Coplen seeks Democratic nomination for new seat covering Cumberland, Perry and northern Dauphin counties.
The new 34th ties together most of Cumberland County, all of Perry County, and the northern tier of Dauphin County in an open-seat district that has no sitting incumbent. Assuming the current district lines survive court challenges, it projects as a strong Republican-leaning district in terms of recent voter performance, but Coplen said Tuesday he intends to be the kind of lawmaker for whom party labels become secondary.
A West Point graduate, Coplen served as a combat veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division in Panama, a V Corps peacekeeping soldier in Bosnia, and a 2nd Infantry Division soldier on the Korean DMZ. “As state Senator, I will work hard to ensure that Pennsylvania finally invests fully and fairly in the education of all public-school children, including those in our rural areas that have gotten the short end of the stick for far too long.”