New Legislative Districts – Who is Moving Where?

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent

HARRISBURG – Yesterday, the state Supreme Court unanimously approved new state House and Senate districts that will be in place for the 2014 election cycle.

The new maps are drawn to reflect population changes in the state since the last redistricting in 2001, and by necessity some districts have to be literally picked up from one place and plopped down in another – moving out of areas where there is low population growth and into areas where people are moving.

When the new maps were first drawn last year – before the 2012 elections – the five state House districts headed for the moving van were all occupied by retiring lawmakers.  The idea was to keep any incumbents from having their districts yanked out from under them like rug.

But since the new districts were not approved in time for the 2012 elections, those five empty seats had to be filled.  Now, those five representatives will find themselves in new districts for 2014.

Here’s the seats that are moving:

The 5th District: Occupied by state Rep. Greg Lucas, R-Crawford, this district is heading for a new home in western Berks County, where it is likely to be retained by a Republican.  Lucas’ hometown of Edinboro will now reside in the 3rd district, setting up a potential showdown with state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, D-Erie.

The 22nd District: Occupied by state Rep. Erin Molchany, D-Allegheny, this district will move clear across the state to Allentown in Lehigh County, where is it likely to remain in Democratic hands.  Molchany ends up in the 36th district with state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, setting up a potential primary.

The 74th District: Occupied by state Rep. Tommy Sankey, R-Clearfield, this district will shift to a new home in western Chester County, where it is a good chance for a Democratic pick-up in 2014.  The new district will include the Democratic stronghold of Coatesville.  Meanwhile, Sankey will have a new district all to himself, thanks to some creative map-making that left two nearby Democrats in the same district.

The 115th District: Occupied by state Rep. Frank Farina, D-Lackawanna, this district will hop just across the border to neighboring Monroe County, where it is likely – though not a sure bet – to remain in Democratic hands. Unless he decides to move down the road to keep the seat, Farina will be absorbed by the 112th district, where he faces a potential primary battle with state Rep. Kevin Haggerty, D-Lackawanna.

The 169th District: Occupied by state Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, this one is a guaranteed Republican pick-up in 2014 after it moves to rural York County. Neilson will have to win a primary against state Rep. John Sabatina, D-Philadelphia, in the 174th district to keep his spot in the state House.

There is one state Senate seat also shifting across the state:

The 40th District: Now occupied by state Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-Allegheny, the district will move from Pittsburgh to the Poconos, where Monroe County has been clamoring for better representation in the state Senate for more than decade. The new district seems to favor Republicans, but could go either way.

Vulokovich is now drawn into the same district with state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Allegheny, but the district seems to favor the Republican, at least at first blush.

In a statement Wednesday, Ferlo said it was too early to write his political obituary.

See all the new districts (and the old ones too) here.

Boehm can be reached at Eric@PAIndependent.com and follow @PAIndependent on Twitter for more.