Wilkes-Barre is a city in and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the second-largest city, after Scranton, in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 567,559 as of the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania after the Delaware Valley, Greater Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, and Greater Harrisburg.
Luzerne County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 906 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 890 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 325,594, making it the most populous county in the northeastern part of the state. The county seat and most populous city is Wilkes-Barre. Other populous communities include Hazleton, Kingston, Nanticoke, and Pittston. Luzerne County is included in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 555,426 as of 2017. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.
Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s, and incorporated as a borough in 1857. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,349, making it the most populous borough in Luzerne County.
Plains Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. The municipality is the birthplace of Chicago White Sox hall of famer Ed Walsh and John J. Yeosock, a United States Army general who commanded the 3rd U.S. Army during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Mohegan Pennsylvania is a casino in Plains Township.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbondale. A portion of this region is located in the New York City metropolitan area. Recently, Pennsylvania tourism boards have described Northeastern Pennsylvania as Upstate Pennsylvania.
Thomas M. Tigue was a United States Marine Corps Officer and combat veteran, an American politician, a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Chris King is a Democratic politician, who represented Pennsylvania's 142nd Representative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008.
William Henry Hines was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 1893 to 1895.
Jesse J. White is a former attorney and former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 46th District since 2007. His district included portions of Washington, Allegheny and Beaver Counties.
Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 5, 2002, with all districts being contested. State Representatives are elected for two-year terms, with the entire House of Representatives up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2002 ran from January 7, 2003 until November 30, 2004. Necessary primary elections were held on May 21, 2002.
The 2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Incumbent Republican governor Mark Schweiker, who took office in 2001 when Tom Ridge resigned to become Homeland Security Advisor, was eligible to run for a full term, but did not do so. Democrat Ed Rendell, the former mayor of Philadelphia and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, emerged from a competitive primary to win the general election against Republican Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher.
Elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate were held on November 2, 2004, with even-numbered districts being contested. State Senators are elected for four-year terms, with half of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2004 will run from January 4, 2005 through November 2008. Necessary primary elections were held on April 27, 2004.
The 70th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in southeast Pennsylvania and has been represented by Matthew Bradford since 2009.
The 121st Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Luzerne County and has been represented by Eddie Day Pashinski since 2007. The district includes the following areas:
Harry Scott Conklin is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 77th legislative district. He was first elected in 2006. Conklin is a Rush Township resident and has been married to his wife, Terri, since 1984. They have one son, Spencer, who was born in 1987. He was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 2010, losing by a ten percent margin.
The 149th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Montgomery County and includes the following areas:
John T. Yudichak is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for 14th District from 2011 to 2022. He previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 119th district from 1999 to 2010. In 2024, Yudichak became the eighth president of Luzerne County Community College.
The 135th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in the Lehigh Valley and has been represented since 1999 by Steve Samuelson.
The Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. The winning candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor will serve a four-year term from 2011 to 2015. In Pennsylvania, the Lieutenant Governor is elected on the same ticket as the Governor, so the only campaign for this office was the primary election. As a result of Tom Corbett's election to the position of governor, Jim Cawley became the new Lieutenant Governor.
Ryan A. Bizzarro is an American politician and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He has represented the 3rd district since January 2013. His district is located in Erie County and includes the townships of Millcreek and Fairview.
