Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
Boundaries since January 2019
Representative	Fred Keller R–Middleburg
Population (2019)	701,387
Median household income	$55,203
Cook PVI	R+20[1]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in the north central and northeastern parts of Pennsylvania, including the Northern Tier region, parts of the Susquehanna Valley, and part of Happy Valley including State College. It has been represented by Fred Keller since May 21, 2019, who won a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former representative Tom Marino.^[2][3]

Prior to 2018, the 12th district was located in southwestern Pennsylvania, and included all of Beaver County, and parts of Allegheny, Cambria, Lawrence, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew this and other state congressional districts in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering. The new 12th district covers much of the old 10th district. The old 12th district was redrawn to an area north and west of Pittsburgh and renamed the 17th district, for the 2018 elections and representation thereafter.^[4]

Before the 2011 round of redistricting, the 12th District was widely considered to be gerrymandered by the Republican-controlled state legislature as a heavily Democratic district. It consisted of all of Greene County, and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties.

Geography 2003–2013[]

Located in southwestern Pennsylvania, the 12th District consisted of all of Greene County, and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties. A thoroughly unionized district, the 12th was historically among the most Democratic areas of the state. However, the Democrats in this area were not as liberal as their counterparts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Most were somewhat conservative on social issues, particularly abortion and gun control.

The 12th included all of Greene County, a highly rural region that still has a traditionally Democratic influence due to its labor leanings. In Washington county, the city of Washington, a large and Democratic edge suburb of Pittsburgh was a part of the 12th, as well as the eastern portion of the county. Most of the Monongahela Valley region, a very Democratic area that was once an important steel-making area, was also part of the 12th. However, more rural western Washington County and the suburban northern portion of the county (with towns like McDonald and Canonsburg) then belonged to the 18th. The western portion of Fayette County, including the city of Uniontown, a labor Democratic stronghold was part of this district, while the rural mountainous eastern portion was a part of the 9th.

The 12th District continued eastward, including southeastern and northeastern parts of Westmoreland County, including the labor Democratic city of Latrobe, while leaving the suburban western part of the county (with towns such as Murrysville) and the generally left-leaning city of Greensburg in the 18th. The major population base of the district was located just to the east, taking in most of Somerset and Cambria counties. This area, the heart of a large coal-mining region, includes the district's largest city, Johnstown. The 12th also contained a part of Indiana County, mainly the college town of Indiana.

The 12th completed its wrap around the metro Pittsburgh region by ending in the northeastern corner of the city's suburbs, containing middle class regions such as Lower Burrell and the working class suburb of New Kensington. A portion of Armstrong County was also included in the district, including several industrial suburbs such as Freeport and Apollo.

Demographics[]

[data unknown/missing]

History[]

After the 2000 census, the Republican-controlled state legislature radically altered the 12th in an effort to get more Republicans elected from traditionally heavily Democratic southwestern Pennsylvania. A large chunk of the old 20th District was incorporated into the 12th. In some parts of the western portion of the district, one side of the street is in the 12th while the other side of the street is in the 18th District (the reconfigured 20th). This led to criticism that the 12th was a gerrymander intended to pack as many of southwestern Pennsylvania's heavily Democratic areas as possible into just two districts—the 12th and the Pittsburgh-based 14th.

Prior to the 2012 redistricting, the district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+1. The district is notable as the only congressional district in the nation that voted for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 but went for Republican John McCain in 2008. This is mainly due to the fact that since 2000 Southwestern Pennsylvania has gradually become more Republican leaning.

2006 election[]

In the 2006 election, Murtha was re-elected with 61% of the vote. His Republican opponent, Washington County Commissioner , received 39%.

2008 election[]

John Murtha won the 2008 election with 58% of the vote. Murtha was a United States Marine and the first Vietnam War veteran to serve in Congress. He defeated Lt. Col. William T. Russell, an army veteran.

2010 special election[]

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell scheduled a special election for May 18, 2010, following the death of Representative John Murtha. On March 8, 2010, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's Executive Committee nominated Mark Critz, Murtha's former district director.^[5] On March 11, a convention of Republicans from the 12th district nominated businessman Tim Burns.^[6] The Libertarian Party's candidate was Demo Agoris, who ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 48th district as a Libertarian in 2006.

Mark Critz won the election.

2010 election[]

Mark Critz was re-elected in the regularly scheduled 2010 election; again beating Republican Tim Burns (this time with 51% of the vote against 49%).

2012 election[]

Mark Critz ran for re-election to a second full term in the 2012 election, but was defeated by Republican challenger Keith Rothfus. Critz garnered 48.5% of the vote to Rothfus' 51.5%.^[7] The 12th had absorbed a large chunk of the old 4th District, including Rothfus' home, after the 2010 census, and was significantly more Republican than its predecessor.

2019 special election[]

After Tom Marino's resignation in January 2019, an election was held on May 21 to fill the open seat. Republican Fred Keller defeated 2018 Democratic nominee Mark Friedenberg.^[8][9]

List of members representing the district[]

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created on March 4, 1795
Albert Gallatin	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – May 14, 1801	4th 5th 6th 7th	Elected in 1794. Re-elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800 but declined the seat to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.	1795–1803 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		May 14, 1801 – December 7, 1801	7th
William Hoge	Democratic-Republican	December 7, 1801 – March 3, 1803		Elected October 13, 1801 to finish Gallatin's term and seated December 7, 1801. Redistricted to the 10th district.
District not in use		March 3, 1803 – March 4, 1813	8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Aaron Lyle	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817	13th 14th	Redistricted from the 10th district and re-elected in 1812. Re-elected in 1814. Retired.	1813–1823 [data unknown/missing]
Thomas Patterson	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1823	15th 16th 17th	Elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1818. Re-elected in 1820. Redistricted to the 15th district.
John Brown	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th	Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 1822. Lost re-election.	1823–1833 [data unknown/missing]
John Mitchell	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829	19th 20th	Elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Retired.
John Scott	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	21st	Elected in 1828. Lost re-election.
Robert Allison	Anti-Masonic	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	22nd	Elected in 1830. Retired.
George Chambers	Anti-Masonic	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th	Elected in 1832. Re-elected in 1834. [data unknown/missing]	1833–1843 [data unknown/missing]
Daniel Sheffer	Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	25th	Elected in 1836. Lost re-election.
James Cooper	Whig	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843	26th 27th	Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. [data unknown/missing]
Almon H. Read	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – June 3, 1844	28th	Redistricted from the 17th district and re-elected in 1842. Died.	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		June 3, 1844 – December 2, 1844
George Fuller	Democratic	December 2, 1844 – March 3, 1845		Elected to finish Read's term. [data unknown/missing]
David Wilmot	Democratic	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1851	29th 30th 31st	Elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. Retired.
Galusha A. Grow	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1850. Redistricted to the 14th district.
Hendrick B. Wright	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1852. Lost re-election.	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
Henry M. Fuller	Opposition	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th	Elected in 1854. Retired.
John G. Montgomery	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – April 24, 1857	35th	Elected in 1856. Died.
Vacant		April 24, 1857 – December 7, 1857
Paul Leidy	Democratic	December 7, 1857 – March 3, 1859		Elected to finish Montgomery's term. [data unknown/missing]
George W. Scranton	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 24, 1861	36th 37th	Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Died.
Vacant		March 24, 1861 – July 4, 1861	37th
Hendrick B. Wright	Democratic	July 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863		Elected to finish Scranton's term. [data unknown/missing]
Charles Denison	Democratic	March 4, 1863 – June 27, 1867	38th 39th 40th	Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Died.	1863–1873 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		June 27, 1867 – November 21, 1867	40th
George W. Woodward	Democratic	November 21, 1867 – March 3, 1871	40th 41st	Elected to finish Denison's term. Re-elected in 1868. Retired.
Lazarus D. Shoemaker	Republican	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875	42nd 43rd	Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Retired.
					1873–1883 [data unknown/missing]
Winthrop W. Ketcham	Republican	March 4, 1875 – July 19, 1876	44th	Elected in 1874. Resigned to become U.S. District Judge
Vacant		July 19, 1876 – November 7, 1876
William H. Stanton	Democratic	November 7, 1876 – March 3, 1877		Elected to finish Ketcham's term. Retired.
Hendrick B. Wright	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	45th 46th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Lost re-election.
	Greenback	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Joseph A. Scranton	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Lost re-election.
Daniel W. Connolly	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Elected in 1882. Lost re-election.	1883–1893 [data unknown/missing]
Joseph A. Scranton	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887	49th	Elected in 1884. Lost re-election.
John Lynch	Democratic	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889	50th	Elected in 1886. Lost re-election.
Edwin S. Osborne	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1888. Retired.
George W. Shonk	Republican	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Retired.
William H. Hines	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd	Elected in 1892. Lost re-election.	1893–1903 [data unknown/missing]
John Leisenring	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th	Elected in 1894. Retired.
Morgan B. Williams	Republican	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. Lost re-election.
Stanley W. Davenport	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901	56th	Elected in 1898. Lost renomination.
Henry W. Palmer	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903	57th	Elected in 1900. Redistricted to the 11th district.
George R. Patterson	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 21, 1906	58th 59th	Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Died.	1903–1913 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		January 21, 1906 – November 6, 1906	59th
Charles N. Brumm	Republican	November 6, 1906 – January 4, 1909	59th 60th	Elected to finish Patterson's term. Re-elected in 1906. Retired to run for judge of the court of common pleas of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania and then resigned once elected.
Vacant		January 4, 1909 – March 3, 1909	60th
Alfred B. Garner	Republican	March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1911	61st	Elected in 1908. Lost renomination.
Robert E. Lee	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915	62nd 63rd	Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
					1913–1933 [data unknown/missing]
Robert D. Heaton	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919	64th 65th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Retired.
John Reber	Republican	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1923	66th 67th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Retired.
John J. Casey	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925	68th	Elected in 1922. Lost re-election.
Edmund N. Carpenter	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1927	69th	Elected in 1924. Lost re-election.
John J. Casey	Democratic	March 4, 1927 – May 5, 1929	70th 71st	Elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Died.
Vacant		May 5, 1929 – June 4, 1929	71st
C. Murray Turpin	Republican	June 4, 1929 – January 3, 1937	71st 72nd 73rd 74th	Elected to finish Casey's term. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Lost re-election.
					1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
J. Harold Flannery	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1942	75th 76th 77th	Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned to become judge of the common pleas court of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Vacant		January 3, 1942 – May 19, 1942	77th
Thomas B. Miller	Republican	May 19, 1942 – January 3, 1945	77th 78th	Elected to finish Flannery's term. Re-elected later in 1942. Lost re-election.
					1943–1953 [data unknown/missing]
Ivor D. Fenton	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1963	79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th	Redistricted from the 13th district and re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Lost re-election.
					1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
J. Irving Whalley	Republican	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1973	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd	Redistricted from the 18th district and re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Retired.	1963–1973 [data unknown/missing]
John P. Saylor	Republican	January 3, 1973 – October 28, 1973	93rd	Redistricted from the 22nd district and re-elected in 1972. Died.	1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		October 28, 1973 – February 5, 1974
John Murtha	Democratic	February 5, 1974 – February 8, 2010	93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th	Elected to finish Saylor's term. Re-elected later in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Died.
					1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
					1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
					2003–2013
Vacant		February 8, 2010 – May 18, 2010	111th
Mark Critz	Democratic	May 18, 2010 – January 3, 2013	111th 112th	Elected to finish Murtha's term. Re-elected later in 2010. Lost re-election.
Keith Rothfus	Republican	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019	113th 114th 115th	Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Redistricted to the 17th district and lost re-election.	2013–2019
Tom Marino	Republican	January 3, 2019 – January 23, 2019	116th	Redistricted from the 10th district and re-elected in 2018. Resigned.[10]	2019–present
Vacant		January 23, 2019 – May 21, 2019
Fred Keller	Republican	May 21, 2019 – present	116th 117th	Elected to finish Marino's term. Re-elected in 2020.

Recent election results[]

2012[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, 2012^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Keith Rothfus	175,352	51.7
	Democratic	Mark Critz (incumbent)	163,589	48.3
Total votes			338,941	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

2014[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, 2014^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Keith Rothfus (incumbent)	127,993	59.3
	Democratic	Erin McClelland	87,928	40.7
Total votes			215,921	100.0
	Republican hold

2016[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, 2016^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Keith Rothfus (incumbent)	221,851	61.8
	Democratic	Erin Mcclelland	137,353	38.2
Total votes			359,204	100.0
	Republican hold

2018[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, 2018^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Marino (incumbent)	161,047	66.0
	Democratic	Marc Friedenburg	82,825	34.0
Total votes			243,872	100.0
	Republican hold

2019 special election[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election, 2019^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Fred Keller	90,000	68.08%	+2.04%
	Democratic	Marc Friedenberg	42,195	31.92%	-2.04%
Total votes			'132,195'	'100.0%'	N/A
	Republican hold

2020[]

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, 2020^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Fred Keller (incumbent)	241,035	70.8
	Democratic	Lee Griffin	99,199	29.2
Total votes			340,234	100.0
	Republican hold

See also[]

• List of United States congressional districts
• Pennsylvania's congressional districts

References[]

Further reading[]

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• Congressman Tom Marino resigns, leaving vacancy in Pa.'s 12th district

External links[]

• Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°25′42″N 79°29′11″W / 40.42833°N 79.48639°W / 40.42833; -79.48639