| Brendan F. Boyle | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 170th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2009[1] |
|
| Preceded by | George T. Kenney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 6, 1977 Philadelphia, PA |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer |
| Residence | Philadelphia, PA |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame Harvard University |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.pahouse.com/boyle |
Brendan F. Boyle is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is the state Representative from Pennsylvania House District 170, which covers parts of Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
The son of an Irish immigrant, Boyle was born and raised in the city of Philadelphia. He attended parochial schools in the city before receiving an academic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. Boyle graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in Government. Boyle later attended graduate school at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He earned a master's degree from Harvard in public policy.[2]
On November 4, 2008, Boyle defeated Republican Matthew Taubenberger, son of 2007 mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger, by a margin of 15,442 (59.2%) to 10,632 (40.8%) to win the election.[3] He became the first Democrat ever elected to represent the 170th House district.[4]
On November 2, 2010, Boyle won re-election despite a national Republican wave. Boyle defeated Republican Marc Collazzo by a margin of 64% to 36%.[5] On the same night, his brother, Kevin, was also elected to a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[6] Kevin defeated former Speaker of the House John M. Perzel. Brendan and Kevin Boyle made history as the first brothers to ever serve together in the Pennsylvania House.[7]
In August 2008, Brendan Boyle was named "one of top 10 rising stars" in politics by the Philadelphia Daily News.[8] Kevin Boyle also made the Top 10 list.
In office, Boyle has championed the creation of a statewide, merit-based scholarship program called the REACH Scholarship, which would grant a full scholarship to any student with at least a 3.0 GPA and 90% school attendance. The scholarship is based on the current HOPE Scholarship which was founded in Georgia. Similar programs exist in South Carolina, Hawaii, New Mexico, Florida and West Virginia. Boyle has also advocated for criminal justice reforms to make it more difficult for repeat violent offenders to receive parole.