Linda D. Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Linda D. Thompson
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Linda Thompson during her Mayoral Inauguration at the Forum Building in Harrisburg on January 4, 2010.
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| Mayor of Harrisburg | |
| In office January 4, 2010 – January 6, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen R. Reed |
| Succeeded by | Eric Papenfuse |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1960 (age 64–65) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Linda Deliah Thompson, born in 1960, is an American politician. She served as the mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from January 4, 2010, to January 6, 2014. She made history as Harrisburg's first female and first Black mayor. After her time as mayor, she started LDT Ministries in 2016.
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Early Life and Education
Linda Thompson grew up in Harrisburg, where she was born. She graduated from Harrisburg High School in 1979. Later, she attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.. There, she earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Communications. While studying in Washington, she also gained experience by interning at the United States Department of Justice.
Political Journey
Serving on City Council
In 2001, Linda Thompson was elected to the Harrisburg City Council. She was re-elected in 2005 and became the President of the City Council. During her time on the council, she worked on important issues. For example, she suggested selling city-owned Western artifacts to help pay off debts. She also added $100,000 to the 2009 budget for a citywide bulk trash pickup.
Running for Mayor in 2009
Instead of running for City Council again in 2009, Thompson decided to run for mayor. She sought the Democratic nomination. In the primary election held in May, she won against former mayor Stephen R. Reed. She secured her victory by almost 1,000 votes.
Thompson then won the general election by about 800 votes. Her opponent was Nevin Mindlin from the Republican party. During her term, Harrisburg faced financial challenges. She worked to solve these money problems.
Mayoral Re-election Bid in 2013
In the 2013 Harrisburg mayoral election primaries, Thompson ran for re-election. However, she was not chosen as the Democratic candidate again. Eric R. Papenfuse, a Harrisburg businessman, won the primary election. City Controller Dan Miller came in second place.
Running for U.S. House in 2014
In 2014, Thompson was the Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. She ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. However, she was defeated by the Republican who held the seat, Scott Perry.
State House Race in 2022
In March 2022, Linda Thompson announced she would run for the 103rd District seat. This seat is in the state House of Representatives. She was set to run against Heather MacDonald and the current representative, Patty Kim. However, in April of that year, Thompson announced that she was no longer running for the seat.
More Information
- List of mayors of Harrisburg
- Harrisburg City Council
