Bud Cook (politician)
American politician (born 1956)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donald "Bud" Cook (born June 29, 1956) is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, who has represented the 50th District since 2023. Prior to redistricting, Cook represented the 49th District from 2017 to 2022.
Donald "Bud" Cook | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017[1] | |
| Preceded by | Peter Daley |
| Succeeded by | Ismail Smith-Wade-El |
| Constituency | 49th District (2017–2022) |
| Preceded by | Pam Snyder |
| Constituency | 50th District (2023–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 29, 1956 |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | West Virginia Wesleyan College (B.S.) |
| Alma mater | California Area High School |
| Website | repbudcook.com |
Biography
Cook was born on June 29, 1956. He graduated from California Area High School. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College,[2] Cook served two terms from 1986 to 1989 as a councilman in Buckhannon, West Virginia.[3][4][5][6][7]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In 2014, Cook unsuccessfully sought election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, losing to Democratic incumbent Peter Daley in the 49th District race.[8][9] In 2016, Daley chose not to run for re-election.[10] Cook once again ran for the 49th District seat and won.[11][12] He won re-election in 2018 and 2020.[2] Following redistricting, Cook ran for the 50th District seat in 2022,[5] and won.[13][14] Cook won his reelection in the 2024 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, defeating Democratic challenger Drew Ross Manko.[15] He was defeated in the Republican primary election by Benjamin Humble in 2026.[16]
Cook's legislative priorities include lower taxes and gun rights.[17] In 2020, he was among 26 State House Republicans who called for the reversal of Joe Biden's certification as the winner of Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 United States presidential election, citing false claims of election irregularities.[18] He also was involved in a multi-year investigation of Local Share Accounts (LSA) and their use in Washington County.[19]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter Daley (incumbent) | 8,557 | 56.4 | |
| Republican | Bud Cook | 6,608 | 43.6 | |
| Total votes | 15,165 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook | 2,672 | 53.8 | |
| Republican | Melanie S. Patterson | 2,257 | 46.2 | |
| Total votes | 4,929 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook | 13,749 | 54.1 | |
| Democratic | Alan D. Benyak | 11,667 | 45.9 | |
| Total votes | 25,416 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook (incumbent) | 9,945 | 50.03 | |
| Democratic | Steven Toprani | 9,934 | 49.97 | |
| Total votes | 19,879 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook (incumbent) | 3,353 | 60.9 | |
| Republican | Anthony James Bottino, Jr. | 2,155 | 39.1 | |
| Total votes | 5,508 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook (incumbent) | 17,926 | 63.6 | |
| Democratic | Randy J. Barli | 10,278 | 36.4 | |
| Total votes | 28,204 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook | 15,003 | 61.9 | |
| Democratic | Doug Mason | 9,216 | 38.1 | |
| Total votes | 24,219 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook (incumbent) | 3,920 | 62.05 | |
| Republican | Stephanie Waggett | 2,367 | 37.47 | |
| Write-in | 30 | 0.47 | ||
| Total votes | 6,317 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Cook (incumbent) | 20,318 | 69.18 | |
| Democratic | Drew Ross Manko | 9,053 | 30.82 | |
| Total votes | 29,371 | 100.00 | ||
