Jesse J. White

Jesse J. White (born June 24, 1978) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 46th District since 2007. His district included portions of Washington, Allegheny and Beaver Counties.

Jesse J. White
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 46th district
In office
January 2, 2007[1] – January 6, 2015
Preceded byVictor John Lescovitz
Succeeded byJason Ortitay
Personal details
Born (1978-06-24) June 24, 1978
Washington, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Eileen (married 2012)
ChildrenAtticus (2014) and Augustus (2015)
ResidenceCumberland County, Pennsylvania
Alma materWashington & Jefferson College (BA)
Duquesne University School of Law (JD)
OccupationOwner, Perpetual Fortitude Political Consulting

A native of Washington County, Pennsylvania, White graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania with a degree in political science.[2] He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After college, White earned a J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh. He worked in private practice for a law firm in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and for the United Steelworkers of America in Pittsburgh.[3]

White was appointed in 2003 to the Board of Supervisors in Cecil Township, Pennsylvania. He made a run at the State House in 2004 in the Democratic primary election against 26-year incumbent Victor John Lescovitz. Lescovitz defeated White with 55% of the vote.[4] After his defeat in the primary, White successfully ran for Auditor of Cecil Township in 2005.

In 2006, Lescovitz decided to retire from the House, creating an open seat. White ran again in the 2006 Democratic primary, facing off with Paul Walsh, a local attorney.[5] With the fallout of the legislative pay raise lingering, White aligned with reform activist group PACleanSweep in the election.[6] He defeated Walsh in the primary taking close to 54%. White went on to prevail in the general election by a similar margin over Republican Paul Snatchko.[7]

White was re-elected in contested races in 2008 and 2010. In 2012, he was listed as both the Democratic and Republican nominee after securing the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate. A group of Republicans, including White's 2010 opponent Greg DeLuca, endorsed White based largely on his position on Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. White has been a proponent of responsible, accountable drilling of Marcellus Shale, but has also been a critic of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's withholding of data from air and water quality testing conducted near drilling sites. White also led the charge to overturn the portions of Act 13 which would have eliminated local control over certain aspects of drilling operations.

In 2013, White admitted making anonymous and fictitious online posts which attacked certain constituents who support shale-gas drilling.[8] White originally denied the allegations, then later apologized.[9]

Jesse White lost the 2014 Election to his opponent, Jason Ortitay.

In 2019, evidence emerged about a child cancer cluster in White's former legislative district in Washington County, Pennsylvania.[10] These cancer cases, the cause of which is still under investigation, lend credence to White's concerns about the environmental and public health risks associated with drilling activity in the region.

In 2019, White and his family relocated to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he now runs his own political consulting firm, Perpetual Fortitude.

References
  1. "SESSION OF 2007 191ST OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY No. 1" (PDF). LEGISLATIVE JOURNAL. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  2. "Rep. Jesse J. White Biography". Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  3. "Representative Jesse J. White (PA)". Project Vote Smart. Project Vote Smart. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  4. "2004 General Primary - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  5. "2006 Primary Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  6. Guydon Taylor, Lynda (2006-05-07). "Campaign 2006: Three seek Lescovitz's open House seat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  7. "2006 General Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  8. "State lawmaker acknowledges making anonymous online posts, apologizes". TribLIVE News. May 30, 2013.
  9. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/09/11/pa-rep-jesse-white-apologizes-for-fake-online-posts/
  10. "After String of Rare Cancer Cases, Pennsylvania Investigates Potential Link to Fracking". Wall Street Journal. December 20, 2019.
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