Guy Lorin Reschenthaler ( ; born April 17, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, judge, and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

veteran. A Republican, he is serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for since 2019 and was previously a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

, representing the 37th district. He served as a district judge, and in the U.S. Navy

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

(JAG) during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

. He is serving as the Republican Chief Deputy Whip in the 119th Congress.

Early life and education

Reschenthaler was born in Pittsburgh on April 17, 1983. He was raised in Pittsburgh's South Hills and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2001. He graduated from

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, officially Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College and often shortened to Penn State Behrend, is a public satellite campus of Penn State University and is located just outside Erie, Penn ...

in 2004 with a BA in political science. Upon graduation, Reschenthaler attended

Duquesne University School of Law The Thomas R. Kline School of Law is the law school of Duquesne University, a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Sch ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, earning a JD degree in 2007. At Duquesne, Reschenthaler founded the Military Law Society chapter and interned at the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.

Military career

After law school, Reschenthaler was commissioned in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(JAG). In the U.S. Navy, Reschenthaler deployed to

Baghdad, Iraq Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, in 2009. In 2010, he was one of three attorneys who defended a Navy SEAL accused of covering up an assault on terrorist

Ahmad Hashim Abd al-Isawi Ahmad Hashim Abd al-Isawi () was an al Qaeda terrorist operating in Iraq in the early 2000s. He allegedly masterminded the ambush and killing of four American military contractors whose bodies were then dragged by a spontaneously formed mob and ...

while al-Isawi was in custody. The Navy SEAL represented by Reschenthaler and the other SEALs charged were acquitted of all charges. Reschenthaler was awarded the Michael Taylor Shelby Award for Professionalism, Ethics and Dedication in the practice of law. He left military service in 2012.

Legal career

After leaving the Navy, Reschenthaler returned to Pittsburgh to practice law in spring 2012 before being elected magisterial district judge in Pittsburgh's South Hills in 2013. In Pennsylvania, magisterial judges typically handle traffic tickets. He was elected district judge in May 2013. As a magistrate, Reschenthaler said that he would seek to reduce truancy. In 2013, Reschenthaler briefly co-hosted a radio program with

Carl Higbie Carlton Milo Higbie IV (born April 23, 1983) is an American conservative political activist, author, and former U.S. Navy SEAL. He was director of advocacy for America First Policies, a group that promotes Donald Trump's policy agenda. In A ...

. Reschenthaler had heated debates with Higbie on the show, with CNN reporting that, "In one episode in March 2013, after Higbie repeatedly argued that 'the black race' was 'lazier than the white race,' Reschenthaler became audibly upset at his co-host. The congressional candidate said that he was 'turning red' and 'feeling uncomfortable' listening to Higbie's rant, which he called 'insane' and 'so off-base.'" Reschenthaler also wrote the foreword to a 2012 self-published book by Higbie. In April 2018, Reschenthaler denounced the book and disavowed the foreword he had written. He said he had only read parts of the book. Reschenthaler was

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

at Pittsburgh law firm Brennan, Robins & Daley and serves as a member of Penn State Behrend's Political Science Advisory Board.

Pennsylvania Senate

After State Senator

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...

resigned, Reschenthaler won the Republican nomination for a special election in the 37th state Senate district in July 2015. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Heather Arnet, in the general election to serve the remainder of Smith's term, ending in 2016. He was sworn in on November 24, 2015.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018 special

In October 2017, Reschenthaler announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. At the Republican Party conference, he lost to State Representative

Rick Saccone Richard Saccone (born February 14, 1958) is an American educator and far-right politician who represented Pennsylvania's 39th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he was his party's nominee for ...

. He received 75 votes from local activists and failed to gain a majority in the first round of voting. He was defeated by 32 votes in the second round.

2018 general

After a court threw out Pennsylvania's congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, the 18th district was renumbered the 14th and made even more Republican on paper. Democrat

Conor Lamb Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 2018 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the ...

defeated Saccone in the special election for the old 18th, but had his home drawn into the neighboring 17th district (the former 12th district) and sought a full term there. Reschenthaler ran in the Republican primary for the reconfigured 14th, again facing Saccone. This time, he won the nomination with 55.4% of the vote to Saccone's 44.6%. In the general election, he defeated the Democratic nominee, businesswoman

Bibiana Boerio Bibiana Boerio (born 17 March 1954) is an American businesswoman. She has served as the managing director of Jaguar Cars (the first woman to hold that post), chief of staff to U.S. Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA), and interim president of Seton ...

, with 58% of the vote.

2020 general

Reschenthaler ran for reelection. He defeated the Democratic nominee, U.S. Marine Corps veteran William Marx, with 64.7% of the vote. On December 31, 2020, Reschenthaler and seven other Republican U.S. representatives from Pennsylvania said they would oppose the certification of Pennsylvania's electors when Congress met to count electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. The eight claimed that state officials had illegally allowed the counting of mail-in ballots that were received after Election Day but postmarked by November 3. According to NBC Philadelphia news and th
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
this was not proven. Reschentaler was also among those who signed an amicus brief to a lawsuit filed by Texas's attorney general ('' Texas v. Pennsylvania'') seeking to throw out federal election results in key swing states, including Pennsylvania. Reschenthaler, who represents the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, was one of 147 Republican representatives and senators to vote against certifying the presidential election results. 2024 general Reschenthaler is running for reelection against Democratic nominee Army combat veteran Chris Dziados.

Tenure

In December 2020, Reschenthaler joined other Republicans in voting against providing $2,000 stimulus checks to Americans, on grounds that such aid would further weaken the US economy. In April 2024, Reschenthaler co-sponsored a bill to rename

Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...

after former president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. He said in an interview that there would be "no better symbol of freedom, prosperity and strength". In May 2024, Reschenthaler co-sponsored a bill to extend US military benefits to American citizens in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

, including

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (formerly called the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940) (codified a50 U.S.C. §§ 3901—4043 is a United States federal law that protects soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, and ...

and Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Appropriations ** Subcommittee on the Energy and Water Development ** Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs * Committee on Rules ** Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of Congress * Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Caucus memberships

Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans The Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (Turkey Caucus) was established by US Congressmen Robert Wexler (D-Florida), Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) in March 2001. The Turkey Caucus is a bi-partisan platform fo ...

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. In November 2024, Representative August Pfluger was elected as the chair of the RSC, ...

Republican Main Street Partnership The Republican Main Street Partnership is a nonprofit organization that was founded to raise funds to support politicians in the moderate wing of the Republican Party. As of 2024, the organization seems to be leaning away from its original cent ...

United States–China Working Group The U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG) is a bipartisan working group in the United States House of Representatives. Created in June 2005 by Rep. Mark Kirk and Rep. Rick Larsen, it seeks to "build diplomatic relations with China and educate Members of ...

Personal life

Reschenthaler and his former wife, Jennifer, divorced in 2024. As of 2025, he is dating Fox News reporter Brooke Singman.

Electoral history

;

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

;

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

;

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

;

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

References

External links

Congressman Guy Reschenthaler
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Reschenthaler, Guy 1983 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American naval officers 21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives Duquesne University School of Law alumni Lawyers from Pittsburgh Military personnel from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania district justices Pennsylvania State University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators United States Navy personnel of the Iraq War