Tom Houghton

Personal life

After working his way through law school, Tom married his high school sweetheart Danelle and went into private practice. As they were just starting their lives together, they had to grapple with the loss of both of their mothers to cancer. In search of a fresh start, they began exploring the winding roads of Southern Chester County. “The sprawling farms and quiet meadows stole our hearts. We knew we were home.” In 1999, the couple settled in London Grove Township and opened up a storefront for his law practice in West Grove. Tom and Danelle have two children, Marley, 10, and Benjamin, 6, and have served for a total of six years as Foster Parents with Chester County’s Children & Youth Services.

Professional career

Houghton is a practicing attorney. He has served as London Grove Township's representative on the executive committee to PennDOT's Route 41 Commission and is a board member of the White Clay Creek Watershed Association.

Township Supervisor

In 2002, Houghton was elected to the London Grove Township Board of Supervisors. He served as chairman of that body for several years.

State House Campaigns

Houghton first ran for the 13th district seat in 2006. He was defeated by Republican incumbent Art Hershey by 1,800 votes.

On November 4, 2008, he was elected to the State House, succeeding Hershey, who had declined to run for reelection. He defeated his main opponent, John Lawrence, by a margin of 47.5% to 46.4%.

Houghton's original opponent, Curtis Mason, was forced to drop out of the race. In the end, he narrowly defeated his opponent in a count that stretched into the morning following election day.

In the 2010 election, Houghton was defeated by over 2,000 (over 10%) votes by his opponent from two years prior, John Lawrence.

State House Career

Houghton served on the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, as well as the Children and Youth, Environmental Resources and Energy and the Local Government Committees. He was also appointed to the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee by the Speaker of the House.

Political future

Houghton originally announced his intention to challenge Republican State Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi in 2012. However, due to redistricting, Houghton's home was drawn out of Pileggi's 9th District seat, and moved into the 19th District, currently represented by Democrat Andy Dinniman. Houghton subsequently announced his intention to challenge Dinniman in the Democratic primary. Houghton is running for Congress in 2014, challenging Republican incumbent Joe Pitts in Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district. He faces stem-cell scientist, Raja Kittappa in the democratic primary.