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Redistricting Watch: NEPA Congressional Shenanigans

By Ali Carey, Contributing Writer

NEPA's current districts

Although the official congressional redistricting map has not been released, party sources say the Republican-drawn map would bring Rep. Tim Holden’s (D-Schuylkill) district into Scranton, Rep. Lou Barletta’s (R-Luzerne) district down into Perry and Cumberland counties, and give all of Lycoming and Tioga Counties to Rep. Tom Marino (R-Lycoming).

NEPA political reporting veteran Borys Krawczeniuk obtained two versions map and another, slightly different one from an anonymous Republican source.  Two other anonymous Republican sources confirmed that the map is likely to become a reality.

From the Citizens Voice:

The 10th district would continue to include all of Bradford, Montour, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wyoming, Wayne and Pike counties, but would add the rest of Tioga and Lycoming counties and a boot-shaped sliver of Monroe County while giving up its Luzerne presence, according to the likelier map. All of Monroe is in the 11th now. The northern, narrower half of Northumberland County would stay in the 10th, but the southern half would move to the 11th district. The 10th only has one township in Tioga, only part of Lycoming, all of Northumberland and none of Monroe now.

One source said the idea of transferring all of Tioga and Lycoming to the 10th remains uncertain because Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre, has most of Tioga and part of Lycoming and wants them to stay in his district.

Besides adding the rest of Luzerne County and part of Northumberland and losing its Lackawanna presence, the 11th would no longer contain any of Monroe County, keep all of Columbia, keep only the northwestern edge of Carbon County, gain all of Juniata and Perry counties and gain northwestern parts of Schuylkill, Dauphin and Cumberland counties. None of the latter five counties is in the district now.

Besides moving into Lackawanna, the 17th would pick up the rest of Monroe and Carbon, move entirely out Berks, Lebanon and Perry counties and represent only part of Dauphin and Schuylkill counties instead of all of both.

Since Republicans control both the House and the Senate and Governor Tom Corbett is a Republican, it comes as no surprise that Republicans will score with the new redistricting plan.

Borys’s sources also said they expect Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire of Allegheny County, and Democratic Rep. Mark Critz of Johnstown will be written into the same district forcing them to run against each other.  This is apart of the elimination of one congressional district in the southwest due to its considerable decrease in population.

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