T.J. Rooney (born December 9, 1964) is the former chairman of the

Pennsylvania Democratic Party The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in Harrisburg and is the largest political party in the state. Its chair is Senator Sharif Street. As of 2025, i ...

and a former member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

Early life and education

Rooney was born December 9, 1964, in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

. He attended

West Essex High School West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which is comprised of the constituent municipalities of Essex Fells, Fairfi ...

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an ...

, graduating in 1983, and then

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

Career

In 1992, Rooney was elected to the

, where he represented the 133rd legislative district. He retired prior to the

2006 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2006. * Elections in 2006 * Electoral calendar 2006 * 2006 Acehnese regional election * 2006 American Samoan legislative election * 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2006 Costa Rican presidential e ...

. He is currently Managing Director of the Tri State Strategies PA, L.L.C., a Pennsylvania lobbying organization.

Awards and accolades

He was named runner-up for the 2003 Pennsylvania politician of the year by

PoliticsPA PoliticsPA.com is a website centered on the politics of Pennsylvania. Content The website reports on political and campaign news in Pennsylvania, from the state legislature up to federal races. The editors write occasional features, like the ...

, a political website, which noted the statewide success of the Democratic Party in winning five of six statewide judicial races and electing

Dan Onorato Daniel Onorato (born February 5, 1961) is an American Democratic politician from the state of Pennsylvania. He served as the chief executive of Allegheny County from 2004 to 2012, and in 2010, he was the Democratic nominee for governor. He lost ...

and reelecting John Street. ''Pennsylvania Report'' cited his role in

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's winning of Pennsylvania in the 2008 presidential election. In 2010, he was named one of the "Top 10 Democrats" in Pennsylvania by '' Politics magazine.''

Personal life

Rooney is a nephew of former

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

-area Congressman Fred B. Rooney.

References

External links

Pennsylvania State House of Representatives - T.J. Rooney
official PA House website (archive)
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Representative T.J. Rooney
official Party website (archived) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney, T. J. 1964 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairs People from Essex County, New Jersey People from Garden City, New York West Essex High School alumni 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly