Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
Pennsylvania's fourth congressional district, effective January 3, 2019, encompasses the majority of Montgomery County and a small sliver of Berks County in southeastern Pennsylvania, and is represented by Democrat Madeleine Dean. From 2013 to 2018, the district was in the south-central part of the state, covering all of Adams and York counties, as well as parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties, with representation by Republican Scott Perry.
Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district | |||
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Boundaries since the 2018 elections. | |||
Representative |
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Population (2019) | 730,701[1] | ||
Median household income | $91,030 | ||
Ethnicity |
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Cook PVI | D+7[2] |
History
From 2003 to 2013 the district included suburbs of Pittsburgh as well as Beaver County, Lawrence County, and Mercer County. The district had a slight Democratic registration edge, although it had voted for Republicans in several federal elections over the 2000s decade, including for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, as well as Lynn Swann for governor in 2006. The heart of the district was a string of mostly white and middle class suburbs. Plum and Murrysville, two large and mainly residential boroughs, are the main towns in the suburban portion of the district that lies to the east of the city. Also included were the many suburban areas that make up northern Allegheny County and southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, including the larger communities of McCandless and Franklin Park, as well as several exclusive suburbs that have long been home to Pittsburgh's old money elite, including Fox Chapel and Sewickley. The northern suburbs had a generally moderate voting populace, which trends Democratic but makes up the swing vote, especially in races for national office. Further north, the district took on a different character. The suburban areas of Beaver County are somewhat less affluent and were heavily labor Democratic. The areas of Lawrence County and Mercer County had a more rural feel, but also had a union Democrat center within the city of New Castle.
This district changed drastically when Pennsylvania's new districts went into effect on January 3, 2013. Due to slower population growth than the nation as a whole, Pennsylvania lost a seat in Congress in reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census, and this seat was effectively eliminated. Most of the 4th district was merged into a redrawn 12th district, and the previous 19th district was rebranded as the 4th. Thus from 2013 to 2018, the 4th district was located in south-central Pennsylvania and included all of Adams and York counties, as well as parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties. During this time, the district was represented by Republican Scott Perry.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the state's congressional districts in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional due to gerrymandering. The fourth district was reconfigured as a Democratic-leaning area to the northwest of Philadelphia for the 2018 election and representation thereafter. Geographically, it is the successor to the old 13th district, which was represented at the time by Democrat Brendan Boyle. Boyle, however, opted to run in the neighboring 2nd district, the geographic successor to the 1st district, represented by retiring incumbent Bob Brady. The bulk of Perry's representation, including York and Harrisburg, became part of a redrawn tenth district. Gettysburg and Adams County joined a new, heavily Republican 13th District, which was the successor to the old ninth district of retiring Congressman Bill Shuster. Areas to the south and east of York joined Lancaster in a redrawn, heavily Republican eleventh district, the successor of Republican Lloyd Smucker's 16th district.[3]
List of members representing the district
The district was organized from the Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district in 1791
1791–1793: One seat
Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history |
---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel Hiester | Anti-Administration | March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 |
2nd | Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1791. Redistricted to the at-large district. |
1795–1843: Two, then one, then three seats
District created in 1795 with two seats from the Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. The second seat was eliminated in 1813. The second seat was restored in 1823 along with a third seat.
Cong ress |
Years | Seat A | Seat B | Seat C | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representative | Party | Electoral history | Representative | Party | Electoral history | Representative | Party | Electoral history | |||||
4th | March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797 |
Samuel Sitgreaves |
Federalist | Elected in 1794. Re-elected in 1796. Resigned. |
John Richards | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1794. Lost re-election. |
No third seat until 1823 | |||||
5th | March 4, 1797 – August 29, 1798 |
John Chapman | Federalist | Elected in 1796. Lost re-election. | |||||||||
August 29, 1798 – December 4, 1798 |
Vacant | ||||||||||||
December 4, 1798 – March 3, 1799 |
Robert Brown | Democratic-Republican | Elected October 9, 1798 to finish Sitgreaves's term and seated December 4, 1798. Also elected October 9, 1798 to the next term. Re-elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 2nd district. | ||||||||||
6th | March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801 |
Peter Muhlenberg |
Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1798. Elected in 1800 but declined the seat when elected U.S. Senator. | |||||||||
7th | March 4, 1801 – December 7, 1801 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
December 7, 1801 – March 3, 1803 |
Isaac Van Horne | Democratic-Republican | Elected October 13, 1801 to finish Muhlenberg's term and seated December 7, 1801. Redistricted to the 2nd district. | ||||||||||
8th | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805 |
John A. Hanna | Democratic-Republican | Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1802. Died. |
David Bard | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1802. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Re-elected in 1810. Redistricted to the 9th district. | ||||||
9th | March 4, 1805 – July 23, 1805 | ||||||||||||
July 23, 1805 – December 2, 1805 |
Vacant | ||||||||||||
December 2, 1805 – March 3, 1807 |
Robert Whitehill | Democratic-Republican | Elected October 8, 1805 to finish Hanna's term and seated December 2, 1805. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Re-elected in 1810. Redistricted to the 5th district. | ||||||||||
10th | March 4, 1807 March 3, 1809 | ||||||||||||
11th | March 4, 1809 March 3, 1811 | ||||||||||||
12th | March 4, 1811 March 3, 1813 | ||||||||||||
13th | March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815 |
Hugh Glasgow | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1812. Re-elected in 1814. Retired. |
No second seat from 1813 to 1823 | ||||||||
14th | March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 | ||||||||||||
15th | March 4, 1817 – April 20, 1818 |
Jacob Spangler | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1816. Resigned to become Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania. | |||||||||
April 20, 1818 – November 16, 1818 |
Vacant | ||||||||||||
November 16, 1818 – March 3, 1819 |
Jacob Hostetter | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1818 to finish Spangler's term and seated November 16, 1818. Also elected in 1818 to the next term. Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
16th | March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821 | ||||||||||||
17th | March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 |
James S. Mitchell | Democratic-Republican | Elected in 1820. Redistricted to the 10th district. | |||||||||
18th | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
James Buchanan |
Jackson Federalist | Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828. Retired. |
Samuel Edwards |
Jackson Federalist | Redistricted from the 1st district and re-elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Retired. |
Isaac Wayne | Jackson Federalist | [data unknown/missing] | |||
19th | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827 |
Jacksonian | Jacksonian | Charles Miner | Anti-Jacksonian | Elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Retired. | |||||||
20th | March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829 |
Samuel Anderson | Anti-Jacksonian | Elected in 1826. Returned to Pennsylvania House of Representatives. | |||||||||
21st | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 |
George G. Leiper |
Jacksonian | Elected in 1828. Retired. |
Joshua Evans Jr. | Jacksonian | Elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Retired. | ||||||
22nd | March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 |
William Hiester | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1832. Re-elected in 1834. Retired. |
David Potts Jr. | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1832. Re-elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Retired. | ||||||
23rd | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 |
Edward Darlington | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1832. Re-elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Retired. | |||||||||
24th | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 | ||||||||||||
25th | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839 |
Edward Davies | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1836. Re-elected in 1838. [data unknown/missing] | |||||||||
26th | March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 |
Francis James | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. [data unknown/missing] |
John Edwards | Anti-Masonic | Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. [data unknown/missing] | ||||||
27th | March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
Jeremiah Brown | Whig | Elected in 1840. Redistricted to the 8th district. |
Whig | Whig |
1843–present: One seat
Recent elections
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jason Altmire | 130,480 | 51.92% | |
Republican | Melissa Hart (Incumbent) | 120,822 | 48.08% | |
Majority | 9,658 | 3.84% | ||
Turnout | 251,302 | 100% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jason Altmire (Incumbent) | 186,536 | 55.86% | |
Republican | Melissa Hart | 147,411 | 44.14% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jason Altmire (Incumbent) | 120,827 | 50.81% | |
Republican | Keith Rothfus | 116,958 | 49.19% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Scott Perry | 181,603 | 59.74% | |
Democratic | Harry Perkinson | 104,643 | 34.42% | |
Independent | Wayne W. Wolff | 11,524 | 3.79% | |
Libertarian | Michael B. Koffenberger | 6,210 | 2.04% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Scott Perry (Incumbent) | 147,090 | 74.54% | |
Democratic | Linda D. Thompson | 50,250 | 25.46% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Scott Perry (Incumbent) | 220,628 | 66.06% | |
Democratic | Joshua T. Burkholder | 113,372 | 33.94% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Madeleine Dean | 210,219 | 63.45% | |
Republican | Daniel David | 121,117 | 36.66% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 264,637 | 59.5 | |
Republican | Kathy Barnette | 179,926 | 40.5 | |
Total votes | 444,563 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Historical district boundaries
In the very early 19th Century this district included all or part of Bucks County.
- 2003–2013
- 2013–2019
References
- https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=42&cd=04
- "New Pennsylvania Map Is a Major Boost for Democrats". The Cook Political Report. February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- 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.
- "CNN Elections Results 2006". Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- "2008 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "2010 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 2, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "2012 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 6, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "2014 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "2016 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "2018 General Election: Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- "2020 Presidential Election - Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- 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