Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes almost all of Chester County and the southeastern portion of Berks County including the city of Reading and its southeastern suburbs. The district is represented by DemocratChrissy Houlahan, who has served in Congress since 2019. As currently drawn, the district is among the wealthiest in Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional.[5]
Jim Gerlach served as the district's Representative from 2003 to 2014. In 2004 and 2006, Gerlach won re-election against fellow attorney and now Montgomery CountyCourt of Common Pleas Judge Lois Murphy. In 2008, he successfully ran for re-election against businessman and veteran Bob Roggio. In the 2010 and 2012 elections, Gerlach defeated physician and Iraq War veteran Manan Trivedi, the Democratic nominee.
In January 2014, Gerlach announced that he would not stand for reelection to the 114th Congress. In the race to succeed Gerlach, Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello won the Republican nomination and physician and Iraq war veteran Manan Trivedi secured the Democratic party's nomination.[6]
In February 2018, following the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's ordered redrawing of congressional districts, Costello announced he would not stand for reelection and retire at the end of the 115th Congress, leaving businessman Greg McCauley as the sole Republican candidate while the Democrats nominated Air Force veteran Chrissy Houlahan.[7] Houlahan defeated McCauley in the general election.[8]
Prior to the court-ordered redistricting, the 6th district's incarnation dated back to 2002. Its strange shape brought charges of gerrymandering by Democrats who argued it "looms like a dragon descending on Philadelphia from the west, splitting up towns and communities throughout Montgomery and Berks Counties."[9] The combination of very affluent suburban areas of Philadelphia and sparsely populated rural areas was possibly designed to capture Republican voters, but changes in voting patterns in southeastern Pennsylvania has made the district much more competitive. The district had a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+1 after the 2012 redistricting. It was rated D+4 before then.[10] The district included parts of Montgomery County, Chester County, Berks County and Lehigh County. The largest cities in the district were Reading and Norristown.
2013 to 2018
The redistricting of 2011/2012 changed it to include parts of Chester, Montgomery, Berks and Lebanon counties. The following municipalities constituted the sixth district:[11]
Berks County
Townships
Boroughs
Alsace
Bern
Colebrookdale
Cumru District 1,4,6,7
Exeter
Heidelberg
Herford District 2
Lower Alsace District 2
Lower Heidelberg
Maidencreek
Marion
Muhlenberg 2,3,5,6,7,8,9
North Heidelberg
Ontelaunee
Penn
Richmond
Rockland
Ruscombmanor
South Heidelberg
Spring District 5,7,8
Washington
Bally
Bechtelsville
Bernville
Birdsboro
Boyertown
Fleetwood
Kenhorst
Laureldale District 1(part)
Leesport
Robesonia
Shillington
Sinking Spring
St. Lawrence
Wernersville
Womelsdorf
Wyomissing District 1,2,4,5
Chester County
Townships
Boroughs
Caln
Charlestown
East Bradford District 1
East Brandywine
East Caln
East Goshen
East Nantmeal
East Pikeland
East Whiteland
Easttown
Londonderry
North Coventry
Schuylkill
South Coventry
Thornbury
Tredyffrin
Upper Uwchlan
Uwchlan
West Bradford District 1,2,3
West Goshen
West Pikeland
West Vincent
West Whiteland
Westtown
Willistown
Downingtown
Malvern
Phoenixville
Spring City
West Chester
Lebanon County
Townships
Boroughs
Heidelberg
Jackson
Millcreek
North Lebanon District E
South Lebanon
West Cornwall
Cornwall
Myerstown
Richland
City of Lebanon
Wards 1,2,4,5,7,8,9,10
Montgomery County
Townships
Boroughs
Douglass
Limerick
Lower Pottsgrove
Lower Providence
New Hanover
Perkiomen District 1,2
Upper Hanover District 3
Upper Pottsgrove
Upper Providence
West Norriton District 1,2,3
West Pottsgrove
Collegeville
East Greenville
Pennsburg
Pottstown
Red Hill
Royersford
Schwenksville
Trappe
2019
The court-ordered map made the 6th a more compact district in Berks and Chester counties.[5]
^VIETH et al. v. JUBELIRER, PRESIDENT OF THE PENNSYLVANIA SENATE, et al., 541 U.S. 267 (United States Supreme Court 2004) (see http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=02-1580) (plurality opinion of Court holding political gerrymandering claims in the District nonjusticiable based on the lack of workable standards)