Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district has been located in western
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
since February 2018. The district includes all of
Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War:
* Warren County, Georgia
* Warren County, Illinois
* Warren County ...
,
McKean County,
Forest County,
Venango County,
Elk County,
Cameron County,
Clarion County,
Jefferson County,
Armstrong County,
Clearfield County,
Indiana County, most of
Cambria County
Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Cou ...
and
Centre County, and parts of
Butler County.
From 2013 to 2019, the district stretched from the suburbs east of
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
to communities east of
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
and the New Jersey border. Counties located in the district included all of
Lehigh County and parts of
Berks County
Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading.
The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...
,
Dauphin County
Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth ...
,
Lebanon County, and
Northampton County.
From 2003 to 2013 it comprised all of
Northampton County, most of
Lehigh County, and small parts of
Berks and
Montgomery counties. The district included the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
, Indian Valley and Upper Perkiomen Valley regions. In the mid-20th century, it included Tioga County.
In its former boundaries, it had a slight
Democratic tilt in registered voters due to the presence of fairly large cities such as
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
and
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
, with industrial histories. The Democrats in the Lehigh Valley are generally considered more moderate than their counterparts in the Philadelphia area, particularly on social issues. The district has elected
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
candidates for all but six years since 1979. During 1999–2005,
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representa ...
represented the district. From
2005 to 2018, fellow Republican
Charlie Dent
Charles Wieder Dent (born May 24, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2005 to 2018.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dent worked in a variety of occupations ...
represented the district; in September 2017 he announced he would be retiring and not seek re-election in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
. Democrat
Susan Wild won the special election.
The
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...
redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional because it had gerrymandered too much on behalf of the Republican Party. In 2012 Democrats had won only five of the state’s 18 congressional districts, the year the previous redistricting by the legislature took effect, although they won the House statewide popular vote by 1.5 percentage points.
["Adventures in Extreme Gerrymandering: See the Fair and Wildly Unfair Maps We Made for Pennsylvania"](_blank)
QUOCTRUNG BUI and NATE COHN, ''New York Times'', 17 January 2018
In the redistricting, the old 15th district had its boundaries compressed around
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
and became the
7th district, while the old
5th district had its boundaries adjusted and became the 15th district for the 2018 election and representation thereafter.
It has been represented by
Glenn Thompson since January 3, 2019.
List of members representing the district
Recent elections
See also
*
List of United States congressional districts
*
Pennsylvania's congressional districts
References
*
*
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present*
*
External links
Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania
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15
Government of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Government of Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Constituencies established in 1813
1813 establishments in Pennsylvania