Eric Nelson

Eric Nelson is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 57th House District in Westmoreland County. A native of Hempfield, Pennsylvania, Nelson has built a career spanning military service, education, and business entrepreneurship.

Nelson served eight years in the United States Marine Corps following his college graduation, with deployments in Albania, Estonia, Okinawa, Spain, and Thailand. He re-enlisted for an additional year of service after the September 11th terrorist attacks. After his distinguished military career, he transitioned to civilian work as an entrepreneur and businessman. He previously served as a faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is currently a partner with Steel City Safety Consulting. Nelson also owned a Bruster's Old Fashioned Ice Cream franchise for 16 years before selling it.

Nelson resides on a small farm in Hempfield with his wife, Susan, and their seven children. Prior to 2015, he was registered as an Independent but changed his political affiliation to Republican that year. He won his House seat during a special election in March 2016, succeeding Rep. Tim Krieger who resigned to serve as a common pleas court judge.

Education

Nelson graduated from Hempfield Area High School and earned both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in safety sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Political Experience

Nelson has served in the Pennsylvania House since 2016. For the 2025-26 legislative session, he serves on the House Aging and Older Adult Services, Appropriations, Communications and Technology, and Insurance committees. He holds the position of Insurance Republican Vice Chair and serves as deputy chair of the Republican Policy Committee. Additionally, he serves as the Republican Chairman of both the Gas and Oil Caucus and the Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Caucus, and is a member of the Pro-Life and Second Amendment caucuses.

Among his legislative efforts, Nelson introduced an amendment in April 2020 to the Heart and Lung Act to ensure police and firefighters would continue to be paid if they had to miss work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.