Susan Wild waves from the driver’s seat in an instructional tractor-trailer at Lehigh Carbon Community College. Pennsylvania gained population in the last census but still lost a seat because other states – Texas and Florida, for example – grew at a much faster rate, and saw their congressional delegations grow. census report is released, states redraw congressional district maps to reflect population changes. The population is largely white (95 percent) and older (22 percent are at least 65).Įvery 10 years, after the U.S. The population has been steady over the last 10 years, with 65,249 residents in 2010 and 64,749 in 2020. Tourism is a major part of the economy, along with health care and manufacturing. “So the swingiest area (Lehigh Valley) in the swingiest state (Pennsylvania) now has Carbon County as a wild card.” (Armchair Lehigh Valley) How did Carbon County end up in the 7th District?Ĭarbon County, named for the anthracite coal once mined there, sits north of the Lehigh Valley. “Carbon will play a key role in deciding District 7,” she said. His counterpart, Tina Henninger, the county’s Democratic Party chair, agreed. “That’s one of the reasons why some people think that Carbon County could be a key to this election,” said Lee Becker, chairman of the Carbon County Republican Committee. In 2020, Wild was elected to a second term with nearly 14,000 votes more than Scheller, a former Lehigh County commissioner. The GOP hopes to flip the script in 2022. Republicans expect to take control of the House, a view shared by political pundits. Throw in an average approval rating for President Biden at 42.3 percent, according to the political data website FiveThirtyEight, and high inflation, and the odds seem stacked against Democrats retaining a House majority. The redrawn 7th District sets up a high-stakes race in a midterm election when the party that controls the White House – in this case, Democrats – typically loses seats in the House. Indeed, former President Donald Trump won the county in 20 by 2-1 margins. The major change is the addition of Carbon County, where Republicans hold a 6,000-voter lead in voter registration, and GOP candidates have won the county in most key races since 2010. A reconfigured district based on the 2020 census makes the district slightly more favorable to Republicans, according to several political data analytics websites. Susan Wild and Republican Lisa Scheller.īut the rematch is different. The candidates are the same – Democratic incumbent U.S. The 2022 election for the 7th Congressional District is much like the 2020 race.
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