Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district has been located in western Pennsylvania since February 2018. The district includes all of 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 and Centre County, and parts of Butler County.

Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
Boundaries since January 3, 2019
Representative	Glenn Thompson R–Howard
Population (2018)	680,927
Median income	50,166
Ethnicity	93.9% white 1.7% black 1.5% Two or more races 1.5% Hispanic 0.8% Asian 0.5% other 0.1% Native American
Cook PVI	R+20[1]

From 2013 to 2019, the district stretched from the suburbs east of Harrisburg to communities east of Allentown and the New Jersey border. Counties located in the district included all of Lehigh County and parts of Berks County, Dauphin County, 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, Indian Valley and Upper Perkiomen Valley regions. In the mid-20th century, it included Tioga County.

Since the 21st century, it has a slight Democratic tilt in registered voters due to the presence of fairly large cities such as Allentown and Bethlehem, 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 candidates for all but six years since 1979. During 1999–2005, Pat Toomey represented the district. From 2005 to 2018, fellow Republican Charlie Dent represented the district; in September 2017 he announced he would be retiring and not seek re-election in 2018. Democrat Susan Wild won the special election.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 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.[2]

In the redistricting, the old 15th district had its boundaries compressed around Allentown 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.[3] It has been represented by Glenn Thompson since January 3, 2019.

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created in 1813
Vacant		March 4, 1813 – May 14, 1813	13th	Representative-elect Abner Lacock was elected in 1812 but resigned February 24, 1813.	1813–1823 [data unknown/missing]
Thomas Wilson	Democratic-Republican	May 14, 1813 – March 3, 1817	13th 14th	Elected to finish Lacock's term. Re-elected in 1814. Retired.
Robert Moore	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821	15th 16th	Elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1818. Lost re-election.
Patrick Farrelly	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823	17th	Elected in 1820. Redistricted to the 18th district.
Thomas Patterson	Jacksonian Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th	Redistricted from the 12th district and re-elected in 1822. Retired.	1823–1833 [data unknown/missing]
Joseph Lawrence	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829	19th 20th	Elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Lost re-election.
William McCreery	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	21st	Elected in 1828. Lost re-election.
Thomas M. T. McKennan	Anti-Masonic	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	22nd	Elected in 1830. Redistricted to the 21st district.
Andrew Beaumont	Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th	Elected in 1832. Retired.	1833–1843 [data unknown/missing]
David Petrikin	Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841	25th 26th	[data unknown/missing]
Benjamin A. Bidlack	Democratic	March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843	27th	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 11th district.
Henry Nes	Independent Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	28th	[data unknown/missing]	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
Moses McClean	Democratic	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847	29th	[data unknown/missing]
Henry Nes	Whig	March 4, 1847 – September 10, 1850	30th 31st	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant		September 10, 1850 – December 2, 1850	31st
Joel B. Danner	Democratic	December 2, 1850 – March 3, 1851		Elected to finish Nes's term. [data unknown/missing]
William H. Kurtz	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 16th district.
James Gamble	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Redistricted from the 13th district. [data unknown/missing]	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
John J. Pearce	Opposition	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Allison White	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	35th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
James T. Hale	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863	36th 37th	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 18th district.
Joseph Bailey	Democratic	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865	38th	Redistricted from the 16th district. [data unknown/missing]	1863–1873 [data unknown/missing]
Adam J. Glossbrenner	Democratic	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869	39th 40th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Richard J. Haldeman	Democratic	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873	41st 42nd	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
John A. Magee	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	[data unknown/missing] Lost renomination.	1873–1883 [data unknown/missing]
Joseph Powell	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Edward Overton Jr.	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	45th 46th	[data unknown/missing] Lost renomination.
Cornelius C. Jadwin	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
George A. Post	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	[data unknown/missing]	1883–1903 [data unknown/missing]
Frank C. Bunnell	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Myron B. Wright	Republican	March 4, 1889 – November 13, 1894	51st 52nd 53rd	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant		November 13, 1894 – February 23, 1895	53rd
Edwin J. Jorden	Republican	February 23, 1895 – March 3, 1895		Elected to finish Wright's term in the 53rd Congress. Retired.
Vacant		March 4, 1895 – November 5, 1895	54th
James H. Codding	Republican	November 5, 1895 – March 3, 1899	54th 55th	Elected to finish Wright's term in the 54th Congress. Retired.
Charles F. Wright	Republican	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903	56th 57th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Elias Deemer	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1907	58th 59th	Redistricted from the 16th district. Lost re-election.	1903–1923 [data unknown/missing]
William B. Wilson	Democratic	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1913	60th 61st 62nd	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Edgar R. Kiess	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1923	63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 16th district.
Louis T. McFadden	Republican	March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935	68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd	Redistricted from the 14th district. Lost re-election.	1923–1933 [data unknown/missing]
					1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
Charles E. Dietrich	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937	74th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Albert G. Rutherford	Republican	January 3, 1937 – August 10, 1941	75th 76th 77th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant		August 10, 1941 – November 4, 1941	77th
Wilson D. Gillette	Republican	November 4, 1941 – January 3, 1945	77th 78th	Elected to finish Rutherford's term. Redistricted to the 14th district.
					1943–1953 [data unknown/missing]
Robert F. Rich	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1951	79th 80th 81st	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Alvin Bush	Republican	January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953	82nd	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 17th district.
Francis E. Walter	Democratic	January 3, 1953 – May 31, 1963	83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	Redistricted from the 21st district. Died.	1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
					1963–1973 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		May 31, 1963 – July 30, 1963	88th
Fred B. Rooney	Democratic	July 30, 1963 – January 3, 1979	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th	Elected to finish Walter's term. Lost re-election.
					1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
Donald L. Ritter	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1993	96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
					1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
Paul F. McHale	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999	103rd 104th 105th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.	1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
Pat Toomey	Republican	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005	106th 107th 108th	[data unknown/missing] Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
					2003–2013
Charlie Dent	Republican	January 3, 2005 – May 12, 2018	109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th	Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Resigned.
					2013–2019
Vacant		May 12, 2018 – November 27, 2018	115th
Susan Wild	Democratic	November 27, 2018 – January 3, 2019		Elected to finish Dent's term.[4] Redistricted to the 7th district.
G. T. Thompson	Republican	January 3, 2019 – Present	116th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 2018.	2019–present

Recent Elections

Year	Election		Nominee	Party	Votes	%		Nominee	Party	Votes	%		Nominee	Party	Votes	%
2000	General		Pat Toomey	Republican	118,307	53%		Edward J. O'Brien	Democratic	103,864	47%
2002	General		Pat Toomey	Republican	98,493	57%		Edward J. O'Brien	Democratic	73,212	43%
2004	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	170,634	59%		Joe Driscoll	Democratic	141,646	39%
2006	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	106,153	54%		Charles Dertinger	Democratic	86,186	43%
2008	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	181,433	59%		Sam Bennett	Democratic	128,333	41%
2010	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	109,501	54%		John Callahan	Democratic	79,857	39%		Jake Towne	Independent	14,252	8%
2012	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	168,960	57%		Rick Daugherty	Democratic	128,764	43%
2014	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	128,285	100%
2016	General		Charlie Dent	Republican	185,204	58%		Rick Daugherty	Democratic	120,190	38%		Paul Rizzo	Libertarian	11,332	4%
2018	Special		Marty Nothstein	Republican	129,594	48.26%		Susan Wild	Democratic	130,353	48.54%
2018	General		G. T. Thompson	Republican	162,386	67.9%		Susan Boser	Democratic	76,769	32.1%

See also

• List of United States congressional districts
• Pennsylvania's congressional districts

References

1. "New Pennsylvania Map Is a Major Boost for Democrats". The Cook Political Report. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
2. "Adventures in Extreme Gerrymandering: See the Fair and Wildly Unfair Maps We Made for Pennsylvania", QUOCTRUNG BUI and NATE COHN, New York Times, 17 January 2018
3. Cohn, Nate; Bloch, Matthew; Quealy, Kevin (February 19, 2018). "The New Pennsylvania House Districts Are In. We Review the Mapmakers' Choices". The Upshot. The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
4. Olson, Laura. "Susan Wild wins special congressional election to finish Charlie Dent's term". The Morning Call.

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• "Pennsylvania Elections - Office Results - 2018 Special Election 15th Congressional District". Pennsylvania Elections - Summary Results.
• "Pennsylvania Elections - County Results". Pennsylvania Elections - Summary Results.

External links

• Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania