Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Charlie Dent (R–Allentown)
Distribution 87.30% urban, 12.70% rural
Population (2000) 646,300
Median income $45,330
Ethnicity 89.5% White, 3.1% Black, 1.7% Asian, 7.9% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI R+2[1]

Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District is located in eastern Pennsylvania. The district stretches from the suburbs east of Harrisburg to communities east of Allentown and the New Jersey border. Counties located in the district include 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.

Despite a slight Democratic tilt due to the presence of fairly large cities such as Allentown and Bethlehem, the district traditionally has elected Republicans recently. During 1999–2005, Pat Toomey represented the district. Since 2005, fellow Republican Charles Dent has represented the district. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R +2.

Politically important district

The District consists principally of Lehigh County and Northampton County. It is considered politically important nationally, since it is usually heavily contested, with neither Republicans nor Democrats having been able to win the district consistently. Since at least the Second World War, the District's voters have chosen the presidential candidate that goes on to win Pennsylvania (and until 2000, Pennsylvania chose the eventual national winner). In the 2004 election, both President George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, visited the district with regularity in an effort to win its swing voters. The result in the district was 148,679 votes for Kerry over 148,576 votes for Bush, a 103-vote margin of victory.

List of representatives

Representative Party Years Electoral history
District created in 1813
Vacant March 4, 1813 –
May 14, 1813
Thomas Wilson Democratic-
Republican		 May 14, 1813 –
March 3, 1817		 Elected after the resignation of Representative-elect Abner Lacock
Robert Moore Democratic-
Republican		 March 4, 1817 –
March 3, 1821		 Retired
Patrick Farrelly Democratic-
Republican		 March 4, 1821 –
March 3, 1823		 Redistricted to the 18th district
Thomas Patterson Jacksonian Democratic-
Republican		 March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825		 Redistricted from the 12th district
Lost renomination
Joseph Lawrence Adams March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1829		 Lost re-election
William McCreery Jacksonian March 4, 1829 –
March 3, 1831		 Lost re-election
Thomas M. T. McKennan Anti-Masonic March 4, 1831 –
March 3, 1833		 Redistricted to the 21st district
Andrew Beaumont Jacksonian March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1837		 Retired
David Petrikin Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841		 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Benjamin A. Bidlack Democratic March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843		 Redistricted to the 11th district
Henry Nes Independent
Democratic		 March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845		 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Moses McClean Democratic March 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1847		 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Henry Nes Whig March 4, 1847 –
September 10, 1850		 Died
Vacant September 10, 1850 –
December 2, 1850
Joel B. Danner Democratic December 2, 1850 –
March 3, 1851		 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
William H. Kurtz Democratic March 4, 1851 –
March 3, 1853		 Redistricted to the 25th district
James Gamble Democratic March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855		 Redistricted from the 13th district
John J. Pearce Opposition March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1857		 Retired
Allison White Democratic March 4, 1857 –
March 3, 1859		 Lost re-election
James T. Hale Republican March 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1863		 Redistricted to the 18th district
Joseph Bailey Democratic March 4, 1863 –
March 3, 1865		 Redistricted from the 16th district
Adam J. Glossbrenner Democratic March 4, 1865 –
March 3, 1869		 Lost re-election
Richard J. Haldeman Democratic March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1873		 Retired
John A. Magee Democratic March 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875		 Lost renomination
Joseph Powell Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1877		 Lost re-election
Edward Overton, Jr. Republican March 4, 1877 –
March 3, 1881		 Lost renomination
Cornelius C. Jadwin Republican March 4, 1881 –
March 3, 1883		 Lost re-election
George A. Post Democratic March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1885		 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Frank C. Bunnell Republican March 4, 1885 –
March 3, 1889		 Retired
Myron B. Wright Republican March 4, 1889 –
November 13, 1894		 Died
Vacant November 13, 1894 –
February 23, 1895
Edwin J. Jorden Republican February 23, 1895 –
March 3, 1895		 Retired
Vacant March 4, 1895 –
November 5, 1895
James H. Codding Republican November 5, 1895 –
March 3, 1899		 Elected after the death of Representative-elect Myron B. Wright
Retired
Charles F. Wright Republican March 4, 1899 –
March 3, 1903		 Retired
Elias Deemer Republican March 4, 1903 –
March 3, 1907		 Redistricted from the 16th district
Lost re-election
William B. Wilson Democratic March 4, 1907 –
March 3, 1913		 Lost re-election
Edgar R. Kiess Republican March 4, 1913 –
March 3, 1923		 Redistricted to the 16th district
Louis T. McFadden Republican March 4, 1923 –
January 3, 1935		 Redistricted from the 14th district
Lost re-election
Charles E. Dietrich Democratic January 3, 1935 –
January 3, 1937		 Lost re-election
Albert G. Rutherford Republican January 3, 1937 –
August 10, 1941		 Died
Vacant August 10, 1941 –
November 4, 1941
Wilson D. Gillette Republican November 4, 1941 –
January 3, 1945		 Redistricted to the 14th district
Robert F. Rich Republican January 3, 1945 –
January 3, 1951		 Retired
Alvin Bush Republican January 3, 1951 –
January 3, 1953		 Redistricted to the 17th district
Francis E. Walter Democratic January 3, 1953 –
May 31, 1963		 Redistricted from the 21st district
Died
Vacant May 31, 1963 –
July 30, 1963
Fred B. Rooney Democratic July 30, 1963 –
January 3, 1979		 First elected to finish Walter's term
Lost re-election
Donald L. Ritter Republican January 3, 1979 –
January 3, 1993		 Lost re-election
Paul F. McHale, Jr. Democratic January 3, 1993 –
January 3, 1999		 Retired
Pat Toomey Republican January 3, 1999 –
January 3, 2005		 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Charlie Dent Republican January 3, 2005 –
Present		 First elected in 2004

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%

Historical district boundaries

2005 - 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

External links

Coordinates: 40°31′44″N 75°57′45″W / 40.52889°N 75.96250°W / 40.52889; -75.96250

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