Margaret Burke

Margaret Burke graduated from North Babylon High School. Burke earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1990, a graduate degree from Cornell University, Johnson School of Management in 2000, and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Stony Brook in 1998. Burke's career experience includes working as a stay-at-home parent.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Margaret is a mom, former business professional and a scientist. She stepped away from her career in the pharmaceutical business sector in 2004 to care and advocate for her son with disabilities. Over the past two decades, she has become a determined voice for families navigating special-education services, healthcare challenges, and the transition to adulthood for people with disabilities.

Margaret is familiar with the needs of our most vulnerable and she's ready to fight for the needs of the voters of the 147th District: making life more affordable, protecting healthcare access, and strengthening public education, especially for students with disabilities. She wants to take that fight to Harrisburg because Pennsylvanians deserve better than politicians only serving corporate interests– she’s running to build a fair system for all of Pennsylvania’s children – and for all Pennsylvanians.

Margaret values compassion, common sense and evidence-based policy. She has a BS in Biology from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from SUNY Stony Brook and an MBA from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell. She lives in Harleysville with her husband, their adult twins, and two rescue dogs. She wants to bring community-centered leadership to the 147th District and serve all constituents – regardless of their political affiliation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Affordability: Hard working Pennsylvanians can’t seem to get ahead. About a quarter of families living in Pennsylvania’s house district 147 don’t make enough money to cover their monthly bills- those statistics are worse for young families with children and for the elderly. This problem is only getting worse with tariff-driven inflation, job losses due to the recent economic slowdown and the rising costs of health care as the federal government let the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expire and has slashed funding for Medicare and Medicaid.

Margaret will fight for good jobs with fair wages and good benefits and she will fight to stem the tide of increasing costs in energy bills, housing, insurance, child care and groceries. Healthcare Access: Margaret will fight to protect Pennsylvanian’s access to health services and facilities, life-saving vaccines and medicines and affordable health insurance including ACA plans, Medicare and Medicaid.

Hospital closures are increasing in Pennsylvania making it harder for any patient to find care when they need it. This is due in part to reduced Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements. This will become worse as $1.5 Trillion in cuts to these programs kick in over the next 10 years due to the federal government’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”. Margaret supports legislation which aims to prevent corporations from acquiring hospitals or health systems and then closing or limiting health care services against public interest.A Fairly Funded Public Education System: Margaret will work to increase funding for public schools especially for students with special needs. She will fight to deliver on the Pennsylvania constitution’s guarantee of a free and appropriate education for all students regardless of their zip code.

While the federal government is trying to eliminate the Department of Education, Margaret has worked on community projects to improve our schools for years. She wants to take that same dedication to Harrisburg.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a parent to an adult with disabilities, Margaret is most passionate about protecting the rights of, and providing for, our most vulnerable populations. Everyone deserves the dignity of living the best life they can in a caring and safe community without having to worry about losing their home or their health care. We must show up for each other.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

314 Action, Kennedy Democrats