Peg Luksik - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marguerite "Peg" Ann McKenna Luksik is a conservative politician, perennial candidate, pro-life campaigner, and Constitution Party activist in Pennsylvania.[1]

Luksik was born on August 11, 1955 in Huntsville, Alabama, where her father was in the Army. A 1976 magna cum laude graduate of Clarion University with a bachelor of science degree in special education and elementary education, she married James Luksik on June 23 1979. The couple have six children.[2] In a 1998 interview with John Mallon, contributing editor of Inside the Vatican, Luksik described how her devout Roman Catholicism informs her views, including opposition to abortion. In 1997 Luksik had received an honorary doctorate from Stonehill College.[3]

Peg Luksik entered the 1990 gubernatorial Republican primary election 6 weeks before election day and received 46 percent of the vote (Republicannomination for governor of Pennsylvania).[4] Her highest vote total came in Pennsylvania's general election for governor in 1994 when, as the candidate of the Constitution Party, she received 460,269 votes (12.8 percent). That total was also the greatest number of votes ever received by the Constitution Party in Pennsylvania.[5]

In Pennsylvania's 2010 United States Senate election, she unsuccessfully challenged Pat Toomey for the Republican Party nomination.[6]

Luksik and Jason E. High founded the Center for American Heritage, a non-profit dedicated to restoring America's unique heritage. Initially through the use of one-day seminars named the American Heritage Academy, the Center is dedicated to teaching political activists and interested citizens about America's history, the political process, and how to be an effective advocate for a return to limited government.[7]

1. ^Pennsylvania Senate race, in CQ Politics, 31 March 2010 (accessed 7 May 2010). See also List of third party performances in United States elections, Tom Ridge, Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1998, Ivan Itkin, Mark S. Schweiker, United States gubernatorial elections, 1998, and List of Conservative Roundtable episodes.
2. ^Luksik bio on Pennsylvania Constitution Party site (accessed 17 May 2010).
3. ^John Mallon, Interview with Peg Luksik, 1998 (accessed 17 May 2010).
4. ^Luksik personal bio (accessed 17 May 2010)
5. ^See Jim Clymer, United States gubernatorial elections, 1994, and Electoral history of the Constitution Party (United States).
6. ^Mike Faher (9 March 2010). "Luksik to oppose Specter". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 17 May 2010. 
7. ^The Center for American Heritage Website, RestoreHeritage.org,(accessed 18 August 2010).