Biography
Mark Pinsley is the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate District 16 in the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces incumbent Republican Jarrett Coleman.[1][2] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he has served as Lehigh County Controller for the past seven years and previously founded and sold two companies.[3]
Mark Pinsley served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1990 to 1996 and graduated from North Penn High School.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in 1996 and a graduate degree from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2002, and his career experience includes working as an auditor.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he founded and sold two companies, owned a Pennsylvania manufacturing business for 12 years, and worked in marketing and product development for major companies.[3]
Pinsley said in the survey that he entered public service about a decade ago and has served as Lehigh County Controller for the past seven years.[3] He cited his controller work on county prescription-drug costs, rent owed to the county by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and an investigation of child-abuse allegations that became the subject of a New York Times podcast.[3] Ballotpedia also lists him as having sought the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, although he did not appear on the May 19, 2026 primary ballot for that race; he advanced from the Democratic primary for State Senate District 16 the same day.[2]
Pinsley's campaign priorities, as stated in the survey, include requiring utilities to justify rate increases, shifting more school funding to the state, limiting private equity ownership of homes, capping out-of-pocket costs for some medicines, and raising the minimum wage to at least $22 an hour.[3] He also said he supports a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers until protections for residents and ratepayers are in place.[3]
- 1.Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Mark Pinsley - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Mark Pinsley - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Pennsylvania Senate District 16
Mark Pinsley is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Pennsylvania Senate District 16 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.
