Brews & Views

State Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill says joining the legislature was baptism by fire, but Thanksgiving dinners with her family were great preparation. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette, Kristin, who is running for state Senate, tells how hard work and education helped lift her mother’s family from poverty, why she became a Republican, and why she believes her principles—not her gender—should win voters’ confidence.

Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Bill DeWeese spent 36 years in the state Legislature followed by nearly two years in state prison on a conviction of using public resources for political means. Now a lobbyist, Bill talks with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette about his upbringing, his rise to political leadership, his political downfall, and how he's using his experiences to effect change.

As president of the Pa. Chamber of Business and Industry, Gene Barr has been named "The Most Effective Association Lobbyist" in the state. How did he go from a 9-year-old delivering newspapers to the leading voice for nearly 10,000 businesses across Pa.? And why is he optimistic about the state's future? Gene answers both these questions and more in this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette.

Rep. Seth Grove’s family has Pennsylvania roots extending back hundreds of years. First elected to the state legislature in 2008, the York County native talks with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette about his political philosophy, his approach to the state budget process, and how Bill Clinton helped shape his policy perspective.

Beaver County native Jim Christiana made his first run at elected office at just 21 years old — and won. Now, the five-term state representative is running for U.S. Senate. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette, Jim talks about growing up in western PA, becoming the first college graduate in his family, and why he considers his youth an asset, not a liability, when it comes to political leadership.

Elected to the Pa. State House in 2012, Rep. Jordan Harris is chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette, Jordan discusses his focus on improving the state’s education landscape, particularly in urban areas, his passion for criminal justice reform, and his little-known musical talent.

Rep. Kerry Benninghoff is among the longest-serving members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette, Kerry shares an important childhood lesson he learned about the value of work, his passion for helping people achieve self-sufficiency, and how his experience with adoption drove him to champion a transformative policy change.

John Baer is one of the most recognized names in Pennsylvania politics. The longtime political columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philly.com sat down with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette to talk about growing up surrounded by news, tell some unique stories of his career, and give his predictions for the 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.

Pa. State Senator Scott Wagner made history in 2014 by becoming the state's first write-in candidate to win a state Senate seat. Now, he's running for Pennsylvania governor. Scott recently joined Commonwealth Partners President & CEO Matt Brouillette to discuss his entrepreneurial background, his run for governor, and why he dislikes being called a politician.

For Mayor John Fetterman, running for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor isn’t about getting a different title; it’s about pursuing a wider platform to do even more good. John recently sat down with Commonwealth Partners President and CEO Matt Brouillette to share the very personal experiences that inspired him to make a difference through public service—and to tell how his life changed thanks to one magazine at a Costa Rican yoga retreat.