][13] He was sworn-in upon the official certification of the election results on November 24, 2015.[14][15][16]
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Main article: 2018 Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district special election § Republican conferee meeting |
Reschenthaler announced in early October 2017 that he would be seeking the Republican nomination in the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district.[17] At the Republican Party conference, he was defeated by State Representative Rick Saccone. He received 75 votes by local activists and failed to gain a majority in the first round. He was defeated by a margin of 32 votes in the second round of voting.
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See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 14 |
After a court threw out Pennsylvania's congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, the 18th was renumbered as the 14th and made even more Republican on paper.[18] Democrat Conor Lamb defeated Saccone in the special election for the old 18th, but had his home drawn into the neighboring 17th district (the former 12th district) and sought a full term there.
Reschenthaler ran in the Republican primary for the reconfigured 14th, again facing Saccone. This time, he won the nomination.[19] He received 55.4% of the vote, defeating Saccone by a margin of 10.8%. In the general election, he defeated businesswoman and Democratic nominee Bibiana Boerio, receiving 58% of the vote.[20]
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See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 14 |
Reschenthaler ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020,[21] running against United States Marine Corps Veteran William Marx (Democratic Party).[22] He won against Marx, receiving 64.7% of the vote.[23]
On December 31, 2020, Reschenthaler and seven other Republican Party U.S. Congressmen representing Pennsylvania stated that they would oppose the certification of Pennsylvania’s electors when Congress met to count electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. The eight Republican Congressmen claimed that state officials had illegally allowed the counting of mail-in ballots which were received after Election Day but postmarked by Nov. 3. According to NBC Philadelphia news, and the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, the accusation of voter fraud was not proven.[24][25][26]
Reschentaler was also among those who signed an amicus brief to a lawsuit filed by Texas’ attorney general. That lawsuit sought to throw out federal election results in key swing states, including Pennsylvania.[27][28]
Reschenthaler, who represents the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, was one of 147 Republican representatives and senators to vote against certifying the presidential election results.[29][30][31]
In December 2020, Reschenthaler joined other Republicans in voting against providing $2,000 stimulus checks to Americans, on grounds that such aid would further weaken the US economy.[32]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler | 23,245 | 55.4 | |
| Republican | Rick Saccone | 18,734 | 44.6 | |
| Total votes | 41,979 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler | 151,386 | 57.9 | |
| Democratic | Bibiana Boerio | 110,051 | 42.1 | |
| Total votes | 261,437 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler (incumbent) | 66,671 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 66,671 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler (incumbent) | 241,688 | 64.7 | |
| Democratic | Bill Marx | 131,895 | 35.3 | |
| Total votes | 373,583 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
