Paul Takac

American politician

Paul Takac

Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 82nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	John D. Hershey

Personal details
Born	c. 1965
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Regan W.
Children	3
Education	State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A.) Southern Methodist University (M.A.) Maryland University of Integrative Health (M.S.)
Alma mater	Orchard Park High School

Paul R. Takac Jr.^[1] (born c. 1965^[2]) is an American politician who is currently a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 82nd District since 2023.

Early life and education

Takac and his sister were born into a family where both their mother and father were employed. When he was 10 years old, Takac's mother died of cancer, and his father subsequently lost his job and struggled with addiction. Through his father's disability pension, Takac was able to get an education.^[3]

Takac graduated from Orchard Park High School in 1983. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1987 and a Master of Arts from Southern Methodist University in 1991. Takac earned an M.S. degree from Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2018.^[2]

Political career

Prior to his run for Pennsylvania State Representative, Takac was a member of the College Township Council. His term started in January 2020.^[4] He also chaired the Spring Creek Watershed Commission and the Centre Region Council of Government's Public Safety Committee.^[5]

In 2022, Takac ran for the newly redrawn 82nd District. The race was seen as competitive, but Takac ultimately won, defeating Republican candidate Justin Behrens.^[4]^[2]

Personal life

For over twenty years,^[5] Takac and his wife, Regan W.,^[6] have lived in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, where they raised their three children.^[5]

Electoral history

2019 College Township Council election^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carla Stilson	1,810	25.50
	Democratic	Paul Takac	1,714	24.15
	Democratic/Republican	D. Richard Francke	1,794	25.28
	Republican	Steven J. Lyncha	1,074	15.13
	No Affiliation	Dustin E. Best	690	9.72
	Write-in		15	0.21
Total votes			7,097	100.00

2022 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, District 82^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Takac	12,739	56.18
	Republican	Justin V. Behrens	9,870	43.53
	Write-in		67	0.30
Total votes			22,676	100.00

References

^ "2022 General Election Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Official Returns CENTRE". electionreturns.pa.gov. Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Paul Takac". Pennsylvania House of Representatives Archives. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ "Meet Paul". Paul Takac for PA. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b Danahy, Anne (November 1, 2022). "Meet the candidates: Paul Takac, the Democrat running for the state House in the new 82nd district". WPSU. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Biography". Rep. Paul Takac. PA House Democrats. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ "Representative Paul Takac". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ "Summary Results Report November 5, 2019 OFFICIAL RESULTS Centre County" (PDF). Centre County, Pennsylvania. November 25, 2019. p. 18. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ "Summary Results Report November 8, 2022, Gubernatorial Election OFFICIAL RESULTS CENTRE COUNTY" (PDF). Centre County, Pennsylvania. November 16, 2022. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2023.