Ray Sosa
Ray Sosa (Democratic Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.
Sosa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ray Sosa was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sosa's professional experience includes working in financial services and as a consultant. He has been appointed to state-level committees by three U.S. governors and has experience serving on statewide commissions.[1][2]
Sosa has been affiliated with the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, League of United Latin Citizens, and Economic Development Task Force for Cheltenham Township.[2]
Elections
2022
See also: Pennsylvania gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Austin Davis defeated Carrie DelRosso, Timothy McMaster, Michael Bagdes-Canning, and Nicole Shultz in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Austin Davis (D) | 56.5 | 3,031,137 |
 | Carrie DelRosso (R) | 41.7 | 2,238,477 | |
 | Timothy McMaster (L)  | 1.0 | 51,611 | |
 | Michael Bagdes-Canning (G) | 0.5 | 24,436 | |
 | Nicole Shultz (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania) | 0.4 | 20,518 | |
| Total votes: 5,366,179 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Austin Davis defeated Brian Sims and Ray Sosa in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Davis | 63.0 | 768,141 |
 | Brian Sims | 25.1 | 305,959 | |
 | Ray Sosa | 11.9 | 145,228 | |
| Total votes: 1,219,328 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carrie DelRosso | 25.6 | 318,970 |
 | Rick Saccone | 15.7 | 195,774 | |
 | Teddy Daniels | 12.1 | 150,935 | |
 | Clarice Schillinger | 11.9 | 148,442 | |
 | Jeff Coleman | 10.1 | 126,072 | |
 | James Jones | 9.1 | 113,966 | |
 | Russell Diamond | 6.0 | 74,265 | |
 | John Brown | 4.8 | 59,267 | |
 | Chris Frye | 4.7 | 58,752 | |
| Total votes: 1,246,443 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gerald Carnicella (R)
- Brandon Flood (R)
- Angela Grant (R)
Campaign finance
2020
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154
Napoleon Nelson defeated Kathleen Bowers in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Napoleon Nelson (D) | 77.7 | 30,610 |
 | Kathleen Bowers (R) | 22.3 | 8,776 | |
| Total votes: 39,386 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Napoleon Nelson | 39.2 | 7,101 |
 | Gretchen Wisehart | 20.1 | 3,639 | |
 | Adrienne Redd | 13.4 | 2,435 | |
| Ray Sosa | 11.0 | 1,994 | |
| Jay Conners | 9.2 | 1,664 | |
| Jennifer Lugar | 7.0 | 1,275 | |
| Total votes: 18,108 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154
Kathleen Bowers advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 154 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Bowers | 100.0 | 2,629 |
| Total votes: 2,629 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
John Fetterman defeated Jeff Bartos, Kathleen Smith, and Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Fetterman (D) | 58.7 | 2,895,652 |
 | Jeff Bartos (R) | 41.3 | 2,039,882 | |
 | Kathleen Smith (L) | 0.0 | 0 | |
 | Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick (G) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Total votes: 4,935,534 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
John Fetterman defeated Nina Ahmad, Kathi Cozzone, incumbent Mike Stack, and Ray Sosa in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Fetterman | 37.5 | 290,719 |
 | Nina Ahmad | 23.8 | 184,429 | |
 | Kathi Cozzone | 18.5 | 143,849 | |
 | Mike Stack | 16.6 | 128,931 | |
| Ray Sosa | 3.6 | 27,732 | |
| Total votes: 775,660 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Craig Lehman (D)
- Aryanna Berringer (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Jeff Bartos defeated Kathleen Coder, Diana Irey Vaughan, and Marguerite Luksik in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Bartos | 46.8 | 319,811 |
 | Kathleen Coder | 21.8 | 148,863 | |
 | Diana Irey Vaughan | 17.6 | 120,482 | |
 | Marguerite Luksik | 13.8 | 94,451 | |
| Total votes: 683,607 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joe Gale (R)
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ray Sosa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sosa's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Ray Sosa has been appointed by three U.S. Governors to lead districts in coordinating Emergency Management and Response. Ray was the Chairman of the Governor's Human Rights Advocacy Committee for over ten years, fighting for hospitals, juvenile justice centers, foster care homes, equality, and nursing homes. Ray has also provided political legislative policy support for three governors and wants to continue to do so in Pennsylvania. As a proud third generation democrat and Latino, Ray Sosa knows the value of diversity and defending everyone's human rights regardless of their ethnicity. His goal is to make Pennsylvania a shining example of equality, justice, and provide a high quality of life for all our residents.
Ray Sosa currently resides in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Nikki Sosa, and his daughter. He is currently employed as a consultant for small businesses and is an insurance broker licensed in all fifty states. Ray was appointed by the Cheltenham Township Commissioner Board as a member of the Economic Development Task Force. He is also very active in different community based organizations throughout the state.
- Ray Sosa believes that gun violence must end as it is steadily increasing throughout Pennsylvania and our Nation. He believes and supports common sense gun control and background checks for every firearm purchased.
- Ray Sosa firmly believes that our first responders should be respected, protected and given enough working hours to make a living and provide for their families.
- Ray proudly support the "Black Lives Matter" movement and supports funding for Planned Parenthood, and will always support legislation to defend a woman's right to choose.
Ray Sosa believes that Pennsylvania's current recidivism rate at an average of 65 percent is destroying the fabric of our communities and families in Pennsylvania. This rate negatively impacts the state's budget. The solution is educating the prison population that are paying their debt to society. The state should bear the responsibility of employing them once they have served their time. This way they can rebuild their lives and support their families.
Ray believes that our emergency management system needs to be improved upon to meet the ever changing challenges that global warming is presenting to Pennsylvania. We need open communication with all of the municipalities and the office of the Lieutenant Governor of the state so the appropriate resources can be allocated to affected areas in a timely manner. He has had extensive experience with interagency coordination during natural disasters. Presently, there is no cohesive coordination in between the different counties and the state during emergency situations.
Ray believes that a healthy and prosperous farming community is crucial to the success of Pennsylvania as a whole. The farming community has been underserved for far too many years affecting thousands of families and Pennsylvania's bottom line. He plans to make all efforts to provide infrastructure, connectivity, and financial help to make our farmers successful and able to compete nationwide.
The Lieutenant Governor position serves as the Chairman for the Board of Pardons, Member of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council, chairs the Military Base Community Enhancement Commission, chairs the Local Government Advisory Committee, and serves as President of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Ray’s previous appointments in the public and private sectors have prepared him for the role of Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
He believes that the Lieutenant Governor is in the unique position to support and further the platform for the Governor of Pennsylvania making it indispensable to the success of the state. Ray believes this position provides an exceptional opportunity to connect the local municipalities of Pennsylvania to state resources.
He draws inspiration from his Grandmother, who was passionate about serving her community, his mother whose integrity and honesty directed his professional career. Ray was also inspired by the political trajectory and work of President Barrack Obama.
I happen to like "Southside with you", a movie about the trajectory and relationship of President Barrack Obama and Michelle Obama. It shows the value of empathy, persistence and good strong values.
Transparency, honesty, moral rectitude, and empathy.
Experience, this position cannot be improvised. You need solid knowledge in interagency coordination, legislative affairs and the prison system. All of this must be from the perspective of the executive branch of government.
For far too long we have had incumbents that are not experienced in the duties of the office and they keep using this great office to transition to other positions in government.
Serving the interests of the population, not one's own political ambitions.
A cohesive and full service office that has established programs to reduce our recidivism, connect our municipalities to the office, and has established a great relationship with the federal government and Pennsylvania.
Ray's Mother became the Assistant Treasury Secretary for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico when he was in his twenties. He saw firsthand what a public servant should do for the community as a whole and was inspired by his mother's integrity and desire to help. This sparked an interest and passion for public service.
Ray's very first professional job was as a project manager for a large commercial construction and landscaping company for three years. He then received a Gubernatorial appointment to represent the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a position which he held for for three years, while at the same time managing large banking operations for national banks as the financial center manager.
I like almost all the novels of James Patterson. They have elements of strategy, planning, tradecraft and usually explains the human condition very well in all of his characters.
I have always identified myself with Sherlock Holmes. I like to dissect information and come out with a concise answer based on evidence. I have always been very "matter of fact" and analytical.
During hard situations I like to think of a classic composition called "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orloff. Reminds me of struggle and then success.
As a minority, I have always had to work harder than other people to prove my abilities and experience. Sometimes certain sectors of our community place barriers that I have had to overcome.
I am striving everyday to change the perception that sometimes people have of minority groups not being as capable as other demographics to do a stellar job for all Pennsylvanians.
Currently, the most important duties of this position are the emergency management response system, pardons and parole board, and the connection of the municipalities to the Lieutenant Governor's office.
The Lieutenant Governor serves as a member of the Military Base Community Enhancement Commission. This position is rarely utilized and has the power to connect federal resources around military bases to the state of Pennsylvania. Another rarely utilized power of this position is serving as the Chairman of the Local Government Advisory Committee whose purpose is connecting Pennsylvania's municipalities to the resources of the office of the Governor.
Ray is currently the only candidate with the executive branch experience to make this position a success. He has been appointed by three Governors to do what the Lieutenant Governor position actually does, this makes him the best qualified candidate. He has worked across the aisle, has been involved with every branch of state and local government. He has had the opportunity to be directly involved with local communities, and defend our hard working trade, employee, healthcare, and building unions.
This position can not be be improvised, you must have a seasoned expert to make it a good value for the state of Pennsylvania.
A successful candidate for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor must be experienced in the executive branch coordinating the very specific duties of the job.
Ray Sosa is uniquely qualified for this position because of his past experience working with three different United States Governors leading districts in coordinating emergency management and response, Chairman of the Governor's Human Rights Advocacy Committee, fighting for hospitals, juvenile justice centers, foster care homes, equality, nursing homes and providing political legislative policy support.
Two men are walking through a forest. Suddenly, they see a tiger in the distance, running towards them
They turn and start running away. But then one of them stops, takes some running shoes from his bag, and starts putting the on.
“What are you doing?” says the other man. “Do you think you will run fast than the tiger with those?”
“I don’t have to run faster than the tiger,” he says. “I just have to run faster than you.”
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released April 12, 2020 |
Ray Sosa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sosa's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Ray Sosa has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors providing support to large and small companies. He is a career banker and insurance agent. Ray wants to use that experience to create a more efficient and effective government within the 154th District of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania by addressing and improving the need for ADA compliance, creating better business development through incentives and legislation, and continuing to work on established programs such as gun control, climate change, and making sure our elderly citizens' needs are met. Ray resides with his family in Wyncote, PA. Even though Ray Sosa is a political outsider, he is uniquely qualified to serve in the position of State Representative for the 154th District. Ray was appointed by three different U.S. Governors to lead districts in coordinating Emergency Management and Response, was Chairman of the Governor's Human Rights Advocacy Committee, and performed state wide audits for hospitals, juvenile justice centers, foster care homes, and nursing homes rights and regulations making sure the people they serve were well cared for. He is the candidate with the most relevant legislative and governmental experience as he has been involved in local, state, and national appointments.
- Ray Sosa is the most qualified democratic candidate for the 154th District as he has the most state wide, national, and local legislative experience as he was appointed to chair different statewide programs appointed by three US Governors.
- Ray Sosa is a subject matter expert in emergent management coordination as he has chaired task forces for seven natural disasters and is the most experienced to deal with a pandemic such as COVID19.
- Ray Sosa has offered leadership in creating new revenue models for townships to lower taxes, increase employment, and protect school systems and has done so for 14 years and three administations.
Ray Sosa is passionate about social services, climate change policy, gun control, and ADA compliance to make sure our constituents are well served, safe, and successful within the 154th District.
Hillary Clinton continues to be a role model for Ray Sosa. He was part of the local team assisting with campaign efforts for her 2016 Presidential Campaign. Ray's efforts were recognized by senior field officers from three different states as well as the Democratic National Committee. Hillary Clinton exemplifies what a true experienced leader should be and has dedicated her life to serving our great nation.
Hard Choices, a memoir about Hillary Clinton's experiences as the Secretary of State offers an insight to her life, views, adn decision making skills that made her my role and a success.
Elected officials must always keep in mind to serve the the population as a whole and never consider political affiliations in decision making.
The qualities that make Ray Sosa the best Democratic Candidate for State Representative of the 154th are his honesty, integrity, compassion, and experience.
The core responsibility of a State Representative is to effectively bring state resources to the area that they serve.
Ray Sosa wants to make the 154th District an affordable, thriving, and safe place to live, work and play for generations to come.
One of Ray's earliest memories was the nation coming together to celebrate the United States landing on the moon while he was a child about 7 years old. This instilled in Ray that anything is possible with hard work and dedication . He was in awe of how an entire nation inclusive of every race, gender, nationality, and religion could celebrate as one even as a young child.
Ray Sosa's first professional job was as a Branch Manager for a National Bank in the second most competitive market in the Nation. he held this position for over 20 years for different financial institutions.
"Hard Choices" by Hillary Rodham Clinton
"Indiana Jones" as he discovers elements people miss and solves problems. he also gets to travel to the most exotic places of the words to experience and learn from different cultures.
"Baby Shark" is Ray's daughter's favorite song at the moment, so is played quite often at home.
Being a Minority, Ray has faced challenges while trying to change the status quo in his professional career.
As compared to the Senate, the General Assembly represents the will of the people of Pennsylvania in a more accurate manner since the amount of members is larger. The General Assembly is the pulse of Pennsylvania.
Ray Sosa believes that having state wide, local, or national experience in legislation is vital in making fair and just decisions that benefit the population of Pennsylvania as a whole. This is what sets him apart from the other candidates running for the 154th District.
One of the greatest challenges we face as Pennsylvanians is keeping Pennsylvania a Blue State so we can create legislation to protect our environment, natural resources, common sense gun control, and fair corporate taxation to balance our budget.
The ideal relationship is inclusive of an open line of communication where proposed legislation benefits all Pennsylvanians.
Building relationships with other legislatures is vital to the success of our state and district including being open to working across the aisle which Ray has done effectively throughout his career.
Ray Sosa's interests lie with state wide, local , and national committees dealing with state finance, environmental protection, and human rights.
Ray Sosa is running for State Representative of the 154th District in Montgomery County , PA. He would be honored to serve in any leadership role that would improve our party's viability and assist to the best of his ability to any qualified democratic candidate.
Ray's admiration extends to all of Pennsylvania's Democratic Elected Officials. He firmly believes he can learn form all of them
Being involved in politics has been a part of Ray's childhood as well as adult professional career. he would like to continue to serve our people at a state and national level.
One of the reasons Ray Sosa is running for State Representative of the 154th District is to keep residents with fixed incomes in the homes that they have lived in for most of their lives. We have far too many people losing their homes due to tax foreclosure. Our present incumbents have not found an effective solution to protect our constituents by lowering property taxes while protecting our school systems.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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