A first-term incumbent Republican representative in a Columbia County state House district faces a challenge from a teacher who’s also a school director in the primary election Tuesday.
The winner of the contest between Rep. Robert Leadbeter and Benton Area School Director Matt Yoder will face Democrat Nicholas McGaw in the Nov. 5 general election. McGaw is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Leadbeter, 33, of Catawissa Twp., won election to the 109th House District seat in his first run for public office in 2022 after David Millard decided against seeking re-election.
Before that, Leadbeter, a Nevada native who moved to the county after marrying his wife, a local native, managed draft beer production capacity for Anheuser-Busch, the famed beer brewing company. He also owned a company that managed ATMs.
Leadbeter said switching from private business to the public sector has frustrated him at times, but private sector experience made him a better legislator.
“Because in the private sector, … when you don't make the right decision, usually that becomes apparent relatively quickly,” he said.
“In government, sometimes it takes a while to shake out and before you know it, you're going down a path that maybe isn't the best for the taxpayers. So, what I like to do is to remember those same lessons from the private sector in Harrisburg, things like saying no to the stupid stuff, using common sense.”
He said he deserves re-election because he has kept community priorities in mind – fighting inflation, voting for higher property tax and rent rebates, and sponsoring bills to ban sanctuary cities, keep boys’ and girls’ sports separate and protect gun rights. He has rejected participating in the state pension plan because the system isn’t adequately funded.
If re-elected, he will pursue similar goals plus repealing part of the state gasoline tax, money used to fix roads and bridges. He doesn’t know specifically how he would replace the money, but said a common-sense solution is possible.
Yoder, 40, of Fishing Creek Twp., teaches business in the East Lycoming School District and serves on the Benton Area School Board. He won election in 2019 and re-election last year. He ran unsuccessfully for a magisterial district judgeship last year, too.
Yoder said he’s qualified because more deeply rooted in the district with a family that settled in Pennsylvania in 1714.
“I'm uniquely qualified because I'm out and about, I meet folks, and I hear their concerns,” he said. “One of the biggest issues that we have kind of falls within my wheelhouse of education, both as a teacher and a school board member. I see what cyber schools are doing to our public education.”
Yoder said his top priorities will be reforming funding for for-profit charter schools and making sure the state has enough money saved for economic downturns.
The district consists solely of all of Columbia County.
Representatives serve two-year terms and will earn $106,422.33 in the current session of the General Assembly. The salary will rise Dec. 1 based on inflation.
WVIA News contacted the Republican candidates to explain their positions on issues. Their answers are below. WVIA will present McGaw’s positions before the fall election.
ABORTION
LEADBETER: Opposes abortion in all cases, except to protect the mother’s life. Opposes exceptions for rape or incest.
“The child should not have to pay for the sins of the father,” he said.
Favors banning abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Believes life begins at conception
YODER: Opposes abortion except to protect the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest.
Does not believe life begins at conception.
EDUCATION
PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING:
LEADBETER: Did not directly address whether schools are adequately funded, but said he favors a system that allows public funding to follow a student to the school of his or her choice.
YODER: Believes public schools are “absolutely … underfunded,” especially rural school districts where few large businesses are located and taxes fall mainly on families.
SCHOOL CHOICE/CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM:
LEADBETER: Favors a system that allows public funding to follow a student to the school of his or her choice. On charter school reform, he wants only to ensure “everyone is … looking at what’s best for the student.”
YODER: Opposes school choice because it harms public schools by shifting their funding to private or charter schools. Says that alone forced his district to raise property taxes.
“I’m not in favor of the money following the student,” he said.
Favors requiring cyber-charter schools to operate publicly the same as school boards and limiting their funding to actual expenses because they lack brick-and-mortar buildings.
SCHOOL PROPERTY TAXES:
LEADBETER: Opposes hiking taxes for any reason and notes his support for cutting the income tax, but did not directly answer if he favors increasing the sales or income taxes or both to lower school property taxes. Suggested using “trigger points” to lower taxes.
YODER: Opposes lowering property taxes by raising either the state sales or income tax or both for now because he wants to see how Gov. Josh Shapiro’s current funding proposal winds up.
ELECTION REFORM/TERM LIMITS
LEADBETER: Favors requiring identification each time someone votes.
“It's something that is not only common sense, but we know that it works,” he said.
Favors increasing the frequency of voter roll purges to ensure only eligible voters vote.
Favors term limits only if the General Assembly can devise a system that limits how long staff can stay in state government.
YODER: Favors requiring identification each time someone votes.
“If I go buy Sudafed, I have to show my driver’s ID,” he said.
Favors eliminating no-excuse mail-in balloting and returning to absentee balloting with a valid excuse.
Favors term limits and thinks someone who serves 10 years should be able to get something done.
GUN RIGHTS
LEADBETER: Opposes further gun regulation, including universal background checks.
YODER: Opposes further gun regulation, including universal background checks.
MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
LEADBETER: Opposes legalization for recreational use. If legalization talk gets serious, there should be a “much more detailed conversation” details like production, distribution and ownership.
“If that conversation is going to happen, then it needs to be a very robust one, to ensure that all of the elements that would be required to have any sort of rollout like that … are addressed. It can't just be a laissez faire, yes, no, the flip of the switch.”
YODER: Opposes legalization because he fears it will lead to the use of harder drugs.
MINIMUM WAGE
LEADBETER: Opposes increasing the minimum.
“Minimum wage should reflect market dynamics. It should not be the result of government interference,” he said.
YODER: Opposes increasing the minimum because most minimum wage jobs are held by students.
“Honestly, I think if an adult is making minimum wage, and it's not just a job that they have, it's their career, I think they should probably re-look at what career options they can have,” he said.
Favors retraining such workers to better-paying jobs.
NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION TAX
LEADBETER: Opposes the tax because he fears it will lead to manufacturing plants being built in neighboring states.
“We want to ensure that when we look to the future, and when we're crafting policy, we want to be crafting policy that reduces taxes, grows the economy and creates more jobs,” he said.
YODER: Opposes the tax because he thinks it could drive up consumer costs.
