As a young child Gwen Stoltz remembers participating in “Dump the Pump” protests with her mother. That sense of civic engagement that her politically active family instilled in her never left.
Now as an adult Gwen is leading Represent PA’s efforts this election cycle to expand the Democratic majority in the Pennsylvania House and to flip the state Senate by sending more women to Harrisburg. As the organization’s executive director, Gwen is focused on Represent PA’s endorsed candidates and incumbents running for the PA General Assembly. So far, she’s pleased with the amount of money they’ve raised, but the next round is crucial.
“We’ve invested $301,500 in our pre-primary round. That plus our mid-December/January round brings us to almost $400,000 for this cycle, which is the most we have ever invested this early,” she said. “But we have to raise more for the next round. I was happy for like two seconds.”
Because women make up over half of the population in Pennsylvania, Represent PA’s aim is to not only get women to Harrisburg but to keep them there which is why, on the Senate side, they are supporting incumbent State Senators Maria Collett, Lindsey Williams and Katie Muth.
“We have supported all three of these women since their very first run for PA Senate. We’ve also endorsed candidate Eileen Albillar for SD6,” said Gwen. State Senate District 6 covers a large portion of central and lower Bucks County.
On the House side, she stated that Represent PA has endorsed 20 incumbents (so far) and 21 challenger candidates, including Bucks Countians Monica Weninger (HD 178) and Kristin Egan (HD 142).
Over 110,000 touches at the doors
In 2022, Represent PA endorsed Gwen during her run for the state house in her home district in Bucks County just as she was building momentum. She had already received support from the 3.14 Action organization because of her science background but Represent PA’s endorsement was like a B-12 shot.
“Represent PA was one of my first big, early supporters. They came in for me before the primary and in a substantial way.”
She said the support allowed her to add to her staff of one, a finance director. She hired a campaign manager and a field director and made a plan to get the message out. The surge in funds unlocked investor interest as she was now viewed as a more viable candidate.
“When you get that kind of money in your bank account, other donors start giving you a second look, saying, ‘Oh wait a minute, she’s got momentum over there.’ [Represent PA] struck me as such a smart group of women. They said, ‘Here, take this money and come and talk at these events to get your voice heard.’ To them, that was as important as the money.”
One of those events put her in front of a wealthy crowd on the Main Line. She was asked to speak on a panel of incumbents and candidates followed by a Q&A. When Gwen arrived, she was greeted by Christine Jacobs, Represent PA’s co-founder and Executive Director Emerita, who Gwen describes as “down to earth, no BS, fully in the lane of how can we support” kind of person.
“It was in the summer at a beautiful home with a sprawling back yard,” she said, describing the scene. “Folding chairs were set up in the yard and all the speakers were ushered inside the house to the second floor, where we stood on a rear balcony and spoke to the crowd.”
Though it was an outside event, Gwen said she felt as if she were in the proverbial room.
“I had been a committee person for seven years; I had my own events in my district. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a network, but did I have a network on the Main Line? No. The invitation to be there is what floored me.”
While in the end she didn’t win her race, she is convinced that her robust campaign helped turn out the vote and contribute to the blue wave in Bucks County in the years that followed.
“I think by the time it was over we had over 110,000 touches at the doors which is kind of a lot for a house race.”
Gwen moved on to work with the Department of Environmental Protection. It was work she enjoyed and a cause she cared about, plus, she said, she’d felt burned out and needed to step away.
“I saw a little too much how the sausage gets made with campaigns and just needed a breather.”
After a few years at DEP, she got a call from Emily’s List’s Atlantic Regional Director telling her that Represent PA was looking for an executive director and asked if she was interested.
“The more I thought about it, I was starting to get really excited about it. This was a passion of mine. A big thing for me when I ran was reproductive rights when Roe fell. I have two daughters. I’m a woman. I have sisters. It just kind of woke that fire back up in me.”
Gwen went through the application process and became the new executive director in September 2025, the first one in that position who had run a state race.
“They helped me when I ran and now I am so excited to now be able to help other women.”
“A big thing for me when I ran was reproductive rights when Roe fell. I have two daughters. I’m a woman. I have sisters. It just kind of woke that fire back up in me.”
Of the five other women on the executive committee — Pat West, Christine Jacobs, Helen Horstmann-Allen, Meg Pritchard and Marie Carroll—Gwen has nothing but praise.
“All of them have volunteered countless hours to make Represent PA what it is today. It is not lost on me that I would not be able to serve as executive director were it not for their tireless work.”
Because of Gwen’s experience serving as a committee person and running for the state house, she knows first-hand how much work is needed to be successful.
“I know what these women will be up against over the next several months and if they are willing to put the work in,” she said. “It is extremely gratifying to be able to lighten the load for them in what will be probably one of the most challenging (and exciting) times.”
A slow burn beginning
To date, Represent PA has invested over $2.5 million in 160 candidates, a long way since their start in 2014 when Christine Jacobs and a few other professional women realized that women were underrepresented in Harrisburg. In those early years it was tough to raise funds at the federal level, Gwen said, so they decided to stick with the state legislature.
“They supported PA Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton in her very first run for office. They supported State Representative Leanne Krueger in both of her races,” said Gwen, adding that RepresentPA had also supported U. S. Representative Madeleine Dean when she was a state representative in 2016.
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The organization grew through word of mouth but was a “slow burn” at the start. To gain momentum they held fundraisers or “friendraisers,” where the host committee invites their network of friends to support the candidates. Eventually the amount they raised ramped up and being endorsed by RepresentPA started to mean something.
“Christine Jacobs would always tell me it’s great when people advocate for a cause, but if you don’t change the players in Harrisburg, nothing’s ever going to change … if you want real change, you’ve got to change the players.”
Raising capital for capital races
From an investment standpoint, contributors have the best shot of having an impact over the life of a campaign if they invest early, Gwen noted.
“For example, a candidate receiving money in late September has limited options with what to do with it; maybe they can get an extra mailer or two out or buy extra digital/airtime. But, when a candidate receives money earlier on, it can completely change the course of the campaign’s trajectory, having almost a compounding effect.”
A long line of civic engagement
Gwen grew up in a very large, politically active family. Her grandmother Joyce Block instilled in her the importance of voting and civic engagement. Her uncle, Tom Block, and brother-in-law, Det Ansinn, have served on town councils in New Hope and Doylestown, respectively, while her mother Randee Block served as a precinct Democratic Committeeperson in Doylestown Borough for over 20 years.
“From the time I was very young, I learned by example. I remember my mom bringing me to ‘Dump the Pump’ protests when I was in elementary school.”
And so it goes in the Stoltz family as Gwen has brought her own school-age children to rallies and protests and to the polls on election day.
“They saw me serve as a committeeperson and then run for the state house. My oldest turned 18 last September. I made a big deal out of going with him to vote the first time and proudly shared pictures with my family. He will be going away to college in the Fall, and I am already talking to him about how he will vote while away. I’ve said the words that I heard my mom and grandmother say—that voting is the most important and fundamental form of civic engagement and that it is your civic duty.”
To Learn More:
For more information email RepresentPA.org
The primary election is May 19, 2026. To verify your voter status, go to Vote.PA.gov/status.
