Todd Russell Platts (born March 5, 1962) is an American attorney and Republican Party politician who serves as a Judge on the York County

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

and is a former

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 , serving from 2001 to 2013. The district, since redrawn and renumbered, encompassed south-central Pennsylvania, including all of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and Adams Counties, and a large portion of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

County.

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Gettysburg and

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

were some of the prominent cities and towns included. In January 2012, Platts announced his intention to retire from Congress.

Early life and education

Platts was born in

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

, on March 5, 1962. He graduated from York Suburban Senior High School in 1980. He continued his education locally, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in the Shippensburg, Pennsylvania area. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers' college ...

in 1984. He then attended

Pepperdine University School of Law The Pepperdine University School of Law (officially the Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law) is the law school of Pepperdine University, a private research university in Los Angeles County, California. The school offers the Juri ...

, and graduated cum laude with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree in 1991. He is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Platts was first elected to public office in November 1992, to represent the 196th legislative district in 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 ...

. The election marked the first time that the 196th district was fought on its present boundaries; following the 1990 census, the approved legislative

reapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionment ...

plan moved it out of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and into its present boundaries. He took office on January 5, 1993, and left on November 30, 2000.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

While in Congress, Platts refused to accept contributions from any special interests or political action committees. He also promised to serve only six terms (12 years) in the House. ;2000 Platts was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, after winning a little over half the vote in a crowded Republican primary, and easily defeating college professor Jeff Sanders, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. He replaced Congressman Bill Goodling, who chose not to run for re-election that year. ;2002–2006 Platts ran unopposed by the Democratic Party during the 2002 and 2004 elections, although in 2002, he faced opposition in the Republican primary, most notably from Tom Glennon. He faced York College professor and decorated

Vietnam Veteran A Vietnam veteran is an individual who performed active Army, ground, Navy, naval, or Air force, air service in the South Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed fo ...

Phil Avillo, Jr., the Democratic nominee, and Derf Maitland of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

in the 2006 election. Platts won 64% of the vote to Avillo's 33% and Maitland's 3%. ;2008 * United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2008#District 19 In 2008, Platts and Avillo faced off again. With 67% of the vote, Platts became the most electorally successful Republican Congressional candidate in the Northeast. ;2010 * United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 19 Platts was challenged by Democratic nominee Ryan Sanders and Independent Patriots nominee Joshua Monighan. Platts was re-elected to a sixth term with 72% of the vote.

Tenure

As a Congressman, Platts supported many of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

's initiatives, tax cuts, drilling in ANWR, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, 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 ...

, and a ban on

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. He opposed any version of Bush's

school voucher A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

proposal, supported offshore oil drilling, supported increasing government regulated fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, voted for the Matthew Shepard Act, a hate crimes prevention bill, and supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation. In 2006, the

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...

political index describes him as having a

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...

voting record despite the relatively

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

nature of his district, although the district does include some

exurbs An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and relatively hi ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. That journal gave him "conservative" ratings of 53% (economy), 65% (social issues) and 73% (foreign policy) in the 2004 congress. Platts' district went 64–36 for Bush in 2004. He has broken with his party on several issues, for example supporting President Obama's expansion of SCHIP and the

Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act or Serve America Act (Public Law 111-13 was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on March 9, 2009, by Representative Carolyn McCarthy of New York. Originally titled the Generations In ...

. He is a member of the

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 ...

and supports

stem-cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are Cellular differentiation, undifferentiated or partially differentiated Cell (biology), cells that can change into various types of cells and Cell proliferation, proliferate indefinitely to produce more ...

. Early in his political career, after his initial election to the Pennsylvania House, Platts supported

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

. However, he later changed his views and became

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...

. He remained so through his congressional career, and he had an anti-abortion voting record as a Congressman. Platts consistently voted against bail-outs of the financial industry and the automakers. He also voted against the economic stimulus legislation, the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, and fiscal year 2010 Budget Resolution. Platts was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of repealing the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

's "

Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...

" ban on

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

service members. Along with nearly all other Republican members of the US House of Representatives, Mr. Platts voted to support

The Path to Prosperity ''The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise'' was the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's budget proposal for the federal government of the United States in the fiscal year 2012. It was succeeded in March 2012 by "The ...

, the budget put forward by U.S. Representative

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...

(R-WI). However, the next year he joined nine other Republicans in voting against Rep. Ryan's budget.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Armed Services ** Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces ** Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces *

Committee on Education and the Workforce The Committee on Education and Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 45 members of this committee. Since 2025, the chair of the Education and Workforce committee is Republican Tim Walberg of ...

** Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education ** Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training *

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

** Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Chairman) ** Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations ;Caucus Memberships * Congressional Arts Caucus

Judicial career

In 2013, Platts announced that he was running for a seat on the York County

. In a poll conducted by the York County Bar Association, 77% of its members responded that they believed Platts to be "not qualified" to serve on the bench. Platts and incumbent judge Mike Flannelly, also a Republican, who was appointed to the seat in 2012 following the death of Judge Chuck Patterson, both cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primary elections. Platts won the Republican primary 56%–44%, while Flannelly won the Democratic primary by the same margin. Platts and Flannelly faced each other again in the general election in November, which Platts won with 58% of the vote, to serve a ten-year term. In 2023, Platts was retained by an overwhelming margin and elected to a second ten-year term with an expiration in 2033.

References

External links

Congressman Todd Russell Platts
''official U.S. House website''
Todd Platts for U.S. Congress
''official campaign website'' * *
Profile
at

SourceWatch The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org. History CMD was founded in 1993 by prog ...

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Platts, Todd 1962 births Living people University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Politicians from York, Pennsylvania American Episcopalians Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania alumni Pepperdine University School of Law alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly