# Eric Weaknecht

Eric J. Weaknecht (born c. 1965) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer who is the current representative for the 5th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A Republican, he assumed office in 2025. Weaknecht was previously the sheriff of Berks County, Pennsylvania, from 2008 to 2024.

## Law enforcement career

Weaknecht began working as a deputy sheriff with the Sheriff's Office of Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1984. In 1996, Weaknecht was promoted to assistant chief deputy in charge of the court division. Three years later, Weaknecht became chief deputy sheriff. He was elected sheriff in 2007 and was reelected four times. In June 2012, Governor Tom Corbett appointed Weaknecht to the Deputy Sheriffs' Education and Training Board. Governor Tom Wolf would reappoint Weaknecht to an addition two terms. A month after his original appointment to the board, Weaknecht was elected secretary-treasurer of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association.
Weaknecht was one of 70 American sheriffs who joined Protect America Now, a group founded by Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb to push for "election integrity" following President Donald Trump's false claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Concerns about election integrity led Weaknecht to station armed officers at ballot drop boxes during the 2020 and 2022 elections.

## Political career

After Pennsylvania State Representative Barry Jozwiak retired in 2024, Weaknecht was elected to represent the 5th district after defeating Democratic candidate Heather Hanna in the general election.

## Political positions

Weaknecht opposes sanctuary city policies and red flag laws. He believes Pennsylvania has enough gun laws and should focus on enforcement rather than making new laws.

## Electoral history

2007 Berks County sheriff election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Weaknecht | 33,948 | 51.07 |
| | Democratic | Mike Garipoli | 32,512 | 48.91 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 16 | 0.02 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 66,476 | 100.00 |
2011 Berks County sheriff election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Weaknecht (incumbent) | 34,233 | 65.42 |
| | Democratic | Daniel Billings | 18,077 | 34.55 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 15 | 0.03 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 52,325 | 100.00 |
2015 Berks County sheriff election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Weaknecht (incumbent) | 37,167 | 65.05 |
| | Democratic | Lester Klock | 19,954 | 34.93 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 12 | 0.02 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 57,133 | 100.00 |
2019 Berks County sheriff election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Weaknecht (incumbent) | 45,515 | 60.24 |
| | Democratic | Bart Ganster | 30,004 | 39.71 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 39 | 0.05 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 75,558 | 100.00 |
2023 Berks County sheriff election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic/Republican | Eric Weaknecht (incumbent) | 72,918 | 99.23 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 564 | 0.77 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 73,482 | 100.00 |
2024 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, District 5 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Weaknecht | 23,664 | 66.66 |
| | Democratic | Heather Hanna | 11,801 | 33.24 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 36 | 0.10 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,501 | 100.00 |