Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. congressional district
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district includes all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties, and parts of Monroe County. It has been represented by Republican Ryan Mackenzie since 2025.
From March 2003 through 2018, the district incorporated parts of the Philadelphia suburbs, including most of Delaware County, along with portions of Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Lancaster Counties. The district exhibited extreme non-congruity during that time as a result of gerrymandering.[1] On January 22, 2018, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the map violated the state constitution, and in February, it issued its own district boundaries for use in the 2018 elections and representation thereafter.[2] Most of the population in the old 7th district became part of a new 5th district, encompassing all of Delaware County and parts of South Philadelphia; while most of the old 15th district became the new 7th district.[3][4] In the 2020 redistricting cycle, Carbon County was added into the district, in exchange for the area around East Stroudsburg in Monroe County.
Pat Meehan, who had represented the old 7th district since 2011, resigned on April 27, 2018, amid a sexual harassment case. Mary Gay Scanlon won the special election on November 6, 2018, to replace him for the remainder of his term, and she served for slightly less than two months as the last representative for the old 7th district before being transferred to the newly redrawn 5th district. Susan Wild won the general election in the newly redrawn 7th district, and she took office January 3, 2019.
The district was identified as a presidential bellwether by Sabato's Crystal Ball, having voted for the Electoral College winner in the past four presidential elections as of 2020.[5]
Recent election results from statewide races
| Year | Office | Results[6][7] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Obama 56% - 43% |
| Attorney General | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Morganelli 59% - 41% | |
| Auditor General | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Wagner 59% - 41% | |
| 2010 | Senate | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Toomey 53% - 47% |
| Governor | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Corbett 55% - 45% | |
| 2012 | President | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Obama 53% - 47% |
| Senate | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Casey Jr. 54% - 46% | |
| 2014 | Governor | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Wolf 55% - 45% |
| 2016 | President | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Trump 50% - 47% |
| Senate | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Toomey 50% - 46% | |
| Attorney General | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Shapiro 51% - 49% | |
| Treasurer | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Torsella 50% - 45% | |
| Auditor General | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Brown 48% - 47% | |
| 2018 | Senate | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Casey Jr. 54% - 44% |
| Governor | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Wolf 57% - 41% | |
| 2020 | President | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Biden 50% - 49% |
| Attorney General | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Shapiro 50% - 47% | |
| Treasurer | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Garrity 49% - 48% | |
| Auditor General | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|DeFoor 49% - 46% | |
| 2022 | Senate | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Fetterman 51% - 46% |
| Governor | align="right" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Shapiro 55% - 43% | |
| 2024 | President | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Trump 51% - 48% |
| Senate | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|McCormick 50% - 48% | |
| Attorney General | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Sunday 51% - 46% | |
| Treasurer | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Garrity 52% - 46% | |
| Auditor General | align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|DeFoor 51% - 46% |
Geography
The 2003–2012 version of the district was located in southeastern Pennsylvania. It contained the western and northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia. It consisted of the majority of Delaware County (except for the City of Chester and some of the eastern boroughs), a portion of Chester County east of West Chester in the affluent Philadelphia Main Line area, and a portion of southern Montgomery County centered on Upper Merion Township.
The 2013–2018 version of the district contained most of Delaware County outside of the City of Chester and the heavily African American townships and boroughs in the eastern portion of the county. It also contained parts of central Montgomery County, southern portions of Berks County, southern and central portions of Chester County, and a small portion of eastern Lancaster County. The District as it stood in October 2016 was named on NPR's On the Media as an egregious example of gerrymandering. The shape of the district was described as "Goofy kicking Donald Duck. The only point that is essentially contiguous there is Goofy's foot in Donald Duck's rear end. ... However these district lines are the building blocks of democracy, and when they get as perverted and twisted as this, it leads to deeply undemocratic outcomes."[8] The Washington Post listed it as one of the ten most gerrymandered districts in the country.[9]
On February 19, 2018, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania released a new congressional map after lawmakers had failed to agree on a map that would reduce gerrymandering. The map substantially redrew the District, relocating it to the Lehigh Valley.[4] The newly redrawn district includes all of Lehigh County and Northampton County as well as parts of Monroe County.
Composition
- Carbon County (23)
- All 23 municipalities
Lehigh County (25)
- All 25 municipalities
Monroe County (3)
- Eldred Township, Polk Township, Ross Township (part; also 8th)
Northampton County (38)
- All 38 municipalities
List of members representing the district
1791–1793: one seat
District created in 1791.
| Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District first established March 4, 1791 | ||||
| File:Thomas Hartley 1748-1800.png Thomas Hartley (York)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
style="background:Template:Party color" | Pro-Administration | March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Redistricted from the Template:Ushr and re-elected in 1791. Redistricted to the Template:Ushr. |
District redistricted in 1793 to the Template:Ushr.
1795–1823: one seat
District restored in 1795.
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:JohnWKittera.jpg John W. Kittera (Lancaster)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Federalist | March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1801 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Redistricted from the Template:Ushr and re-elected in 1794. Re-elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Retired. |
| Thomas Boude (Columbia)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Federalist | March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1800. Redistricted to the Template:Ushr and lost re-election. |
| John Rea (Chambersburg)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1811 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1802. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Lost re-election. |
| William Piper (Bloodyrun)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1810. Redistricted to the Template:Ushr. |
| John M. Hyneman (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | March 4, 1813 – August 2, 1813 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Redistricted from the Template:Ushr and re-elected in 1812. Resigned. |
| Vacant | August 2, 1813 – October 12, 1813 |
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| File:DanielUdree.jpg Daniel Udree (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | October 12, 1813 – March 3, 1815 |
Elected October 12, 1813, to finish Hyneman's term and seated December 6, 1813. Lost re-election. | |
| File:Joseph Hiester.jpg Joseph Hiester (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | March 4, 1815 – December ????, 1820 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1814. Re-elected in 1816. Resigned to become Governor of Pennsylvania. |
| Vacant | December ????, 1820 – December 26, 1820 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | ||
| File:DanielUdree.jpg Daniel Udree (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | December 26, 1820 – March 3, 1821 |
Elected December 10, 1820, to finish Hiester's term and seated January 8, 1821.[10] Had not been a candidate for the next term. | |
| Ludwig Worman (Pottstown)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Federalist | March 4, 1821 – October 17, 1822 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1820. Lost re-election and then died. |
| Vacant | October 17, 1822 – December 10, 1822 |
|||
| File:DanielUdree.jpg Daniel Udree (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-Republican | December 10, 1822 – March 3, 1823 |
Elected in 1822. Later elected December 10, 1822, to finish Worman's term and seated December 23, 1822. | |
1823–1833: two seats
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history | Member | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Wilson (Allentown)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-RepublicanTemplate:Efn | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Died. |
File:DanielUdree.jpg Daniel Udree (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Democratic-RepublicanTemplate:Efn | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Re-elected in 1822. Retired. | |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | March 4, 1825 – August 24, 1826 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | William Addams (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Lost re-election. | |||
| Vacant | August 24, 1826 – December 4, 1826 |
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| Jacob Krebs (Orwigsburg)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | December 4, 1826 – March 3, 1827 |
Elected October 10, 1826, to finish Wilson's term and seated December 4, 1826. Was not a candidate for the next term. | |||||||
| Joseph Fry Jr. (Fryburg)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828. Retired. | ||||||
| File:Henry A. Muhlenberg (US Congressman from Pennsylvania).jpg Henry A. P. Muhlenberg (Reading)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Redistricted to the Template:Ushr. | ||||||
| Henry King (Allentown)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Jacksonian | March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 |
Template:USCongressOrdinal | Elected in 1830. Redistricted to the Template:Ushr. | ||||||
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1833–present: one seat
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Historical district boundaries
-
2003–2013
-
2013–2019
-
2019–2023
See also
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Notes
References
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External links
- District map
- Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
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- ↑ League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, No. 159 MM 2018, [1] (PA February 19, 2018)
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- Pages with script errors
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- Congressional districts of Pennsylvania
- 1791 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Constituencies established in 1791
- Constituencies disestablished in 1793
- 1793 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
- Constituencies established in 1795
- 1795 establishments in Pennsylvania