Alec Ryncavage

Alec Joseph Ryncavage (born March 27, 2001) is an American businessman and politician. He is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 119th District since 2023.

Early life and career Ryncavage was born on March 27, 2001, in Pennsylvania, to Danielle and David Ryncavage, Sr. He was raised Catholic. He later founded his own cybersecurity company, CYBIOT.

Ryncavage graduated from Wyoming Valley West High School in 2019.

Political career In 2019, Ryncavage ran for a seat on the Borough Council of Plymouth, Pennsylvania. His platform included fiscal conservatism and community revitalization. He won, becoming at age 18 the youngest person ever elected to the council.

In 2022, Ryncavage announced his intention to run for Pennsylvania State Representative from the 119th District and replace retiring State Representative Gerald Mullery. At 21 years of age, Ryncavage was the youngest member of the House and the youngest person elected since Michael Cassidy in 1976. In the 2024 election, he won with a two-to-one margin against Democratic challenger Megan Kocher.

Political positions Ryncavage defines himself as a "moderate Republican" who grew up in a Democratic family in a heavily Democratic hometown.

Abortion Ryncavage describes himself as "personally pro-life," but according to himself, has "never supported an outright ban on abortion." He supports exceptions to abortion bans for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother. Ryncavage opposes late-term abortions and taxpayer-funded abortions.

Criminal justice and policing Ryncavage opposes defunding the police.

In 2022, Ryncavage supported the passage of the Officer John Wilding Law, which made it a felony should bodily harm come to a law enforcement officer as a result of a suspect fleeing arrest.

Education Ryncavage supports school choice and advocates for shifting some state funding from schools to individual students to increase access to private schools. He has said, "I'm not advocating for defunding public schools. ... I just think there needs to be a little bit more competition. If you want the quality of education to increase, if you want the price per student cost to decrease, you need to introduce competition."

He supports the implementation of open primary elections as a way to deter political extremism.

Emergency powers and religious gatherings In 2024, Ryncavage announced plans to propose legislation permitting religious gatherings during an emergency declaration. The bill came as a response to prohibitions against large public gatherings, including religious services, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Environmental policy Ryncavage opposes the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and is against banning natural gas. He is concerned with red flag laws potentially violating due process.

Cannabis Ryncavage supports the legalization of cannabis under a "live and let live" philosophy that "empower individuals to make choices about their own lives, as long as those choices do not harm others," provided the state implements sufficient regulatory system in conjunction. He would also support using cannabis-sourced tax revenue to fund state services.

Taxation Ryncavage supports the elimination of property taxes and supports expanding the homestead tax exemption;