Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

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Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
 Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Charlie Dent (RAllentown)
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
No image.svg Thomas Wilson Democratic-
Republican
May 14, 1813 –
March 3, 1817
Elected after the resignation of Representative-elect Abner Lacock
No image.svg Robert Moore Democratic-
Republican
March 4, 1817 –
March 3, 1821
Retired
No image.svg Patrick Farrelly Democratic-
Republican
March 4, 1821 –
March 3, 1823
Redistricted to the 18th district
No image.svg Thomas Patterson Jacksonian Democratic-
Republican
March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825
Redistricted from the 12th district
Lost renomination
No image.svg Joseph Lawrence Adams March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1829
Lost re-election
No image.svg William McCreery Jacksonian March 4, 1829 –
March 3, 1831
Lost re-election
Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan.png Thomas M. T. McKennan Anti-Masonic March 4, 1831 –
March 3, 1833
Redistricted to the 21st district
No image.svg Andrew Beaumont Jacksonian March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1837
Retired
No image.svg David Petrikin Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
No image.svg Benjamin A. Bidlack Democratic March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843
Redistricted to the 11th district
No image.svg Henry Nes Independent
Democratic
March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
No image.svg Moses McClean Democratic March 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1847
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
No image.svg Henry Nes Whig March 4, 1847 –
September 10, 1850
Died
Vacant September 10, 1850 –
December 2, 1850
No image.svg Joel B. Danner Democratic December 2, 1850 –
March 3, 1851
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
No image.svg William H. Kurtz Democratic March 4, 1851 –
March 3, 1853
Redistricted to the 25th district
No image.svg James Gamble Democratic March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855
Redistricted from the 13th district
No image.svg John J. Pearce Opposition March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1857
Retired
No image.svg Allison White Democratic March 4, 1857 –
March 3, 1859
Lost re-election
Hon. James T. Hale, Pa - NARA - 525352 (V2).jpg James T. Hale Republican March 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1863
Redistricted to the 18th district
JosephBaileyPA.jpg Joseph Bailey Democratic March 4, 1863 –
March 3, 1865
Redistricted from the 16th district
Adam John Glossbrenner.jpg Adam J. Glossbrenner Democratic March 4, 1865 –
March 3, 1869
Lost re-election
Richard Jacobs Haldeman - Brady-Handy.jpg Richard J. Haldeman Democratic March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1873
Retired
John Alexander Magee - Brady-Handy.jpg John A. Magee Democratic March 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875
Lost renomination
Joseph Powell (Towanda, Pennsylvania).jpg Joseph Powell Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1877
Lost re-election
Edward Overton, Jr. - Brady-Handy.jpg Edward Overton, Jr. Republican March 4, 1877 –
March 3, 1881
Lost renomination
Cornelius C. Jadwin.jpg Cornelius C. Jadwin Republican March 4, 1881 –
March 3, 1883
Lost re-election
George Adams Post.jpg George A. Post Democratic March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1885
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Frank Charles Bunnell.jpg Frank C. Bunnell Republican March 4, 1885 –
March 3, 1889
Retired
MyronBenjaminWright.jpg Myron B. Wright Republican March 4, 1889 –
November 13, 1894
Died
Vacant November 13, 1894 –
February 23, 1895
No image.svg Edwin J. Jorden Republican February 23, 1895 –
March 3, 1895
Retired
Vacant March 4, 1895 –
November 5, 1895
James Hodge Codding.jpg James H. Codding Republican November 5, 1895 –
March 3, 1899
Elected after the death of Representative-elect Myron B. Wright
Retired
Charles Frederick Wright.jpg Charles F. Wright Republican March 4, 1899 –
March 3, 1903
Retired
EliasDeemer.jpg Elias Deemer Republican March 4, 1903 –
March 3, 1907
Redistricted from the 16th district
Lost re-election
Wilson-William-Bauchop-130313.jpg William B. Wilson Democratic March 4, 1907 –
March 3, 1913
Lost re-election
Edgar R. Kiess.jpg Edgar R. Kiess Republican March 4, 1913 –
March 3, 1923
Redistricted to the 16th district
Louis T. McFadden.jpg Louis T. McFadden Republican March 4, 1923 –
January 3, 1935
Redistricted from the 14th district
Lost re-election
No image.svg Charles E. Dietrich Democratic January 3, 1935 –
January 3, 1937
Lost re-election
Albert G. Rutherford.jpg Albert G. Rutherford Republican January 3, 1937 –
August 10, 1941
Died
Vacant August 10, 1941 –
November 4, 1941
No image.svg Wilson D. Gillette Republican November 4, 1941 –
January 3, 1945
Redistricted to the 14th district
No image.svg Robert F. Rich Republican January 3, 1945 –
January 3, 1951
Retired
Alvin Ray Bush.jpg Alvin Bush Republican January 3, 1951 –
January 3, 1953
Redistricted to the 17th district
3909-walter-francis-e.jpg 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.jpg Fred B. Rooney Democratic July 30, 1963 –
January 3, 1979
First elected to finish Walter's term
Lost re-election
Don Ritter.png Donald L. Ritter Republican January 3, 1979 –
January 3, 1993
Lost re-election
PFMcHaleJr.jpg Paul F. McHale, Jr. Democratic January 3, 1993 –
January 3, 1999
Retired
Pat Toomey Congress.jpg Pat Toomey Republican January 3, 1999 –
January 3, 2005
Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Charles W. Dent, official photo portrait, color.jpg Charlie Dent Republican January 3, 2005 –
Present
First elected in 2004

Recent Elections

Year Election 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%
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

2005 - 2013

See also

References

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External links

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