Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party
in the state of Pennsylvania
. The party has had strong support in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area for a long time, having controlled the mayoral office in Philadelphia since 1952, and the Pittsburgh Mayoral office since 1933.
in 2002
and his re-election in 2006
. The party lost control of the governorship following the election of Republican state Attorney General
Tom Corbett
in 2010
. The party picked up a Senate seat in 2006
with the election of Bob Casey, Jr.
Pennsylvania Democrats also briefly held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats following Arlen Specter
's party-switch. However, Congressman Joe Sestak defeated Specter in the May 2010 primary
, before losing the fall general election
to former Congressman Pat Toomey
. On the state legislative level, the party won a majority in the State House
in 2006
and again in 2008
. The party lost its majority in that chamber in the 2010 election
. The State Senate has been controlled by the Republicans for more than a decade, with the balance of power in that chamber presently standing at 30 Republicans, and 20 Democrats.
Democrats made significant gains in voter registration during the 2008 Presidential election
, with registered Democrats now outnumbering registered Republicans almost by a 3-2 margin. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081017_Pa__Democrats_now_outnumber_GOP_by_almost_1_2_million.html Democrats now outnumber Republicans in the state of Pennsylvania by 1.2 million voters.
State
Federal
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The party has had strong support in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area for a long time, having controlled the mayoral office in Philadelphia since 1952, and the Pittsburgh Mayoral office since 1933.
Party platforms and ideology
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party considers jobs to be its number one priority. It is dedicated to fixing the economy and providing stable jobs for all. It is also a strong supporter of the middle class. It is also very concerned with voting rights. The Pennsylvania Republican Party has recently introduced legislation to require a photo ID for voting, but Pennsylvania Democratic Party strongly opposes this. It believes it would discourage minorities, youth, and those with low-income from voting because they are less likely to possess a state-issued ID. Another important issue is protecting Social Security and Medicare. The Pennsylvania Democrats are committed to keeping these programs available and protecting their funding. Transparency is also another key issue because they believe all government should be transparent in order to prevent corruption in government.Recent events
The party held the governorship from 2003 to 2011 with the election of Ed RendellEd Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
in 2002
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2002
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2002 was held on November 5, 2002, and included the races for the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.-Gubernatorial Primaries:Attorney General Mike Fisher ran unopposed for the Republican nomination...
and his re-election in 2006
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2006
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006, and included the races for the Governor of Pennsylvania and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.Incumbent Governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, ran for re-election...
. The party lost control of the governorship following the election of Republican state Attorney General
Pennsylvania Attorney General
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. Currently, the office is held by Linda Kelly.- Authority and Responsibilities :...
Tom Corbett
Tom Corbett
Thomas W. Corbett is the 46th and current Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. He is a former Attorney General of Pennsylvania and was elected to that office in 2004 and reelected in 2008...
in 2010
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2010
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. The winning candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor will serve a four-year term from 2011 to 2015. Candidates for Lieutenant Governor were nominated in a separate primary contest; however, the Lieutenant Governor,...
. The party picked up a Senate seat in 2006
Pennsylvania United States Senate election, 2006
The 2006 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Bob Casey, Jr. Casey was elected to serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. Santorum trailed Casey...
with the election of Bob Casey, Jr.
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
Pennsylvania Democrats also briefly held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats following Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
's party-switch. However, Congressman Joe Sestak defeated Specter in the May 2010 primary
United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, 2010
The Democratic primary for the 2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on May 18, 2010, when Congressman Joe Sestak defeated incumbent Arlen Specter, which led to the end of Specter's five-term Senatorial career...
, before losing the fall general election
United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on November 2, 2010, during the 2010 midterm elections. Incumbent Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Senator Arlen Specter ran for re-election to a sixth term, but lost in the Democratic primary to Joe Sestak. Republican nominee Pat...
to former Congressman Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
. On the state legislative level, the party won a majority in the State House
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
in 2006
Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2006
The 2006 Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 7, 2006, with all districts being contested. Necessary primary elections were held on May 16, 2006. Members elected in 2006 were inaugurated on January 2, 2007...
and again in 2008
Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2008
The 2008 Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 4, 2008, with all districts being contested. Necessary primary elections were held on April 22, 2008. The term of office for those elected in 2008 will run from January 6, 2009 until November 2010...
. The party lost its majority in that chamber in the 2010 election
Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2010
The 2010 elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 2, 2010, with all districts being contested. Necessary primary elections were held on May 18, 2010. The term of office for those elected in 2010 will run from January 4, 2011 until November 30, 2012...
. The State Senate has been controlled by the Republicans for more than a decade, with the balance of power in that chamber presently standing at 30 Republicans, and 20 Democrats.
Democrats made significant gains in voter registration during the 2008 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, with registered Democrats now outnumbering registered Republicans almost by a 3-2 margin. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081017_Pa__Democrats_now_outnumber_GOP_by_almost_1_2_million.html Democrats now outnumber Republicans in the state of Pennsylvania by 1.2 million voters.
Current Democratic officeholders
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party holds two of the state's five statewide offices and is a minority in both the Pennsylvania State Senate and Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Democrats hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats and 7 of the state's 19 U.S. House seats.State
- AuditorPennsylvania Auditor GeneralThe Pennsylvania Auditor General is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current Auditor General of Pennsylvania is Jack Wagner.- History :...
: Jack WagnerJack Wagner (politician)Jack E. Wagner is the current auditor general of Pennsylvania. The statewide elected office is charged with serving as the commonwealth’s independent fiscal monitor... - TreasurerPennsylvania TreasurerThe Pennsylvania Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Department of the Treasury, which is the custodian of virtually all the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's funds....
: Robert McCordRobert McCordRobert M. "Rob" McCord is the Treasurer of Pennsylvania.- Biography :Born on March 5, 1959, Robert Maxwell McCord was born in California. When he was 10 he moved to Ardmore PA and later attended Lower Merion High School. After graduating from Lower Merion High, McCord took a year off and then went...
Federal
- U.S. Senate
- Robert Casey, Jr.
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Bob BradyBob BradyRobert A. "Bob" Brady is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998, and the ranking Democrat on the United States House Committee on House Administration since 2007...
, 1st DistrictPennsylvania's 1st congressional districtPennsylvania's first congressional district includes primarily central and South Philadelphia, the City of Chester, the Philadelphia International Airport, and other small sections of Delaware County. The district currently has an overwhelming Democratic majority. Bob Brady, the chairman of the... - Chaka FattahChaka FattahChaka Fattah is the U.S. representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, 2nd DistrictPennsylvania's 2nd congressional districtPennsylvania's second district includes predominantly African American sections of the city of Philadelphia-West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia in addition to Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County... - Jason AltmireJason AltmireJason Altmire is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:...
, 4th DistrictPennsylvania's 4th congressional districtPennsylvania's fourth district is located in western Pennsylvania and includes suburbs of Pittsburgh as well as Beaver County, Lawrence County, and Mercer County.... - Mark CritzMark CritzMark S. Critz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, 12th DistrictPennsylvania's 12th congressional districtPennsylvania's 12th congressional district is represented by Congressman Mark Critz after a special election was held on May 18, 2010 following the death of Democrat John Murtha. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+1... - Allyson SchwartzAllyson SchwartzAllyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
, 13th DistrictPennsylvania's 13th congressional districtThe 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. The district traditionally included most of Montgomery County, but was redrawn in 2002... - Mike Doyle, 14th DistrictPennsylvania's 14th congressional districtPennsylvania's 14th congressional district is overwhelmingly Democratic. The district includes the entire city of Pittsburgh, which is solidly Democratic because of its strong ethnic labor, liberal professional, and black voting blocks. A variety of working class and majority black suburbs located...
- Tim HoldenTim HoldenThomas Timothy "Tim" Holden is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, 17th DistrictPennsylvania's 17th congressional districtPennsylvania’s 17th congressional district is located in the central part of the state, including the state capital, Harrisburg. The district was significantly redrawn after the 2000 census. It is composed of all of Dauphin County, Lebanon County, Schuylkill County, and parts of Berks County and...
- Bob Brady