Maria Collett seeks reelection to state Senate District 12 seat

State Sen. Maria Collett, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania's 12th Senatorial District, seeks reelection on Nov. 3, 2026. She faces Republican Robert F. Costello III, according to BallotReady election data.

Collett, a Lower Gwynedd Township resident, became the first Democrat elected to the District 12 seat when she won in 2018, according to her PA State Senate biography. She serves as Senate Democratic Caucus chair, a position she has held since 2024.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Pennsylvania State Senate, District 12
Residence: Lower Gwynedd Township
Education: Bachelor of arts in English literature, University of Maryland at College Park; juris doctor, Rutgers Law School, 1999; bachelor's in nursing, Drexel University, 2009
Family: Husband Len, an attorney; son August

Experience and public service

Before entering elected office, Collett worked as a deputy attorney general in Camden County, New Jersey, according to her Senate biography. She later shifted careers to nursing, working as a registered nurse at Brackenridge Hospital from 2009 to 2012, St. Luke's Hospital from 2012 to 2014 and Aetna from 2015 to 2018, according to BallotReady. She also served as a nurse educator at Genesis HealthCare from 2014 to 2015.

On the issues

Collett has outlined positions across several policy areas on her campaign website and in BallotReady responses. All statements below are the candidate's own claims unless otherwise noted.

Healthcare: Collett says she championed the Nursing Workforce Initiative in 2021, which included a $55 million student loan relief program for Pennsylvania nurses, according to her Senate biography. Her campaign says her Patient Safety Act sets safe, unit-specific staffing minimums in Pennsylvania hospitals. Her campaign also says her legislation, SB 268, would stop insurance companies from using "copay accumulators" that force chronically ill patients to pay more for medications.

Taxes and budget: Collett says she fought to triple the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit in the 2023-24 budget. She also says she helped secure the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit in the 2025-26 budget, putting up to $805 back in the pockets of nearly one million working families. Her campaign says she is pushing combined reporting legislation to close a corporate tax loophole.

Gun safety: Collett says she supports closing loopholes to require background checks on all gun sales, restricting firearm access by criminals, including domestic abusers and stalkers, tightening lost-or-stolen gun reporting standards and allowing local governments to pass gun ordinances.

Education: Collett says she will continue working to bring state support to local school districts and fight for investments in early childhood education, pre-K and charter school accountability.

Housing and workers' rights: Collett says her legislation would limit tax breaks for Wall Street investors who purchase dozens of homes in Pennsylvania. She says she has fought for paid family leave since 2019.