A proud and lifelong member of the Lewisburg community, 23-year-old Nick Jacobson recently announced his candidacy for State Representative of Pennsylvania’s 85th District, an area encompassing Snyder County and multiple townships in Union, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties. Nick graduated from Yale last year, but his roots are firmly planted in rural PA — he grew up around and involved with Bucknell and even took courses from the University in high school. Despite his youth, Nick has demonstrated a passion for politics for as long as anyone’s known him; he undertook his first “campaign” at age three, helping to put bumper stickers on cars in support of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid.
But in the “real world,” where campaigns require a little more than sticker coverage, Nick’s passion remains bright. “Politics is an important thing,” he explains, looking back on what inspired him to enter such a tumultuous sphere. “Plenty of people will say that they don’t care about politics, but politics cares about you— it has something to do with you, whether you want it to or not.” Any interactions with schools, student loans, hospitals, public parks, road signs… you name it, politics has played a role in it. What politics really is to Nick, though, is “the incredible opportunity to work together to make our lives better.”
“It’s a real privilege in this country,” Nick says, to be able to express your voice and your opinions about the government, to the government. “If you don’t [stand up for your voice], someone else will [shout theirs].” With years of experience working on local campaigns as he grew up, as well as time spent between college semesters working for Harrisburg government institutions, Nick knows that who your representative is matters a lot for the community. Animatedly, he adds, “We [as a community] have no time to waste.”
Nick’s campaign policy ultimately focuses on the elements of life in Lewisburg and surrounding counties that he’s seen firsthand needing direct and deliberate attention; though he’s running against a Republican incumbent, “politics has never been […] for prestige or power or arguing, for me. It’s about controlling our own lives, and the only way you get to do that is by doing it.”
Centering on the 85th District’s people, Nick’s policy highlights the disparate lack of funding afforded to the local public schools that have served the community for 150 years— the very same public schools Nick himself graduated from. “We need to invest in our young people,” says Nick, “if we’re going to keep our Union together. That’s the future of education that I see, and our public schools need help to get there— if our schools close, there’s nowhere else for the future leaders of our community to go.”
Other pillars of Nick’s policy are fair and quality-ensured healthcare, especially as the two major hospitals in the area undertake a merger; helping college students transition into the real world, financially and practically; and maintaining the “way of life” and “the things we love so much about the area” that are already well established, like local family farms and wildlife.
Bucknell student and supporter of Nick’s campaign, Amanda Kalaydjian ‘24, expressed her appreciation for the open-mindedness of Nick’s policy, too: “He makes a concerted effort to listen to people and actually work on their suggestions.” Amanda herself presented Nick with several ideas to include in his campaign, some of which have already been implemented.
As for why Bucknell students should be invested in local campaigns like these, which may not appear to be all that consequential at first, Nick points out the collaborative nature of any community. “You live here, and if you work here, you pay local and state taxes; if you interact with the community at all”—and most every Bucknell student does—“your money and time are already going into it. The more you participate, learn, and engage, not just at Bucknell but with the greater Lewisburg community, the more you’ll get out of your experience.”
For anyone (Bucknell student or local resident) who needs help registering to vote in Pennsylvania, Nick has volunteered his time and resources. He is reachable primarily by email, at [email protected]. Any students looking for internship or job experience who would like to work with Nick’s campaign, regardless of personal party preference, are welcome to reach out to [email protected] with a resume; the campaign is largely looking for summer interns, but anyone wanting to work with Nick’s campaign now is welcome to reach out as well. Course credit may be offered in place of payment.
Nick’s website is www.nick4pa.com. The first time his name will appear on a ballot is in the democratic primary, for which in-person voting takes place on April 23rd. He will run against incumbent David Rowe in the November election.
