Pennsylvania's fourth congressional district, effective January 3, 2019, encompasses the majority of Montgomery County and a small sliver of

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

in southeastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the Pennsylvania district pushed northwards, further into

, effective with the 2022 elections. The area has been represented by Democrat Madeleine Dean since 2013. The fourth district was previously in the south-central part of the state, covering all of Adams and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

counties, as well as parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties, with representation by Republican Scott Perry.

History

From 2003 to 2013 the district included suburbs of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

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 The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, 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

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 The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

redrew the state's congressional districts in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional due to

gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

. The fourth district was reconfigured as a Democratic-leaning area to the northwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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 Brendan Francis Boyle (born February 6, 1977) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing a district in the Philadelphia area since 2015. He represented the 13th district ...

. Boyle, however, opted to run in the neighboring 2nd district, the geographic successor to the 1st district, represented by retiring incumbent

Bob Brady Robert A. Brady (born April 7, 1945) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2019. He was the ranking Democrat and Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration from 2007 to 20 ...

. The bulk of Perry's representation, including

and

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, 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 William Franklin Shuster (; born January 10, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party, and is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster. In J ...

. Areas to the south and east of York joined Lancaster in a redrawn, heavily Republican eleventh district, the successor of Republican

Lloyd Smucker Lloyd Kenneth Smucker (born January 23, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district, which includes Lancaster County and most of southern York County. He is a member of the ...

's 16th district.

List of members representing the district

The district was organized from the in 1791

1791–1793: One seat

1795–1843: Two, then one, then three seats

District created in 1795 with two seats from the . The second seat was eliminated in 1813. The second seat was restored in 1823 along with a third seat.

1843–present: One seat

Recent elections

Historical district boundaries

In the very early 19th century, this district included all or part of

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

. File:PA-4th.gif, 2003–2013 File:Pennsylvania US Congressional District 4 (since 2013).tif, 2013–2019 File:Pennsylvania Congressional District 4.png, 2019–2023

References

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Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

District map

Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District 04 Constituencies established in 1791 1791 establishments in Pennsylvania Constituencies disestablished in 1793 1793 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Constituencies established in 1795 1795 establishments in Pennsylvania