Pa. Rep. Matt Gabler retires after 11 years in Harrisburg

A six-term state lawmaker from Clearfield County is the latest member of the state House to decide against running for re-election in November.

State Rep. Matt Gabler, a Republican who’s represented the 75th House District since 2008, said Wednesday that he wants to spend more time with his family.

“I promised myself, my family and my constituents that I would not spend an entire career as a state representative,” Gabler said in a statement. “As a husband and a father to two young children, I recognize now is the right time to pursue new opportunities.”

Gabler is one of 11 House Republicans to announce their retirement, and was the 15th total when he announced on Wednesday. He was joined by Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, on Thursday, raising the total to 16 lawmakers.

During his Harrisburg tenure, Gabler fought against the tolling of Interstate 80, a key artery of his rural north-central Pennsylvania district and passed legislation to legalize hunting with semi-automatic rifles; aided the coal and timber industries, and expand reimbursements for county veterans’ affairs officials.

A major in the Pennsylvania National Guard, Gabler spent nearly all of 2018 deployed to Iraq.

The 75th House District, which includes all of Elk County and northern Clearfield County, including DuBois is ancestrally Democratic. Gabler won office by beating an incumbent Democrat. 

But it has quickly trended red throughout Gabler’s term. GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner took 65 percent of the vote in the district in 2018 as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf won a landslide reelection.