Bucks County Clerk of Courts declares PA state Senate run

Bucks County Clerk of Courts Eileen Hartnett Albillar is running in the Democratic primary election for state Senate to represent Pennsylvania’s 6th District.

The seat, currently held by state Sen. Frank Farry, R-Langhorne, represents a portion of Central and Lower Bucks from Warrington to Bensalem.

Although the official start of primary season is weeks away, Albillar appears to already have support from members of the local Democratic establishment.

An RSVP page for her Jan. 21 campaign announcement event lists a Senate Democratic Campaign Committee email address as a contact, and the Wednesday event is hosted by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, the head of the county Democratic committee, and other local Democrats.

Who is Eileen Hartnett Albillar?

Albillar, a trained social worker, said last week that she’s running to make life more affordable for working people and “take accountability for the communities that we serve.”

Albillar was elected as county clerk of courts in 2023. Prior to that she was a Warrington Township supervisor.

Her husband is a police officer for Central Bucks Regional, and her kids attend Central Bucks schools.

The couple moved back to Bucks County from Arizona in 2010 to raise a family, Albillar said.

Eileen Hartnett Albillar campaign positions

Albillar, a longtime Democrat, said her top three concerns are education, wages and health care.

Improving education, Albillar said, means “fully funding public schools” at the state level.

“Quality education should not depend on [a student’s] zip code,” she said, adding that she’ll work to boost state funding to help offset local tax burdens.

As for wages, Albillar wants to raise the state minimum wage, currently the lowest in the mid-Atlantic region.

“I’ve worked with families who work two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads,” Albillar said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has said he supports raising the minimum wage, so she’s hopefully that this could happen with a Democrat-controlled General Assembly.

For Albillar, health care concerns include ensuring abortion and contraceptive access. She referenced a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for challenges to abortion exclusions in Medicaid coverage.

The clerk of courts also supports maintaining publicly funded health care options such as the Affordable Care Act. But, she said, “we need to focus on reducing the need for that,” arguing that other policies such as raising wages would help people pay for health insurance instead.

Albillar added that she isn’t interested in pursuing a state-level public option or universal health insurance.

“Public options are difficult to fund,” Albillar said.

Petitions open Feb. 17 for candidates who want to be on a primary ballot. The primaries are scheduled for May 19.