Pennsylvania redistricting: New proposed maps for state House, Senate districts released

This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access.

HARRISBURG — A panel of Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers released new proposed maps for the state’s House and Senate districts on Thursday, a major milestone in the once-in-a-decade redistricting process that will permanently alter politics in the state.

You can view the House map at shorturl.at/mDKT9 and the Senate map at shorturl.at/gBGT6.

The maps were drafted by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, a five-person panel of the four top legislative leaders from both parties in the State Assembly, and a nonpartisan chairperson selected by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

They will shape the political future of Pennsylvania’s 50-member Senate and 203-member House, which are both controlled by Republicans. The legislature wields significant influence, setting policy and budgetary priorities that affect everyone in the state.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has for years served as a foil to the Republican agenda, but that could change depending on the outcome of next year’s gubernatorial election. Wolf, who is term-limited, cannot run again, setting up a wide-open race sure to attract national attention.

The immediate flashpoint was the draft of the House map, which would force 12 incumbent Republicans into showdowns, as opposed to two Democrats. The Democrats see the map as an undoing of years of unfair Republican gerrymandering and political advantage.

But Republicans on the panel said it was a clear effort by Democrats to seize control.

“I see this map as extremely partisan gerrymandered,” House Majority Leader Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, said during the commission hearing.

The Senate map was advanced by the panel unanimously, while the House map passed by a 3-2 vote, with the two Democrats and the independent chairperson, Mark Nordenberg, voting in favor.

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