(From the diaries with minor edits – promoted by DavidNYC)
As I’d promised in my diary on New Jersey, Pennsylvania would be the next state I’d tackle. This would have been done a lot sooner, but those things called work and exams kind of got in the way….
My goal, flat out, was to carve more Democratic districts. I’m all for compactness when it comes to suitcases and mp3’s, but not when I’m gerrymandering states. Again, I kept Democratic Congresscritters in their homes.
Unlike New Jersey though, Pennsylvania is probably maxed-out when it comes to Democrats (save Gerlach and Dent, whose districts are certainly Democratic.) Pennsylvania is also losing one seat (most likely) in 2010, so I drew 18 seats on 2008 population estimates. I didn’t “merge” two districts per se, but more like took the 16th, 17th, and 19th and produced two districts from them.
I had the following goals in mind:
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Dislodge Gerlach (6th) and Dent (15th) by increasing Democratic performance in their districts.
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Give Dahlkemper (3rd), Altmire (4th), Murtha (12th), and Holden (17th) more favorable territory. They represent McCain districts now, I wanted to change those to Obama districts.
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Maintain strength for Sestak (7th), Patrick Murphy (8th), Kanjorski (11th), and Schwartz (13th). They have decently strongly Democratic districts, which I wanted to maintain at their current levels.
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Keep Brady (1st), Fattah (2nd), and Doyle (14th) in strongly Democratic districts, but perhaps not as absurdly strong as before. Obama scored 88%, 90%, and 70% respectively, I felt this could afford to be lowered somewhat. A corollary to this goal is keeping Fattah’s district majority Black. I didn’t bother with Brady’s currently plurality Black district, though it may still be.
Here’s the new map (click for full-size version):
Much more below the flip.
Again, to start, I used this map of Obama’s performance across the state, by municipality. As before, lightest shade is a margin of less than 5%, then 5 to 15, 15 to 25, 25 to 35, and the new uber-dark, which is a margin of 35+.
Going district by district, here’s what we’ve got. As a sidenote, I didn’t bother renumbering districts to make sense (which they don’t right now). I think it’s easier to keep core areas the same when numbering, since I think most of us automatically relate, for example, “PA-14” to Pittsburgh.
Summary statistics are: County, Population, Obama Votes, McCain Votes, Total Votes, Obama%, McCain%.
I’m going to go Northwest to Southeast, as opposed to in order by non-sensical district number. I think that makes the most sense.
| 3 | 689,046 | 169,632 | 139,373 | 314,100 | 54.01% | 44.37% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron | 5,974 | 879 | 1,323 | 2,257 | 38.95% | 58.62% | |
| Centre | 96,991 | 33,113 | 21,090 | 55,022 | 60.18% | 38.33% | |
| Clarion | 11,906 | 2,701 | 2,626 | 5,432 | 49.72% | 48.34% | |
| Clearfield | 38,795 | 7,372 | 7,835 | 15,582 | 47.31% | 50.28% | |
| Clinton | 27,232 | 5,557 | 5,070 | 10,767 | 51.61% | 47.09% | |
| Crawford | 88,880 | 16,780 | 20,750 | 38,134 | 44.00% | 54.41% | |
| Elk | 32,914 | 7,290 | 6,676 | 14,361 | 50.76% | 46.49% | |
| Erie | 279,255 | 75,775 | 50,351 | 127,691 | 59.34% | 39.43% | |
| Forest | 4,946 | 1,038 | 1,366 | 2,468 | 42.06% | 55.35% | |
| McKean | 20,003 | 3,579 | 3,628 | 7,370 | 48.56% | 49.23% | |
| Mercer | 16,892 | 2,842 | 4,191 | 7,184 | 39.56% | 58.34% | |
| Venango | 24,009 | 4,169 | 4,782 | 9,169 | 45.47% | 52.15% | |
| Warren | 41,249 | 8,537 | 9,685 | 18,663 | 45.74% | 51.89% |
Sad to say, this district probably isn’t much more gerrymandered than its current counterpart. It contains the entirety of Erie and Crawford counties in the northwest, and starts a slow march towards State College. I’d hate to leave those Democratic votes behind, and plus they’re a good way to shore up Dahlkemper’s district, which Obama lost by 17 votes. It takes in the Democratic parts of Centre and Clinton counties on the east end, with some arms into Clarion and Venango. I’d like to think I succeeded, since Obama scored 45% in the 3rd’s part of Venango and 50% in Clarion, compared to 35% and 33% in the parts not in the 3rd. All in all, a 54% Obama district – a 6% increase from its current form.
| 4 | 689,397 | 182,724 | 168,763 | 356,152 | 51.31% | 47.39% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 389,960 | 110,152 | 102,177 | 214,148 | 51.44% | 47.71% | |
| Beaver | 149,042 | 36,109 | 35,781 | 73,326 | 49.24% | 48.80% | |
| Lawrence | 75,681 | 17,041 | 16,670 | 34,362 | 49.59% | 48.51% | |
| Mercer | 74,714 | 19,422 | 14,135 | 34,316 | 56.60% | 41.19% |
Altmire is pretty much in the same boat as Dahlkemper, except with a district that Obama lost 44-55. There’s no need to complicate this by including any parts of Butler County, so this district sticks along the Ohio, Beaver, and Shenango Rivers up from Pittsburgh (but not including) to Sharon, through Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, and Mercer counties. It’s a point of pride for me that Obama won each county component. Specifically in Allegheny County, Altmire swaps out a bunch of Republican northern suburbs for friendlier stuff east of the city, notably Monroeville and Penn Hills. Obama scored 44% in the Allegheny portion of the old 4th, compard to 51% here. If Altmire didn’t live in Republican-leaning McCandless, there could have perhaps been more improvement. Anyways, this works out to a 51% Obama district – an improvement of 7%.
| 18 | 689,231 | 136,738 | 218,177 | 359,372 | 38.05% | 60.71% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 127,747 | 30,252 | 41,789 | 72,634 | 41.65% | 57.53% | |
| Beaver | 24,444 | 4,390 | 7,114 | 11,706 | 37.50% | 60.77% | |
| Butler | 181,082 | 32,260 | 57,074 | 90,761 | 35.54% | 62.88% | |
| Greene | 13,925 | 2,072 | 2,748 | 4,892 | 42.35% | 56.17% | |
| Lawrence | 16,216 | 2,670 | 5,181 | 7,987 | 33.43% | 64.87% | |
| Mercer | 25,909 | 4,147 | 8,239 | 12,668 | 32.74% | 65.04% | |
| Washington | 82,349 | 18,019 | 27,503 | 46,141 | 39.05% | 59.61% | |
| Westmoreland | 217,559 | 42,928 | 68,529 | 112,583 | 38.13% | 60.87% |
This district is what happens when you try to strip all the Republican territory out of the 3rd, 4th, and 12th districts and pack it together. Butler County has no place in a Democratic district, nor does the large chunk of Westmoreland County which is quickly trending away from us. Throw in some the northern Pittsburgh suburbs stripped out of Altmire’s district and the core of Tim Murphy’s old district, and you get this 38% – an 8% drop in Democratic performance.
| 14 | 688,540 | 227,685 | 124,055 | 355,158 | 64.11% | 34.93% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 688,540 | 227,685 | 124,055 | 355,158 | 64.11% | 34.93% |
The 14th doesn’t change much – it keeps the entirety of the city of Pittsburgh and suburbs to the east like Swissvale and Doyle’s home in Forest Hills. Instead of reaching southwest, the new 14th looks south to the southern Pittsburgh suburbs like Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park. Arguably, this district is actually more compact than the current 14th. No worries for Mike F. Doyle though, since Obama still won 55% in the non-Pittsburgh part of the district. Combine that with the 75% Obama scored in the city, and you get a 64% Democratic district, a drop of 6%.
| 12 | 689,579 | 146,095 | 143,358 | 294,030 | 49.69% | 48.76% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 19,931 | 4,385 | 3,865 | 8,347 | 52.53% | 46.30% | |
| Armstrong | 26,485 | 5,114 | 6,186 | 11,454 | 44.65% | 54.01% | |
| Cambria | 131,716 | 29,955 | 28,623 | 59,705 | 50.17% | 47.94% | |
| Fayette | 135,292 | 24,805 | 23,726 | 49,108 | 50.51% | 48.31% | |
| Greene | 25,794 | 5,757 | 5,141 | 11,084 | 51.94% | 46.38% | |
| Indiana | 55,368 | 12,477 | 12,254 | 25,068 | 49.77% | 48.88% | |
| Somerset | 26,108 | 5,709 | 6,599 | 12,656 | 45.11% | 52.14% | |
| Washington | 122,958 | 28,100 | 23,199 | 52,318 | 53.71% | 44.34% | |
| Westmoreland | 145,927 | 29,793 | 33,765 | 64,290 | 46.34% | 52.52% |
It’s no secret Obama didn’t do all that hot in Southwest PA, and it’s painfully obvious here. Kerry won the old 12th, which Obama lost by about 1,000 votes. Trying to create an Obama district required some creative districting and ends up being more like connect-the-dots between traditionally Democratic Fayette and Greene counties, Johnstown (Murtha’s residence), Washington, the college town of Indiana, and Lower Burrell in Westmoreland. The old 12th pretty much packed all the Democratic votes in the area, so the increased population requirement really made me stretch. I think again, I have a strong case for this being more compact than the old 12th. Either way, it’s a slight improvement to a district Obama won by 3,000 votes, an improvement of 0.5%.
| 9 | 689,087 | 102,284 | 191,267 | 298,149 | 34.31% | 64.15% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 5,926 | 1,018 | 1,671 | 2,739 | 37.17% | 61.01% | |
| Armstrong | 42,940 | 6,024 | 12,356 | 18,627 | 32.34% | 66.33% | |
| Bedford | 49,650 | 6,059 | 16,124 | 22,508 | 26.92% | 71.64% | |
| Blair | 125,593 | 19,813 | 32,708 | 53,298 | 37.17% | 61.37% | |
| Cambria | 14,271 | 2,496 | 3,372 | 5,965 | 41.84% | 56.53% | |
| Clarion | 28,186 | 4,045 | 8,111 | 12,435 | 32.53% | 65.23% | |
| Clearfield | 33,268 | 5,672 | 8,599 | 14,588 | 38.88% | 58.95% | |
| Cumberland | 19,402 | 3,428 | 4,426 | 7,976 | 42.98% | 55.49% | |
| Fayette | 9,667 | 1,090 | 2,054 | 3,172 | 34.36% | 64.75% | |
| Franklin | 139,459 | 21,169 | 41,906 | 63,641 | 33.26% | 65.85% | |
| Fulton | 14,261 | 1,576 | 4,642 | 6,306 | 24.99% | 73.61% | |
| Huntingdon | 45,552 | 6,621 | 11,745 | 18,730 | 35.35% | 62.71% | |
| Indiana | 32,520 | 4,588 | 7,473 | 12,236 | 37.50% | 61.07% | |
| Jefferson | 45,151 | 6,447 | 12,057 | 18,904 | 34.10% | 63.78% | |
| Somerset | 52,087 | 7,169 | 15,087 | 22,712 | 31.56% | 66.43% | |
| Venango | 31,154 | 5,069 | 8,936 | 14,312 | 35.42% | 62.44% |
Moving into the ‘T’ now, this is the first of two extremely Republican districts. Arguably, there are two population centers, one in Altoona in Blair County and the other in Chambersburg in Franklin. From there, it moves northwest, picking up the parts of Somerset, Cambria, Indiana, and Armstrong not packed into Murtha’s 12th, and then the parts of Venango and Clarion not in Dahlkemper’s 3rd. At 34% Obama, this is the most Republican district in Pennsylvania and a 1% drop from the current 9th.
| 5 | 689,043 | 114,992 | 195,836 | 315,767 | 36.42% | 62.02% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks | 9,899 | 993 | 2,312 | 3,366 | 29.50% | 68.69% | |
| Centre | 46,567 | 8,837 | 11,902 | 21,089 | 41.90% | 56.44% | |
| Clearfield | 9,696 | 1,511 | 2,228 | 3,839 | 39.36% | 58.04% | |
| Clinton | 10,002 | 1,540 | 2,434 | 4,024 | 38.27% | 60.49% | |
| Cumberland | 199,164 | 43,028 | 57,531 | 102,130 | 42.13% | 56.33% | |
| Dauphin | 43,419 | 8,423 | 15,149 | 23,834 | 35.34% | 63.56% | |
| Juniata | 23,163 | 3,068 | 6,484 | 9,819 | 31.25% | 66.04% | |
| Lebanon | 53,875 | 9,202 | 16,904 | 26,528 | 34.69% | 63.72% | |
| Lycoming | 49,426 | 7,076 | 15,691 | 23,131 | 30.59% | 67.84% | |
| McKean | 23,852 | 2,886 | 5,596 | 8,645 | 33.38% | 64.73% | |
| Mifflin | 46,609 | 5,375 | 10,929 | 16,502 | 32.57% | 66.23% | |
| Montour | 3,868 | 590 | 1,167 | 1,771 | 33.31% | 65.89% | |
| Northumberland | 22,909 | 3,245 | 6,360 | 9,734 | 33.34% | 65.34% | |
| Perry | 44,850 | 6,396 | 13,058 | 19,745 | 32.39% | 66.13% | |
| Potter | 18,080 | 2,300 | 5,109 | 7,583 | 30.33% | 67.37% | |
| Schuylkill | 10,533 | 1,776 | 3,294 | 5,139 | 34.56% | 64.10% | |
| Snyder | 23,134 | 2,499 | 6,442 | 9,069 | 27.56% | 71.03% | |
| Tioga | 24,641 | 3,610 | 7,527 | 11,305 | 31.93% | 66.58% | |
| Union | 25,356 | 2,637 | 5,719 | 8,514 | 30.97% | 67.17% |
The is the other Republican district taking in a large chunk of the T. More packing of Republicans here, as this district on the east side swaps many tentacles with Chris Carney’s new 10th district. Any pockets of even-remotely Democratic friendliness are pulled out, including Williamsport and Sunbury. What’s left is expansive Republican space, centered in Cumberland County moving north towards the Northern Tier. At 36% Obama, this is a drop of 8%.
| 10 | 688,967 | 134,946 | 156,456 | 296,409 | 45.53% | 52.78% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks | 8,704 | 1,724 | 2,167 | 3,995 | 43.15% | 54.24% | |
| Bradford | 61,626 | 10,306 | 15,057 | 25,884 | 39.82% | 58.17% | |
| Columbia | 64,663 | 13,019 | 14,255 | 27,838 | 46.77% | 51.21% | |
| Dauphin | 5,728 | 823 | 1,231 | 2,073 | 39.70% | 59.38% | |
| Lackawanna | 44,778 | 13,784 | 10,806 | 24,913 | 55.33% | 43.37% | |
| Luzerne | 11,637 | 2,044 | 3,020 | 5,153 | 39.67% | 58.61% | |
| Lycoming | 67,880 | 11,305 | 14,589 | 26,316 | 42.96% | 55.44% | |
| Montour | 14,368 | 2,757 | 3,388 | 6,216 | 44.35% | 54.50% | |
| Northumberland | 68,307 | 11,083 | 12,655 | 24,201 | 45.80% | 52.29% | |
| Pike | 57,102 | 11,493 | 12,519 | 24,285 | 47.33% | 51.55% | |
| Schuylkill | 108,170 | 20,758 | 23,247 | 44,766 | 46.37% | 51.93% | |
| Snyder | 14,849 | 2,883 | 3,458 | 6,410 | 44.98% | 53.95% | |
| Sullivan | 6,556 | 1,233 | 1,841 | 3,131 | 39.38% | 58.80% | |
| Susquehanna | 41,388 | 8,381 | 10,633 | 19,383 | 43.24% | 54.86% | |
| Tioga | 16,194 | 2,780 | 3,799 | 6,679 | 41.62% | 56.88% | |
| Union | 17,997 | 4,696 | 4,140 | 8,961 | 52.40% | 46.20% | |
| Wayne | 51,139 | 9,892 | 12,702 | 22,932 | 43.14% | 55.39% | |
| Wyoming | 27,881 | 5,985 | 6,949 | 13,273 | 45.09% | 52.35% |
You can’t win all of them, and this is the one district that wasn’t to my liking. I really wanted to protect Carney a bit more, but the territory simply wasn’t there to do that and protect the Democratic strength of Kanjorski’s 11th. I chose to hedge a bit and to keep the 11th strongly Democratic. It might be a waste to protect Kanjorski like that, but he’s got to retire eventually and we can definitely get a good Democrat out of Scranton. Thus, this district starts in Wayne and Pike counties, before moving through Susquehanna (Carney lives in Dimock) and northern Lackawanna counties. Lycoming County outside of Williamsport is stripped out as much as possible, and it gains Columbia County and a large chunk of Schuylkill County freed up from Holden’s 17th. Surprisingly, I still managed a gain of 0.5% to 45.5% Obama. Carney should be fine here regardless.
| 11 | 689,582 | 177,101 | 128,039 | 309,934 | 57.14% | 41.31% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | 62,326 | 13,464 | 12,957 | 27,050 | 49.77% | 47.90% | |
| Lackawanna | 164,442 | 53,736 | 28,682 | 83,626 | 64.26% | 34.30% | |
| Luzerne | 300,203 | 70,448 | 58,107 | 130,815 | 53.85% | 44.42% | |
| Monroe | 162,611 | 39,453 | 28,293 | 68,443 | 57.64% | 41.34% |
Kanjorski was probably saved in 2008 by Obama’s coattails, and shoring up the 11th was one of my major goals. Surprisingly, this actually becomes more compact, too, it seems. What we get is a district centered on the Lackawanna Valley. 43% of this district is Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County, and another 23% each for Scranton/Lackawanna County and Monroe County. All in all, a 57% Obama district, up 0.3% from the old 11th. Also a rare victory for compactness.
| 17 | 689,314 | 176,601 | 148,808 | 329,673 | 53.57% | 45.14% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks | 52,440 | 11,062 | 13,461 | 24,959 | 44.32% | 53.93% | |
| Cumberland | 6,969 | 1,850 | 1,782 | 3,719 | 49.74% | 47.92% | |
| Dauphin | 199,854 | 59,866 | 40,264 | 101,138 | 59.19% | 39.81% | |
| Lancaster | 229,139 | 60,406 | 52,477 | 114,386 | 52.81% | 45.88% | |
| Lebanon | 72,551 | 14,108 | 17,410 | 32,035 | 44.04% | 54.35% | |
| Schuylkill | 28,135 | 5,938 | 7,418 | 13,522 | 43.91% | 54.86% | |
| York | 100,226 | 23,371 | 15,996 | 39,914 | 58.55% | 40.08% |
Connect the dots version 2.0 here, as we string together the cities of York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Tim Holden’s home in St. Clair in Schuylkill County, all of which are strongly Democratic. They’re counterbalanced by the Republican outlying portions of York, Dauphin, and Lancaster counties, though. However, 59% Obama performances in the 17th’s parts of Dauphin and York and a 53% showing in Lancaster anchor this 54% Obama district on balance, an improvement of 6% from the current 17th.
| 16 | 688,715 | 118,510 | 197,429 | 320,910 | 36.93% | 61.52% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 93,986 | 16,615 | 24,678 | 41,924 | 39.63% | 58.86% | |
| Berks | 9,821 | 2,245 | 3,260 | 5,596 | 40.12% | 58.26% | |
| Chester | 1,059 | 243 | 552 | 806 | 30.15% | 68.49% | |
| Dauphin | 5,275 | 759 | 1,576 | 2,362 | 32.13% | 66.72% | |
| Lancaster | 264,774 | 39,180 | 74,091 | 114,863 | 34.11% | 64.50% | |
| York | 313,800 | 59,468 | 93,272 | 155,359 | 38.28% | 60.04% |
This is what remains of the old 16th and 19th districts once the Democratic cities are stripped out. There’s really not much to say about this district based in York and Lancaster, except that it’s the last “Republican” district we have to talk about, it only gets better from here. At 37% Obama, it’s a drop of 6% from the old 19th and 10% from the old 16th – which was intentional, of course.
| 15 | 688,754 | 177,367 | 136,903 | 318,961 | 55.61% | 42.92% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks | 65,559 | 15,023 | 14,970 | 30,535 | 49.20% | 49.03% | |
| Lehigh | 333,423 | 87,089 | 63,382 | 152,473 | 57.12% | 41.57% | |
| Northampton | 289,772 | 75,255 | 58,551 | 135,953 | 55.35% | 43.07% |
Starting with the Lehigh Valley, the 15th continues to have the entirety of Northampton County. Lehigh County did have a bite taken out of it by the old pterodactyl of the 6th, but the Lehigh in its entirety stays here too. Instead of reaching into MontCo with two rods hugging the MontCo-Berks and MontCo-BucksCo line, it goes for Bucks County instead. At 56% Obama, this is a slight improvement. Charlie Dent should be gone as soon as we get a good challenger anyway.
Southeast PA is definitely (in my mind, anyway), the coup de grace of this map. Here’s an inset of that:
Each district is colored by county component: all greens are the 6th or 8th, blues are the 7th or 13th, red is the 1st, and yellow is the 2nd.
First, the boring stuff (i.e. the 1st and 2nd):
| 1 | 689,174 | 266,010 | 78,010 | 347,098 | 76.64% | 22.47% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 208,267 | 65,596 | 42,719 | 109,675 | 59.81% | 38.95% | |
| Philadelphia | 480,907 | 200,414 | 35,291 | 237,423 | 84.41% | 14.86% |
Bob Brady’s district remains anchored in South Philly with an arm into Delaware County. The composition of this arm, however, is significantly different. Brady swaps with Sestak some cities (notably strongly-Democratic Chester city) for some Republican leaning parts of the Main Line. Brady’s old 1st had a 89% Democratic section of DelCo, the new 1st has a 60% Democratic section. This lowers Democratic performance by about 11%, down to 77%. Brady need not be concerned.
| 2 | 688,659 | 303,286 | 34,983 | 339,990 | 89.20% | 10.29% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 688,659 | 303,286 | 34,983 | 339,990 | 89.20% | 10.29% |
No significant changes for Chaka Fattah. His district still contains most of West Philly. Cheltenham in MontCo is removed, substituted for an arm into Northeast Philly. The changes aren’t all that significant, the district is only down 0.85% in Obama performance.
| 8 | 686,233 | 199,224 | 162,328 | 365,625 | 54.49% | 44.40% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks | 619,093 | 179,031 | 150,248 | 332,924 | 53.78% | 45.13% | |
| Montgomery | 27,576 | 7,460 | 5,533 | 13,168 | 56.65% | 42.02% | |
| Philadelphia | 39,564 | 12,733 | 6,547 | 19,533 | 65.19% | 33.52% |
Consistent with tradition, Bucks County remains in the 8th in its entirety. The old 8th had an odd-looking protrusion into MontCo (where Obama got 63%), and took a section of Northeast Philly where Obama barely edged McCain with 49%. We flip the roles here, instead taking Wards 41 and 65 of the city, where Obama got 65%. We also take a few municipalities (funnily, Hatfield Twp, Hatfield Boro, and Hatboro Boro) in MontCo, where Obama got 57%. Overall, Obama got 54.5%, up 0.5%.
| 13 | 688,902 | 224,312 | 140,834 | 368,302 | 60.90% | 38.24% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 443,652 | 144,765 | 100,434 | 247,223 | 58.56% | 40.62% | |
| Philadelphia | 245,250 | 79,547 | 40,400 | 121,079 | 65.70% | 33.37% |
The 13th remains a MontCo-Philly hybrid. It takes in more of MontCo now, consistent with the increased population constraint, reaching all the way to the Berks County Line. Instead of reaching through the city, the new 13th no longer touches the Delaware River, stopping short by grabbing Northeast Philly taken from the 8th. Centered in Abingdon (it’s the largest municipality), the new 13th’s section of MontCo is 59% Obama, up from 57%, and the new 13th’s section of Philly is 66% Obama, up from 60%. Together, this makes for a 61% Obama district, up from 58%.
| 7 | 689,283 | 219,653 | 154,096 | 377,651 | 58.16% | 40.80% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 211,997 | 66,693 | 57,071 | 125,146 | 53.29% | 45.60% | |
| Delaware | 345,246 | 113,274 | 72,554 | 187,835 | 60.31% | 38.63% | |
| Montgomery | 132,040 | 39,686 | 24,471 | 64,670 | 61.37% | 37.84% |
The new 7th stays composed of ChesCo, DelCo, and MontCo. Since more of DelCo is given to Brady’s 1st, this district becomes more Chester County heavy, reaching further north and west into the county. It, incidentally, takes Jim Gerlach’s home in West Pikeland Township here. Even so, the new ChesCo portion is 53% Obama, up from 50%. The DelCo section gets a healthy boost from the city of Chester while keeping in Radnor, Haverford, and Upper Darby along the Main Line. The New DelCo section is 60% Obama, up from 56%. The MontCo part remains mostly the same, taking in Norristown, Upper Merion, and Lower and Upper Providence Townships. Combined, this is a 58% Obama district, up 2.5%.
| 6 | 688,652 | 198,024 | 136,472 | 338,576 | 58.49% | 40.31% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks | 251,731 | 66,000 | 44,343 | 112,060 | 58.90% | 39.57% | |
| Chester | 265,765 | 70,897 | 56,798 | 129,300 | 54.83% | 43.93% | |
| Montgomery | 171,156 | 61,127 | 35,331 | 97,216 | 62.88% | 36.34% |
My favorite district. The pterodactyl is back (hence the title, get it?), and it’s leaner and meaner (to Republicans, anyway). The body remains majority Chester, but it swaps out a large swath of eastern ChesCo for townships along the Lancaster County line freed up from the 16th. It still, however, keeps Democratic centers in Downington and Coatesville, and adds West Chester proper, which was gerrymandered into the 16th before. Obama performed roughly the same in the old and new Chester part.
As before, the left wing reaches into Berks County, but before, Reading was cracked three ways between the 6th, 16th, and 17th. Now, Reading and its 81% Obama goodness are kept whole in this district, raising Obama’s performance in Berks from 54% to 59%. The right arm is still my favorite. Originally, Republicans conceived of this as a way to crack MontCo into two Republican (PA-06, PA-07) and one swing district (PA-13). This is best termed, I think, an EPIC FAIL. The old right arm was 64% Obama, and this new version is 63%. I maintained the anchor in Lower Merion Township and Narberth, since their combined 71% Obama goodness is just too good to give up. Combined, this raises Obama’s performance here by another 1% to 58.5%.
So there you have it, a new, 18-seat map for Pennsylvania. Comments? Questions? Which state should I do next? Please share what you think the districts look like, also!