House veteran: State Rep. Mark Cohen has been in office since 1974. He is coming off a narrow victory over Jared Solomon in 2014. On April 26, he will once again face Solomon in the primary. BILL ACHUFF / FOR THE TIMES
State Rep. Mark Cohen was elected two days after the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup, and hasn’t faced many tough challenges since then.
Cohen (D-202nd dist.), the son of the late City Councilman David Cohen, won a special election on May 21, 1974 to replace fellow Democrat Eugene Gelfand, who resigned after becoming a Common Pleas Court judge.
That same day, Cohen won the Democratic primary over Ed Summers, who would later become a judge.
Cohen has largely cruised since then. Republicans haven’t bothered fielding an opponent since Gary Grisafi ran in 2004.
“That’s a sign of the broad support I have,” Cohen said.
The 2014 primary changed all that. Cohen defeated Jared Solomon in the primary by a count of 2,281 to 2,123. But the incumbent believes it is “totally misleading” to look at his 158-vote win and compare it to this year’s rematch.
For one, that was Cohen’s first election after redistricting changed the 202nd Legislative District.
In the two years since, Cohen has been able to connect more with constituents as the incumbent.
“We’ve helped thousands of people in my legislative district offices,” he said.
On April 26, Cohen will again face Solomon in the primary. The incumbent didn’t have as much money as his challenger in 2014 and probably won’t have as much this time.
But, he has been endorsed by Gov. Tom Wolf and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and claims a double-digit lead in polls.
“I believe I’m way ahead of him,” he said.
Cohen, 66, lives on Brighton Street in Castor Gardens with his wife, Mona, and daughter, Amanda, a recent Temple graduate. He labels himself a “progressive, populist decision-maker.”
The only loss of Cohen’s career came in 1978, when he entered the Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Josh Eilberg, who was about to be indicted. Cohen finished second in a four-way primary.
Cohen’s name will appear twice on the ballot, as he is also a 13th Congressional District delegate candidate for Bernie Sanders.
The minority-party chairman of the House State Government Committee, Cohen has sponsored more bills over the last four years than any legislator. The liberal Democrat even has a good working relationship with Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Butler County conservative and chairman of the State Government Committee.
Cohen points to four recent issues to prove his effectiveness:
• He was an early and fierce supporter of same-sex marriage.
• He introduced a resolution asking then-Gov. Tom Corbett to accept Medicaid expansion as it related to Obamacare.
• He met with Pedro Cortes, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of State, to lobby for online voter registration.
• He introduced medical marijuana legislation in 2009, ’11, ’13 and ‘15.
“In these four areas, I’ve been very active and achieved results,” he said over lunch at one of his favorite neighborhood eateries, the New Olympia House, Castor Avenue and Engelwood Street. “They are statewide and national concerns. I’ve worked with others to get results. They are all issues that have widespread political support. I’ve been a major legislative force.”
Cohen is particularly proud that Pennsylvania appears ready to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Virginia is the only other state with a Republican legislature that has passed such a law. There will be 75 dispensaries in Pennsylvania.
“I was the first one in the state to introduce medical marijuana legislation,” Cohen said.
Cohen, who has a particular interest in health-related issues, has been around so long that he was part of the debate about whether physical therapy and chiropractic care should be covered in health plans.
Other fights over his 42 years in the House have included the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly, the Children’s Health Improvement Program, organ transplants, DNA use in criminal cases and shelters for women who have been battered and/or raped.
“I’ve been an active and substantive legislator. I’m deeply involved in the legislative process. I’m proud of my record,” Cohen said.
Cohen has two district offices, and his staff helps constituents fill out city 3–1–1 complaints on the Internet.
Looking ahead, Cohen wants to abolish the School Reform Commission, create an elected school board and raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Cohen criticizes Solomon for talking about issues that everyone would seemingly support, such as clean streets, after-school programs and anti-crime measures.
“His agenda is motherhood and apple pie,” Cohen said. ••
