Local reaction to congressional map decision is subdued
The changes being made to the boundaries of the 14th Congressional District in the map approved Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would keep it a solidly Republican stronghold, which could account for the fairly subdued local reaction to the court’s decision.
Since 2018, when the state’s highest court first drew Pennsylvania’s congressional boundaries, the district has been represented by Republican Guy Reschenthaler and has encompassed all of Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, and a western slice of Westmoreland County. Under the new map, the boundaries of the 14th Congressional District will expand, including all of Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, most of Westmoreland County, the lion’s share of Indiana County and all of Somerset County, except for a tiny portion along the county’s northern border.
George Rattay, chairman of Fayette County’s Democratic Party, said, “I think it’s a fair map. That’s all we were ever looking for. It’s not going to please everybody.”
Dave Ball, chairman of Washington County’s Republican Party, said, “I’m happy (the new map) kept Washington County intact,” pointing out that one proposed map split the county horizontally, putting part of it in the 17th Congressional District seat that includes southern Allegheny County and Beaver County. The new configuration of the 14th “picked up some pretty Republican districts.”
A spokeswoman for Reschenthaler did not respond for a request for comment.
The court chose the congressional map after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-dominated Legislature could not come to an agreement about the map. The Democratic-majority court split 4-3, with one Democrat voting with the court’s two Republicans. The new map would maintain a competitive balance between Democrats and Republicans in a state that is almost evenly divided between the two parties, with eight seats leaning toward the GOP, six toward Democrats and three others that are toss-ups. Pennsylvania is losing one congressional seat due to population growth that has not kept pace with other parts of the country.
In a statement released Wednesday, Wolf characterized it as “a fair map,” and those sentiments were echoed by Christina Proctor, who leads the Washington County Democratic Party. She explained, “The districts are compact, contiguous and they are not gerrymandered to favor one political party over another.”
With the approval of the map, congressional and statewide candidates can start gathering signatures Friday to get on the May 17 primary ballot, a process that will continue through March 15. Legislative candidates cannot start gathering petition signatures yet due to legal challenges facing the state House and Senate maps.
“They’re going to have to hustle,” Ball said.