Tim Kearney was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 2018. Tim ran for state Senate because Pennsylvania’s legislature has long been beholden to the wealthy and to corporate special interests at the expense of everyday working families and vulnerable people of the Commonwealth. Tim’s mission in Harrisburg is to reclaim our legislature for the people, not the powerful. 

Prior to running for Senate, Tim was a long-time community leader in Swarthmore, Delaware County. He chaired the Borough Planning Commission for 7 years, and served two terms as Mayor. Thanks to Tim, Swarthmore is a leader in environmental protection and sustainability practices, fair and equitable policing practices, and LGBTQ equality. 

Tim’s experience as a husband, a father, an architect, and a small business owner has given him a strong understanding of everyday Pennsylvanians. With strong relationships in his community, he knows the issues that affect people in this district and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Tim believes that every child deserves a quality public education. He knows that early childhood education is the best economic and community investment the Commonwealth can make. Tim is an advocate for reform of Pennsylvania’s politicized and unfair education funding system, which has been called the most inequitable in the nation by The Washington Post.

As a former mayor, Tim knows that budgets must reflect the values of residents and communities, not lobbyists and special interests. As the 26th District’s senator, Tim has fought to ensure that Pennsylvania’s budget supports programs and investments that help the most people right here in the Commonwealth—instead of enriching the wealthy and out-of-state corporations that do not hire local residents.

Tim knows that Pennsylvania’s natural resources are important to the tourism and agriculture industries, as well as to the public’s health. Tim has fought to ensure that state rules and regulations abide by Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment. Tim will always put the public health and welfare before corporate profits, and he has been a vocal advocate to hold the gas industry accountable for environmental disasters and damage associated with fracking and pipelines. 

A partner with his wife in their architecture business as well as in their home, Tim is a strong champion of women’s rights, including the right to equal opportunities in education and the workplace, the right to equal pay and anti-discrimination practices such as hiring based on salary history, and the right to affordable health care and family planning decisions.

As Senator, Tim is a member of:

• YMCA Caucus (Chair)
• Brain Injury Caucus (Chair)
• Life Sciences Caucus
• Senate Community College Caucus
• Bicycle Caucus
• Climate Caucus
• PA Safe Caucus
• Arts and Culture Caucus
• Pipeline Safety Caucus
• LGBTQ Equality Caucus
• ID/A Caucus
• Fire and EMS Caucus
• Welcome PA Caucus
• Crime Prevention Caucus

As Senator, Tim has been appointed to:

• Transportation Authority Commission
• Historical and Museum Commission
• Capitol Preservation Commission
• Local Government Commission
• Higher Education Funding Commission
• Special Education Funding Commission