Nixon worked for Alcoa for fourteen years, eventually becoming vice president of sales and overseas marketing at a subsidiary in Atlanta, Georgia. She retired from Alcoa to raise her children.[2]
Political career
In 2008, Cooper was elected to the Westmoreland County Republican Committee,[2] chairing it from 2012 to 2014.[3] She was later elected to the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee in 2014.[2]
Cooper was a political organizer who participated in protests against lockdowns and business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][4][5]
In 2022, Cooper unseated incumbent Pennsylvania State RepresentativeJason Silvis in the primary with 49% of the vote in an election against Silvis and another primary contender.[6] Cooper said she took the opportunity to run against Silvis, not because she opposed him, but because Silvis's district, the recently redrawn55th District, had 75% new constituents and was an "open seat" in her mind. She was additionally "passion[ate]" to represent the district.[7] She defeated Democratic candidate Scott Gauss in the general election.[8]
Personal life
Nixon met her husband, Leighton Cooper, in Atlanta, Georgia while she was working for Alcoa. The couple married in 1999 and moved to Murrysville, Pennsylvania in 2005 where they currently reside with their two children.[2][9]
^"About Rep. Jill Cooper". PA State Rep. Jill Cooper. PA House Republican Caucus. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.