Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district | |
---|---|
Representative | |
Population (2023) | 764,570 |
Median household income | $61,140 |
Ethnicity |
|
Cook PVI | R+4 [1] |
Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district is located in the northeastern region of the state. It encompasses all of Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties; along with portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties.
The district had been anchored in Bucks County from the 1940s until 2018, even as most other districts in Pennsylvania changed drastically during that time frame due to population shifts and Pennsylvania's loss of seats in the House. [2]
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional due to gerrymandering. The 8th district was reassigned to the northeastern part of the state for the 2018 elections and representation thereafter. It is geographically the successor of the former 17th district, including the ancestrally Democratic cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the Wyoming Valley. Portions of the new 8th district also came from the old 10th district, including the more conservative counties of Pike and Wayne. Meanwhile, the Bucks County district was renumbered as the 1st district. [3]
The district has a Cook PVI of R+4; [1] however, the Democratic incumbent of the old 17th district, Matt Cartwright, won in 2018. [4] It was one of five districts that would have voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Democrat in 2022. It is also the most Republican-leaning district held by a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus based on the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
The district is a mix of suburban and rural communities. It is predominantly white and middle-class. The bulk of its population is located in the ancestrally Democratic cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. However, the Democrats in this district are populist-leaning, different from their counterparts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The old 17th swung from a 55–43 win for Barack Obama to a 54–43 win for Donald Trump, the first time much of this area had voted for a Republican since 1988.
Year | Office | Results [5] [6] |
---|---|---|
2008 | President | Obama 57% - 42% |
2012 | President | Obama 56% - 44% |
2016 | President | Trump 53% - 44% |
Senate | McGinty 47.4% - 46.7% | |
Attorney General | Shapiro 53% - 47% | |
Treasurer | Torsella 53% - 41% | |
Auditor General | DePasquale 52% - 42% | |
2018 | Senate | Casey Jr. 52% - 46% |
Governor | Wolf 57% - 42% | |
2020 | President | Trump 51% - 48% |
Attorney General | Shapiro 52% - 45% | |
Treasurer | Torsella 48.29% - 48.26% | |
Auditor General | DeFoor 49% - 47% | |
2022 | Senate | Fetterman 49% - 48% |
Governor | Shapiro 54% - 44% |
Lackawanna County (40)
Luzerne County (55)
Monroe County (18)
Pike County (13)
Wayne County (28)
The district was created in 1791.
Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history |
---|---|---|---|---|
District first established March 4, 1791 | ||||
William Findley (Youngstown) | Anti-Administration | March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 | 2nd | Elected in 1791. Redistricted to the at-large district . |
District eliminated in 1793 and replaced by the at-large district .
District restored in 1795.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Fitzpatrick | 183,229 | 55 | −9 | |
Democratic | Virginia Schrader | 143,427 | 44 | +7 | |
Libertarian | Arthur L. Farnsworth | 3,710 | 1 | +1 | |
Constitution | Erich Lukas | 898 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
Turnout | 331,264 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Patrick Murphy | 125,667 | 50 | +6 | |
Republican | Mike Fitzpatrick (incumbent) | 124,146 | 50 | −5 | |
Turnout | 249,813 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Patrick Murphy (incumbent) | 197,869 | 57 | +7 | |
Republican | Tom Manion | 145,103 | 42 | −8 | |
Independent | Tom Lingenfelter | 5,543 | 2 | ||
Turnout | 348,515 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Fitzpatrick | 126,404 | 54 | +12 | |
Democratic | Patrick Murphy (incumbent) | 109,157 | 46 | −11 | |
Turnout | 235,561 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Fitzpatrick (incumbent) | 199,379 | 56.6 | +2.6 | |
Democratic | Kathy Boockvar | 152,859 | 43.4 | −2.6 | |
Turnout | 352,238 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Fitzpatrick (Incumbent) | 137,731 | 61.90 | ||
Democratic | Kevin Strouse | 84,767 | 38.10 | ||
Turnout | 222,498 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Brian Fitzpatrick | 207,263 | 54.4 | |
Democratic | Steve Santarsiero | 173,555 | 45.6 | |
Total votes | 380,818 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Matt Cartwright (incumbent) | 135,603 | 54.6 | |
Republican | John Chrin | 112,563 | 45.4 | |
Total votes | 248,166 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Matt Cartwright (incumbent) | 178,004 | 51.8 | |
Republican | Jim Bognet | 165,783 | 48.2 | |
Total votes | 343,787 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Matt Cartwright (incumbent) | 146,956 | 51.2 | |
Republican | Jim Bognet | 139,930 | 48.8 | |
Total votes | 286,886 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
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.
Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327. Its county seat is Stroudsburg. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state. The county was formed from sections of Northampton and Pike counties on April 1, 1836. It was named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. The county borders Northampton County and the Lehigh Valley to its south, Pike and Wayne counties to its north, Carbon and Luzerne counties to its west, and the Delaware River and Warren County, New Jersey to its east. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, but also receives media from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia radio and television markets.
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.
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