Race to watch: What voters need to know about Pa. state Rep. Joe Hogan and Democratic challenger Anna Payne

What questions do you have about the 2024 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

In the 2022 elections, Democrats gained majority control of the Pennsylvania state House for the first time in more than a decade.

Several house seats flipped — and many remain close in this election year. All 203 seats in the House are up for reelection every two years, including the seat for the 142nd House District in Bucks County. The 142nd District includes Langhorne, Langhorne Manor and Penndel boroughs, Lower Southampton Township and parts of Middletown and Northampton townships.

Republican Joe Hogan won the race in 2022 by a razor-thin margin, defeating his Democratic opponent, Mark Moffa, by 76 votes. The seat opened after incumbent Republican Frank Farry left to run for the state Senate.

This year, Hogan is facing Democratic challenger Anna Payne. Here’s where both candidates stand on key issues.

Republican Joe Hogan

Hogan, 36, is from Levittown and currently lives in Langhorne.

A Penn State University graduate, Hogan began his political career in 2011 working for former Republican U.S. Rep Mike Fitzpatrick, who represented Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District. Hogan was working as the program director for the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority when he was elected to the state House in 2022.

In 2022, Hogan told WHYY News he comes from a “blue-collar” background and supports fracking and using Pennsylvania’s natural gas supply to lower energy costs.

Hogan has described himself as “pro-life,” and said in a Levittown Now article in 2022 that he supports district residents’ “shared values of limiting the number of elective abortions, protecting the use of the procedure when medically necessary or in cases of rape and incest.”

In the House, Hogan is on the Children & Youth and Gaming Oversight committees. He’s the Republican secretary of the Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee, and is on the Arts and Entertainment subcommittee, within the Tourism & Economic & Recreational Development Committee.

Since his election, Hogan has co-sponsored legislation related to crime prevention, mental health and substance abuse, school safety and more.

According to his campaign website, five bills he’s sponsored or co-sponsored have been enacted on topics including public safety and women’s health awareness. His campaign also touts as his accomplishments “record funding” that public schools in Council Rock and Neshaminy received because of the state’s new school funding formula.

This summer, the representative sponsored legislation that seeks to safeguard older adults from scams and other forms of financial exploitation. The bill passed the House and is currently with the state Senate.

“I’m willing to work with anybody to do what I think is the right thing,” Hogan told the Associated Press in July.

Hogan has been endorsed by state Sen. Frank Farry as well as the Pennsylvania State Education Association, unions including SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, Local 668 SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, IAF Local 22, Bucks County Fraternal Order of Police and the Pennsylvania UFCW.

Hogan did not respond to multiple interview requests from WHYY News.

Democrat Anna Payne

Payne, 37, was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis, a disease that impacts the lungs and digestive system. Decades ago, someone diagnosed with the chronic ailment had a life expectancy limited to the teen years. Because of advancement in treatments, that number has shifted to 61 years for someone born with cystic fibrosis between 2019-2023.

For Payne, living with the disease and experiences navigating health care and health insurance became key factors in her decision to run for public office.

She said she directly benefited from the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

“Seeing how politics really does play into our everyday lives, is what inspired me to get more involved,” she told WHYY News. “I learned firsthand, we need a seat at the table. We need a voice in the room. We need someone to tell our stories, to humanize these issues, so that people realize the impact on everyday lives for people living with chronic illnesses.”

Payne received her associate’s degree in business administration and management from Bucks County Community College. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Council and founder of the Bucks County Cystic Fibrosis Alliance.

Payne’s first foray into electoral politics came in 2019, when she was elected to Middletown Townships’ Board of Supervisors. In July of 2021, she was diagnosed with colon cancer — an experience which she said has motivated her to stay in public service.

“My community really rallied around me and supported me through that whole diagnosis and process and everything,” she said. “And to me, this was the best way for me to be able to give back is to take my life experience, to take my government experience, and go to Harrisburg and work hard every day to make a difference in their lives.”

If elected, one of Payne’s priorities is a law that would require insurance companies to pay for colon cancer screenings for people more than 45 years old. She also wants to push for more protections for abortion rights at the state level and codify stronger paid family medical leave policies.

Payne said she’s heard a lot from residents about the high taxes they pay to support local schools. Payne said if she’s in Harrisburg, she will push for more state funding for schools.

Payne said she would work across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions — a skill she said she learned as a member of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors.

“I don’t think compromise is a dirty word, and … I think we lose something when we stop listening to people who don’t agree with us,” she said. “I don’t think we can grow that way as people, and I don’t think we get as much accomplished.”

Payne is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC, Clean Air Action Fund, AFL-CIO Local 234, the Sierra Club of Pennsylvania, National Organization for Women PAC, ChangePA, RepresentPA and Climate Cabinet.

Payne said once elected she would host public town halls and take advantage of other opportunities to connect with constituents with the goal of “humanizing the issues.”

“We talk about things on the grand scale, but when we boil it down we’re talking about everyday issues and people’s top concerns, and how are we going to solve them together?” she said.

Payne said she also will bring a sense of urgency to her work if elected to the House.

“I know firsthand that life is short and we don’t have a lot of opportunity and time to make a difference, and people want action now,” she said. “I have lived with that mindset my whole life, so I will take that mindset straight to Harrisburg with me, that we need action now. We want something done. People need to see results, and they need to know that the person going there is fighting for them every single day to try to make things better.”