In 1998, Corman's father, Doyle Corman, a Pennsylvania State Senator for 21 years, announced his retirement from the Senate. Corman announced that he would run for his father's seat. During the three-way GOP primary, Corman was attacked by the other candidates for a 1995 drunk driving conviction, as well as his admission to experimenting with marijuana in the 1980s. Despite the minor controversy, Corman prevailed and went on to defeat DemocratScott Conklin in the general election. In 2002, Corman was re-elected with over 92% of the vote, facing only minimal opposition from a Libertarian Party candidate. In 2006, Corman defeated Democrat Jon Eich, Robert J. Cash, and Libertarian Thomas Martin with 56% of the vote. After the leadership shakeup following the 2006 elections, Corman bid for the position of Senate Majority Leader, but was edged out by Dominic Pileggi and was ultimately elected as the Majority Policy Chairman, succeeding Joe Scarnati. In November 2008, Corman was elected by his caucus to serve as Chairman of the SenateAppropriations Committee. The Pennsylvania Report named him to the 2009 "The Pennsylvania Report 100" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics and called him of the state's "rising stars." In 2010, Corman again defeated Democrat Jon Eich for re-election garnering 69.4% of the vote. In 2014 and 2016, Corman was unopposed for re-election. In 2018, he again won re-election after defeating Democrat Ezra Nanes by more than 10,500 votes. In November 2014, Corman was elected by his caucus to serve in the position of Senate Majority Leader for the 2015–2016 legislative session.
Political positions
In 2017, Corman sponsored Senate Bill 1, legislation to overhaul and modernize Pennsylvania's pension system and limit future financial risks for taxpayers. Act 5 has been hailed nationally as “one of the most comprehensive and impactful reforms any state has implemented” and a catalyst for the “biggest turnaround in contribution adequacy nationwide.” In 2013, Senator Corman introduced and pressed for passage of the Endowment Act, which reversed NCAA sanctions against Penn State and directed $60 million to be used in Pennsylvania to help victims of child sexual abuse. These efforts also included the establishment of programs to bring sex abuse education training to elementary schools across the Commonwealth. While Corman voted for Pennsylvania's medical cannabis program, he is against both the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis in Pennsylvania. He believes cannabis is a gateway drug. He stated that: "I will do everything in my power to prevent legalization of recreational marijuana." He has indicated that it's a larger policy discussion, likening the move to the state's process to legalize gambling, which took years. In 2018, Senator Corman introduced a bill that would become the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law – a plan to strengthen anti-hazing laws nationwide by emphasizing prevention, enforcement and transparency. It was signed into law later that year as Act 80. The law increases penalties for those involved in hazing; requires schools to have policies and reporting procedures in place to stop hazing; ensures that parents and students are provided with information related to the issue; and creates safe harbor provisions so students know they can call for help without fear of prosecution. As part of the 2018–19 budget process, Corman stated that school safety funding was the Senate Republican Caucus's "number one priority" in the budget. In the end, $70 million in funding was included in the budget for schools to improve safety for students with a committee being established within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to assess the needs of each district that applies for funding. In June 2019, Senator Corman made national headlines for aggressively yelling over State Senator Katie Muth, as she read into record a letter from formerly homeless resident John Boyd, who encouraged representatives to not take away monthly General Assistance funds from him and other vulnerable citizens.
