Who is Camera Bartolotta?

What did Camera Bartolotta promise in 2014?

In a 2014 campaign video¹ attacking the incumbent she was running against, Bartolotta said holding office should be "public service, not self service." Her 2014 campaign website, preserved by Ballotpedia², said she would pay for part of her own health care and refuse the perks that come with the job.

How much has Camera Bartolotta been paid by taxpayers?

Since 2015, Bartolotta has collected more than $1.1 million in state salary, according to annual legislative salary notices in the Pennsylvania Bulletin³. Her salary has risen about 33 percent over that time, through automatic cost-of-living increases.

What has Camera Bartolotta done on crime and probation?

Bartolotta has served on the board of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a group whose volunteers visit incarcerated people across the state, according to WESA⁴.

She then introduced a bill with Philadelphia Democratic Sen. Anthony Williams to cap probation at five years for felonies and three years for misdemeanors. She blamed a "lock them up, throw away the key" mentality and mandatory minimum sentences for driving up incarceration, and told WESA: "Incarceration is the new cancer."

How did Camera Bartolotta vote on mail-in voting?

Bartolotta voted yes on the final version of SB 421⁵ on October 29, 2019. The bill passed the Senate 35–14 (Senate roll call⁶) and became Act 77, the law that created no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania. Before Act 77, Pennsylvania voters needed a reason, such as illness or travel, to vote absentee.

Her vote became a central issue in her 2026 Republican primary. Her challenger said, "She voted for Act 77. She really pushed that," according to WESA⁷.

Why did the Washington County GOP vote no confidence in Camera Bartolotta?

In January 2026, the Washington County Republican Committee's executive committee voted 21–3 to declare no confidence in Bartolotta, according to WESA⁷ and PoliticsPA⁸. The county party said she had undermined President Trump with her statements about immigrants in Charleroi, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette⁹. The state Republican Party, led by state Sen. Greg Rothman, later declared the county vote "null and void."

County party leaders backed her primary opponent. In the May 2026 primary, 9,925 Republicans voted against her. She won 11,386 to 9,925 with the backing of the state party (Observer-Reporter¹⁰ results).

What is Camera Bartolotta's record on data centers and utilities?

Bartolotta sponsored a bill to speed up permitting for data centers (co-sponsorship memo¹¹). Speaking about it at an October 2025 energy forum¹², she described "accelerated data center permitting" that would combine permits so developers "don't have to wait years." She said, "Give them the fast pass."

On May 7, 2024, she voted to table an amendment to SB 1017¹³ that would have barred utility shutoffs for people with a medical need (Amendment A04360¹⁴; Senate roll call¹⁵). The motion to table passed 28–22. Tabling sets an amendment aside without an up-or-down vote.

What has Camera Bartolotta said about her record?

On Act 77, Bartolotta has said she didn't want to support the bill but felt she had to as part of Senate leadership (interview¹⁶, minute 19:30).

On her 2026 re-election: "I have a stellar record of conservative-policy, life-changing things that I've accomplished for my district" (WESA¹⁷).

On data centers: her bill would let "anyone who wants to build a data center in Pennsylvania" do so "without 2 years waiting for permits" (interview¹⁸, minute 12:00).