Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
![]() | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (March 2012) |
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district | |
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![]() Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district - since January 3, 2013. | |
Representative | |
Distribution |
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Population (2000) | 646,300 |
Median household income | 45,330 |
Ethnicity |
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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 |
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District created in 1813 | |||
Vacant | March 4, 1813 – May 14, 1813 | ||
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Democratic- Republican |
May 14, 1813 – March 3, 1817 |
Elected after the resignation of Representative-elect Abner Lacock |
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Democratic- Republican |
March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821 |
Retired |
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Democratic- Republican |
March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 |
Redistricted to the 18th district |
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Jacksonian Democratic- Republican |
March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
Redistricted from the 12th district Lost renomination |
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Adams | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 |
Lost re-election |
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Jacksonian | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 |
Lost re-election |
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Anti-Masonic | March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 |
Redistricted to the 21st district |
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Jacksonian | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837 |
Retired |
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Democratic | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841 |
[data missing] |
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Democratic | March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
Redistricted to the 11th district |
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Independent Democratic |
March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 |
[data missing] |
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Democratic | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 |
[data missing] |
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Whig | March 4, 1847 – September 10, 1850 |
Died |
Vacant | September 10, 1850 – December 2, 1850 | ||
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Democratic | December 2, 1850 – March 3, 1851 |
[data missing] |
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Democratic | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 |
Redistricted to the 25th district |
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Democratic | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
Redistricted from the 13th district |
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Opposition | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 |
Retired |
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Democratic | March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 |
Lost re-election |
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Republican | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863 |
Redistricted to the 18th district |
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Democratic | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 |
Redistricted from the 16th district |
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Democratic | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869 |
Lost re-election |
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Democratic | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873 |
Retired |
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Democratic | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
Lost renomination |
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Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 |
Lost re-election |
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Republican | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881 |
Lost renomination |
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Republican | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883 |
Lost re-election |
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Democratic | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 |
[data missing] |
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Republican | March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889 |
Retired |
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Republican | March 4, 1889 – November 13, 1894 |
Died |
Vacant | November 13, 1894 – February 23, 1895 | ||
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Republican | February 23, 1895 – March 3, 1895 |
Retired |
Vacant | March 4, 1895 – November 5, 1895 | ||
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Republican | November 5, 1895 – March 3, 1899 |
Elected after the death of Representative-elect Myron B. Wright Retired |
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Republican | March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903 |
Retired |
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Republican | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1907 |
Redistricted from the 16th district Lost re-election |
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Democratic | March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1913 |
Lost re-election |
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Republican | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1923 |
Redistricted to the 16th district |
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Republican | March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935 |
Redistricted from the 14th district Lost re-election |
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Democratic | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937 |
Lost re-election |
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Republican | January 3, 1937 – August 10, 1941 |
Died |
Vacant | August 10, 1941 – November 4, 1941 | ||
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Republican | November 4, 1941 – January 3, 1945 |
Redistricted to the 14th district |
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Republican | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1951 |
Retired |
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Republican | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953 |
Redistricted to the 17th district |
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Democratic | January 3, 1953 – May 31, 1963 |
Redistricted from the 21st district Died |
Vacant | May 31, 1963 – July 30, 1963 | ||
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Democratic | July 30, 1963 – January 3, 1979 |
First elected to finish Walter's term Lost re-election |
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Republican | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1993 |
Lost re-election |
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Democratic | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999 |
Retired |
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Republican | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 |
Retired to run for U.S. Senate |
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Republican | January 3, 2005 – Present |
First elected in 2004 |
Recent Elections
Year | Election | Nominee | Party | Votes | % | Nominee | Party | Votes | % | |||
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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% | |||
2012 | General | Charlie Dent | Republican | 168,960 | 57% | Rick Daugherty | Democratic | 128,764 | 43% | |||
2014 | General | Charlie Dent | Republican | 128,285 | 100% |
Historical district boundaries
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/PACongressionalDistrict15.png/220px-PACongressionalDistrict15.png)
See also
References
- ^ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- 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