Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District
| Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Incumbent Susan Wild 
|
| U.S. Census Bureau (2018 data) |
| Population: 731,168 |
| Gender: 49.1% Male, 50.9% Female |
| Race[1]: 81.0% White, 7.2% Black, 3.3% Asian |
| Ethnicity: 19.5% Hispanic |
| Unemployment: 5.8% |
| Median household income $64,859 |
| High school graduation rate 89.8% |
| College graduation rate 29.6% |
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is located in eastern Pennsylvania and includes portions of Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton counties.[2] The 7th Congressional District seat is represented by Susan Wild (D).
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties and 2018 Congressional elections in Pivot Counties
At the time of the 2018 election, this district intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.[3]
Elections
2020
General election candidates
- Susan Wild (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
- Lisa Scheller (Republican Party)
- Anthony Sayegh (Independent) (Write-in)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Democratic primary candidates
- Susan Wild (Incumbent) ✔
Republican primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
2018
Results of 2018 redistricting
On February 19, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopted a new congressional district map after ruling that the original map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. District locations and numbers were changed by the new map. Candidates were listed under Pennsylvania’s new districts, which were used in the 2018 congressional elections. Click here for more information about the ruling.
The chart below compares this new district with the old district that was the most geographically similar to it.
| Old district[4] | Prior incumbent | Prior 2016 presidential result | New 2016 presidential result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15th District | Charlie Dent (R) | R+7.6 | D+1.1 |
Not sure which district you're in? Find out here.
Click the box below to see how the new congressional districts compare to the ones in place before the redrawing.
Regular election
General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7
Susan Wild defeated Marty Nothstein and Tim Silfies in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Susan Wild (D) |
53.5
|
140,813 |
|
|
Marty Nothstein (R) |
43.5
|
114,437 | |
|
|
Tim Silfies (L) |
3.0
|
8,011 | |
|
|
Total votes: 263,261 |
Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Susan Wild |
33.5
|
15,262 |
|
|
John Morganelli |
30.1
|
13,754 | |
|
|
Greg Edwards |
25.4
|
11,602 | |
|
|
Roger Ruggles |
5.4
|
2,467 | |
|
|
Rick Daugherty |
3.9
|
1,760 | |
|
|
David Clark |
1.7
|
777 | |
|
|
Total votes: 45,622 |
Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7
Marty Nothstein defeated Dean Browning in the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Marty Nothstein |
50.5
|
16,241 |
|
|
Dean Browning |
49.5
|
15,923 | |
|
|
Total votes: 32,164 |
Special election
Special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7
Mary Gay Scanlon defeated Pearl Kim, Sandra Salas, and Brianna Johnston in the special general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 7 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Mary Gay Scanlon (D) |
52.3
|
173,268 |
|
|
Pearl Kim (R) |
46.0
|
152,503 | |
|
|
Sandra Salas (L) |
1.0
|
3,177 | |
|
|
Brianna Johnston (G) |
0.8
|
2,511 | |
|
|
Total votes: 331,459 |
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Patrick Meehan (R) defeated Mary Ellen Balchunis (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Meehan defeated Stan Casacio in the Republican primary, while Balchunis defeated Bill Golderer to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on April 26, 2016.[10][11]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Patrick Meehan Incumbent |
59.5% | 225,678 | |
| Democratic | Mary Ellen Balchunis | 40.5% | 153,824 | |
| Total Votes | 379,502 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Mary Ellen Balchunis |
74% | 52,792 | ||
| Bill Golderer | 26% | 18,509 | ||
| Total Votes | 71,301 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State |
||||
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Patrick Meehan Incumbent |
76.4% | 86,178 | ||
| Stan Casacio | 23.6% | 26,674 | ||
| Total Votes | 112,852 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State |
||||
2014
The 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Patrick Meehan (R) defeated Mary Ellen Balchunis (D) in the general election.
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Patrick Meehan Incumbent |
62% | 145,869 | |
| Democratic | Mary Ellen Balchunis | 38% | 89,256 | |
| Total Votes | 235,125 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
2012
The 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Patrick Meehan won re-election in the district.[12]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | George Badey | 40.6% | 143,509 | |
| Republican | Patrick Meehan Incumbent |
59.4% | 209,942 | |
| Total Votes | 353,451 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Patrick Meehan won election to the United States House. He defeated Bryan Lentz (D) and James D. Schneller (American Congress Party) in the general election.[13]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Patrick Meehan |
54.9% | 137,825 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Lentz | 44% | 110,314 | |
| American Congress Party | James D. Schneller | 1.1% | 2,708 | |
| Total Votes | 250,847 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Joe Sestak won re-election to the United States House. He defeated W. Craig Williams (R) in the general election.[14]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joe Sestak incumbent |
59.6% | 209,955 | |
| Republican | W. Craig Williams | 40.4% | 142,362 | |
| Total Votes | 352,317 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Joe Sestak won election to the United States House. He defeated Curt Weldon (R) and various write-in challengers in the general election.[15]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joe Sestak |
56.4% | 147,898 | |
| Republican | Curt Weldon incumbent | 43.6% | 114,426 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 110 | |
| Total Votes | 262,434 | |||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Curt Weldon won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Paul Scoles (D) and David Jahn (Libertarian) in the general election.[16]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Curt Weldon incumbent |
58.8% | 196,556 | |
| Democratic | Paul Scoles | 40.3% | 134,932 | |
| Libertarian | David Jahn | 0.9% | 3,039 | |
| Total Votes | 334,527 | |||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Curt Weldon won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Peter A. Lennon (D) in the general election.[17]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Curt Weldon incumbent |
66.1% | 146,296 | |
| Democratic | Peter A. Lennon | 33.9% | 75,055 | |
| Total Votes | 221,351 | |||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Curt Weldon won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Peter A. Lennon (D) in the general election.[18]
| U.S. House, Pennsylvania District 7 General Election, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Curt Weldon incumbent |
64.8% | 172,569 | |
| Democratic | Peter A. Lennon | 35.2% | 93,687 | |
| Total Votes | 266,256 | |||
Redistricting
2018
On January 22, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional district map, finding that the map constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. On February 19, 2018, the court adopted a remedial map for use in the 2018 election cycle. Pennsylvania Republicans filed suit in federal district court to prevent implementation of the new map. The district court dismissed the suit on March 19, 2018. State Republicans also petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to stay the state supreme court's order pending appeal. The court rejected this request on March 19, 2018. To learn more, see here.
2010-2011
- See also: Redistricting in Pennsylvania
The Legislative Reapportionment Commission in Pennsylvania approved the GOP-proposed map. It was signed into law on December 22, 2001.[19][20] On March 30, 2012, the 7th District was included in a list released by the National Journal of the top ten most contorted congressional districts due to redistricting.[21]
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+1, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage point more Democratic than the national average. This made Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District the 194th most Democratic nationally.[22]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[23]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "Composite Listing of Congressional Districts," accessed April 12, 2018
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Refers to the old district that makes up a plurality of the new district.
- ↑ The old 1st and 11th Districts did not make up a plurality of any of the new districts. The 1st District went for Hillary Clinton by 61.3 percentage points and was represented by Bob Brady (D). The 11th District went for Donald Trump by 23.8 percentage points and was represented by Lou Barletta (R).
- ↑ District 13 incumbent Brendan Boyle (D) filed for re-election in the new 2nd District.
- ↑ District 17 incumbent Matt Cartwright (D) filed for re-election in the new 8th District.
- ↑ Lamb was elected in a March 2018 special election to replace Rep. Tim Murphy (R).
- ↑ Lamb filed to run for PA-17 in the 2018 election.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Candidate Listing – Pre Ballot Lottery," accessed February 17, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Pennsylvania Primary Results," April 26, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Pennsylvania"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ ABC 27, "Corbett signs off on new congressional map," December 22, 2011
- ↑ The Republic, "Senate Democrats and Chester County group plan to contest Pa. legislative redistricting plan," January 7, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "Modern Gerrymanders: 10 Most Contorted Congressional Districts—MAPS," accessed March 31, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
